New Delhi: Former Punjab Police chief Dinkar Gupta, who served a crucial role at the peak of militancy in the border state, has taken over as Director General (DG) of India’s premier anti-terrorism probe agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Gupta will head the NIA till 31 March 2024.
Among colleagues, Gupta is described as “a sound officer who leads from the front”, “an experienced hand in terror cases with an excellent network”, “the one with an eye for detail”, “a trouble-shooter”, a “workaholic”, and an officer who is “open to criticism”.
The 1987-batch IPS officer has handled several important and sensitive portfolios in the state and at the Centre, including an 8-year stint with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) from June 2004 to July 2012.
Before becoming the Punjab Police chief in 2019, Gupta was the DG (intelligence) in charge of Punjab State Intelligence Wing, State Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU).
His elevation brings Punjab’s former “power couple” back in action in Delhi.
His wife, IAS officer Vini Mahajan, who served as Punjab chief secretary during the tenure of former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, was appointed as secretary in the Ministry of Jal Shakti in December last year.
Considered close to Amarinder, the couple was removed from the top positions in October last year after Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi took over the reins of Punjab.
While Gupta was removed from the post of DGP and made chairman of the Punjab Police Housing Corporation (PPHC), no new posting order was issued for Mahajan as her successor was appointed.
Mahajan, a 1987-batch IAS officer, had superseded five officers to become the chief secretary in July 2020 — a decision attributed by Amarinder to “continuity and competence”. Apart from serving as the additional chief secretary of investment promotion, industries & commerce, IT and governance reforms and public grievances, Mahajan had played a crucial role in steering the Punjab government’s response to the Covid crisis as the chairperson of the Health Sector Response and Procurement Committee.
Gupta, too, became the Punjab DGP by superseding five senior officers, who challenged his appointment with claims that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had “tailor-made rules to include Gupta in the panel”. Though the Central Administrative Tribunal quashed the appointment of Gupta, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had set aside the tribunal’s order.
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‘Leads from the front’
Former Punjab DGP Suresh Arora, under whom Dinkar worked for many years, said the senior officer is “committed, focused” and “leads from the front”.
“He not just gives directions to his subordinates, but also leads from the front and is totally involved. That is what makes all the difference. He knows how to make a team and then lead it,” Arora added.
Gupta was the state intelligence chief when Arora headed the Punjab Police, and the duo worked closely on many operations.
“In 2017, when the state was marred by smuggling from across the border, he not only created an organised crime unit, a financial intelligence unit but also delivered,” Arora said. “He has an excellent experience of what goes into handling a border state.”
Gupta served as district police chief of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur for more than seven years through the militancy phase. From busting networks of narco-terrorism, carrying out operations in terror cases to cracking down on organised crime, the senior IPS officer has had his hands full.
Working in an investigation agency like the NIA requires a great deal of coordination with other organisations, including the state intelligence units, the IB, the Research and Analysis Wing, and the local police.
Gupta, several officers said, has contacts everywhere and excels in bringing most agencies “on board”.
“In assignments where other agencies have to be brought on board, Gupta knows how to do it. He would know what needs to be done,” Arora said.
A senior officer in the Punjab Police, who worked closely with Gupta, called him a “trouble-shooter”.
“If you are in a spot, he would make a few calls here and there, and give the perfect solution.
“That is because he knows so many people across departments that he would find the perfect fix for any issue. We could approach so many people through him. And that is all because of his excellence, his goodwill and the respect he has across departments,” the officer said.
“He knows how to get something done and his inter-department coordination skills really help in a system like ours.”
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‘Open to criticism, eye for detail’
Gupta’s “eye for detail” and “habit of paying attention to even the minutest of details” make him popular among his subordinates.
“He would never overlook things. A document would be reviewed multiple times. Each decision would be a well-thought one and he would take personal interest in each case,” a second officer serving in the Punjab Police said. “Always looking for finer details, he is an extremely meticulous officer.”
What is encouraging for officers working under Gupta is that he is “merit-oriented” and “values feedback”, said Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Gurpreet Deo, who has also worked with the former Punjab DGP.
“He is merit-oriented and works with his subordinates, not in silos,” Deo added. “Moreover, he always valued our feedback. If there is a draft that had to go, he would take feedback from all his subordinates, even the youngest of officers.”
Deo said she and her colleagues were assured that they would be heard even if there were disagreements while working on a case.
Retired Punjab Police chief N.P.S. Aulakh said Gupta “carried along” his subordinates.
“He is a very sound officer who has experience in both the field as well as intelligence. Even as he served as chief in a difficult time, he made a mark for himself and everyone trusted him with his decisions,” Aulakh added. “What makes him special is that he always carried his subordinates along, which is a mark of a good leader.”
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Brush with controversies
Gupta has had his share of controversies.
The senior IPS officer was criticised in 2020 for his remark about the Kartarpur corridor — he had said it “offers a potential that you send somebody in the morning, by evening he is trained terrorist”.
The corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan with Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur.
“You are there for six hours, you can be taken to a firing range, you can be taught to make an IED (improvised explosive device),” he was quoted as saying.
Later, Gupta clarified that his statement was strictly pertaining to the security and safety of Punjab and India, and there was absolutely no reference to any religion or community.
“I only red-flagged the obvious potential for misuse by elements notorious for their hostility towards India and their (Pakistan’s) effort to exploit every opportunity, even the most pious one, to disturb the peace and communal harmony,” he said.
Speaking about the controversy, the second Punjab Police officer quoted above said Gupta has a sense of humour and has the “mental strength to tackle controversies and even laugh about them”
“He does not take all that to heart. He laughs about it. At that time also (Kartarpur row) he had said ‘Mera oo matlab thodi si, mere piche pe gaye sare’ (everyone misunderstood and came after me),” the officer said. “He is extremely hard-working and makes sure his teams too are on their feet. He gets up early and starts enquiring about the day from everyone. There is no way anyone can escape accountability while working with him.”
Gupta was awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry in 1992 and 1994. He is also the recipient of the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Services, and was awarded the President’s Police Medal in 2010.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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