The Yogi Adityanath-led, Uttar Pradesh government, has named Mukul Goel, a 1987-batch IPS officer, as the state’s next director-general.
He replaces Hitesh Chandra Awasthy, who resigned yesterday following a 36-year career in which he served in various roles. Goel was the Additional Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Delhi till yesterday.
According to sources, his delegation is set to end in November this year. He will need support from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for “premature repatriation” to take up the new position.
Goel is a member of the UP cadre of the Indian Police Service. He was born in Muzaffarnagar and graduated from IIT Delhi with a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering. During the previous Mayawati-led BSP administration, Goel was suspended and numerous other IPS officials for suspected irregularities in police recruitment.
They were eventually restored when the government closed the case. Goel had worked for the Uttar Pradesh Police Department in a variety of roles. After riots erupted in Muzaffarnagar and neighboring districts in 2013, he was appointed ADG (Law and Order).
In 2016, he was appointed IG, BSF, and moved to Delhi on assignment. Before 2016, he held the positions of ADG (CB CID) and ADG (Railway).
Mukul Goel has several challenges. Goel assumes office less than a year before the state’s assembly elections. Keeping social media under control as elections approach will be a new problem for him. With the charges against microblogging service Twitter, the UP police are already in the limelight. For his outstanding service, Mukul Goel received the Police Medal for Gallantry (2003), the Police Medal for Meritorious Services (2003), and the President Police Medal for Distinguished Services (2012).
Another issue he will face is restoring the reputation of the UP Police. Its treatment of so-called “love jihad” cases and the Hathras gang rape case has garnered negative attention. At around 2:30 a.m., police cremated the Hathras gang-rape victim, causing a great outcry. Goel also has the onerous responsibility of improving police patrols and guaranteeing the protection of women.
