Hyderabad: The Telangana govt on Tuesday appointed the state’s senior-most IPS officer, C V Anand, as the new director general of police (DGP), bringing to an end a nine-year wait for a full-time police chief — a delay marked by legal battles that often made national headlines.The 1991-batch IPS officer, currently serving as special chief secretary (home department), will assume charge on May 1. He will succeed B Shivadhar Reddy, who retires at the end of this month. Anand will hold the post till June 2028.The DGP post had fallen vacant in 2017 after the tenure of Anurag Sharma ended on Nov 12. Since then, the state has been headed by a string of in-charge DGPs, including M Mahender Reddy, Anjani Kumar, Ravi Gupta, Jitender and Shivadhar Reddy. Their tenures ranged from a few months to five years, reflecting the prolonged interim arrangement. The delay prompted judicial intervention. In Feb this year, the Supreme Court directed the UPSC to complete the selection of a DGP for Telangana within four weeks, in line with the guidelines laid down in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India judgment. The court also noted non-compliance with these norms by nine states, including Telangana.Following this direction, the state govt submitted a list of eligible DGP-rank officers comprising Anand, Prabhakar Apte, Soumya Mishra, Shikha Goel and Abhilasha Bisht. At an empanelment committee meeting held in New Delhi on March 11, Anand was among the three officers shortlisted by the UPSC for the top post.Over a career spanning 35 years, the new police chief has held several key positions. He has served as Hyderabad police commissioner and as Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Vigilance Enforcement. During early part of his career, Anand also led anti-Naxal operations for nearly a decade in Warangal, Bellampalli and Nizamabad.As deputy inspector general in the CID’s Economic Offences Wing, Anand led a team to Bangkok to secure the extradition of Krushi Bank scam accused Venkateshwara Rao in 2006. He later introduced the e-challan system and drunk-driving enforcement measures while serving as additional commissioner of police (Traffic), Hyderabad, and expanded CCTV surveillance during his tenure as Cyberabad police commissioner.In recognition of his service, Anand was awarded the President’s Police Medal in 2017, the Indian Police Medal in 2007, and the President’s Gallantry Medal in 2002.
