New Delhi: For four years until September 2025, Anurag Kumar’s mandate as chief of the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) in Delhi was to cast a wide net over Delhi-NCR, gathering intelligence for the central government.
In a surprise move Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) appointed the 1994-batch IPS officer of the AGMUT cadre as the next Police Commissioner of Delhi.
Outgoing Delhi Police chief Satish Golcha has been asked to report to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and await further instructions.
Golcha’s removal and Kumar’s appointment, which caught many in the force by surprise, came well before the scheduled end of Golcha’s tenure next August.
🔶श्री अनुराग कुमार, IPS को दिल्ली पुलिस आयुक्त के रूप में कार्यभार संभालने पर हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं।@CPDelhi@LtGovDelhi#DPUpdates pic.twitter.com/LKMdA3QlNV
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) July 17, 2026
“With the approval of the Competent Authority, Sh. Anurag Kumar, IPS (AGMUT:1994) is hereby appointed as Commissioner of Police, Delhi, with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders,” read the MHA order.
‘Career intelligence officer’
Sources familiar with Anurag Kumar’s career trajectory told ThePrint that senior officials rely on him for “gathering intelligence” and “seamless correspondence and coordination” with affiliated law enforcement agencies.
A native of Uttar Pradesh, Kumar joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1995 and served in various capacities in the national capital. His last active policing role was in 2004-05 when he served as Deputy Commissioner of Delhi’s North district.
“There are very few officers who have such long and continuous tenure in the Intelligence Bureau. He is a career spook and has worked on some of the key desks of the intelligence agency,” a Delhi Police official told ThePrint.
Sources said that after his induction into the IB, Kumar headed the J&K desk.
“This was the time when the MHA was preparing the ground for a big move on the Abrogation of Article 370 as well as maintenance of the security situation in the wake of incidents post the killing of Burhan Wani,” another officer said.
After a prolonged stint with IB, Kumar moved on to an assignment with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He was appointed Minister (Personnel & Community Affairs), a Joint Secretary-level rank with the Indian Embassy in Washington, in January 2018. He served in that role for more than three years.
He rejoined the IB in October 2021 and went on to head the Delhi bureau of the intelligence agency as a Joint Director-level officer. He worked in that capacity until late last year, when he was elevated as Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau.
When the current IB Director, Mahesh Dixit, moved to the agency’s headquarters, Kumar was entrusted with the responsibility of dealing with J&K once again—a responsibility he held until this week.
The MHA moved a proposal before the Cabinet Wednesday, seeking to repatriate him to his cadre, setting in motion a behind-the-scenes process that culminated in his appointment as Delhi Police Commissioner Friday. Hours later, he reached the Delhi Police headquarters and took over the reins from his predecessor.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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