Harish Kumar Gupta Appointed Andhra Pradesh DGP with Additional Responsibilities

The Andhra Pradesh government has appointed Harish Kumar Gupta as the new Director General of Police (DGP), with additional duties, following the retirement of Dwaraka Tirumala Rao on January 31. Gupta, currently serving as the Director General of the Vigilance and Enforcement Department, was given the official appointment order by Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand on Wednesday.

Gupta briefly served as the DGP during the recent general elections after the Election Commission of India removed K.V. Rajendranath Reddy from the position. Following the formation of the coalition government under N. Chandrababu Naidu, seniority in police appointments led to the selection of Dwaraka Tirumala Rao as DGP, and Gupta was reassigned to lead the Vigilance and Enforcement Department.

Gupta, a 1992-batch IPS officer, is now appointed DGP in light of the retirement of Dwaraka Tirumala Rao. Although Maddireddy Pratap, a 1991-batch IPS officer and current Director General of the Fire Services Department, was next in line based on seniority, the Andhra Pradesh government decided to appoint Gupta based on his proven performance in various roles. Gupta’s experience, including managing law and order, serving as Principal Secretary of the Home Department, Director General of Prisons, and his brief tenure as DGP during elections, influenced the decision to appoint him as the state's top police officer.