Gurugram: On his last day in office Wednesday, Haryana DGP O.P. Singh did what he has done routinely during his tenure—write an open letter.
In his farewell letter, the 1992-batch IPS officer invoked English poet Alfred Tennyson, praised the force he had been part of for more than three decades, and appealed to it to be more humane. He then issued them a stark warning—year 2026 would see a spike in crime rate in the state.
Singh’s letter starts with “Haryana police ke mere priye jawanon aur adhikari gana” (My dear jawans and officers of the Haryana Police). He has posted the letter on social media—his preferred mode of communication after he took over as the DGP about three months ago.
“This journey has connected me with everyone in every form,” he wrote, and quoted from Alfred Tennyson’s “Ulysses”. “I am a part of all that I have met.”
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The letter-writing DGP
Singh took charge of the force on 14 October under unusual circumstances. The state police was rocked by apparent suicide by IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar on 7 October. An FIR was registered against incumbent police chief Shatrujeet Singh Kapur, and he was sent on leave.
Just two days after taking over, Singh began his letter-writing spree with a cryptic couplet. “If my friend betrays someone, I feel ashamed”.
Writing open letters became his signature style. Through these letters Singh chose to address his force and often the public, unlike his predecessors who stuck to official channels.
He followed up his first letter with an advice to the police force to welcome visitors to police stations with tea and newspapers. In one of his several such letters, OP Singh threw a fitness challenge “Run one kilometre in five minutes, or get left behind in life.”
‘Crime will go up’
In his farewell note written in Hindi, Singh’s assessment of law and order stood out. While he said Haryana saw fewer criminal incidents in 2025 compared to the year before, he issued a clear warning that the number will increase significantly in 2026.
He said instances of heinous crimes had already started rising in 2025 compared to earlier years, and the trend would continue. “The question is not whether crimes will happen, but how we tackle them,” he wrote, pushing for a shift from arrest-focused policing to systematic, scientific crime prevention.
The outgoing DGP advised the police force it shouldn’t just chase criminals but dismantle entire networks, including drug cartels, organised crime syndicates, and human trafficking rings.
He advocated a multipronged approach involving community policing, youth engagement, welfare of senior citizens, women’s safety, and even environmental protection.
‘Seva-nivritti’, not retirement
In a departure from the usual bureaucratic farewell, Singh used the term “seva-nivritti” (retirement from service) instead of simply “retirement,” emphasising that policing is ultimately about serving the people.
“I have reservations about the word retirement. I have just boarded a train called the Indian Police Service. The journey hasn’t ended. I believe that until one is alive, one should keep doing something meaningful in life,” he said.
He then also listed some of the works he accomplished during his career.
“When I was SP, Range IG, Commissioner or DGP, I kept my force chasing the criminal. As sports director, I connected lakhs of children to sports, through rahgiri and marathons, connected lakhs of people with the government and bridged caste and class divides. Anti-drug enforcement, youth communication, cybercrime prevention, crime data management, forensic science and green building practices etc helped Haryana emerge among the top states of the country,” Singh said in his letter.
He said he is fond of writing, and expected he would be able to give it more time.
“The real battle for freedom is against the terror of loudmouthed eccentrics, and cheats. Unfortunately, this continues even today. I expect you all to stand with the people in their struggle for the rule of law.”
Poetic exit
He said the Indian Police Service and the Haryana Police are his identity, and whatever he has been able to achieve so far, is thanks to them.
Singh signed off his letter with Kabir Das’s couplets in Hindi: “Daas Kabir jatan se odhee, jyon-ki-tyon dhar deenhi chadariya“, essentially saying he performed his duties with utmost care, and tried to preserve the purity of the service.
With Singh’s retirement on the last day of the year, the state government is expected to announce his successor soon.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)