Prakash Singh is a retired Indian Police Service officer, who rose to the highest rank of Director General of Police (DGP). He has served as Chief of the Border Security Force (BSF), Uttar Pradesh Police and Assam Police. He is considered one of the best police officers for his role as key architect for Police reforms in India.[3] After his retirement from service in 1996, he filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court of India. The landmark verdict of PIL came in 2006, in which the Supreme Court has given specific directions to the central and state governments to carry out structural changes in the police with a view to insulating it from extraneous pressures and making it accountable to the people.[4]
Personal life
Mr Singh was born on 10 January 1936 in a rajput Family in a small village near Mehnajpur Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, India and studied in the University of Allahabad. He is married to Savitri. His son Pankaj Kumar Singh was appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force in September 2021.[5] His another son Piyush Kumar Singh was a Fortune 500 corporate executive, a successful start-up Founder and currently a CoFounder of a Insurance Services Product company in the US. Presently Prakash Singh and his wife live in Noida.[6]
Career
Prakash Singh is a 1959 batch, Uttar Pradesh cadre Indian Police Service Officer. His first posting as an IPS Officer was as Assistant Superintendent of Police, Kanpur (ASP Kanpur).
After retirement he has been tasked to head Inquiry Committees on two occasions.
In February 2016 he was appointed by Government of Haryana to submit the report on Role of Officers of Civil Administration and Police during Jat reservation agitation in Haryana.[9][10] The agitation had resulted in loss of 30 lives, blockade of National Highways, large scale damage to public and private property in many districts worth INR 20,000 crores.[11] The 451 pages report, indicting 80 government officials was submitted in record period of 71 days.
In 2003, the Government of Andhra Pradesh had asked him to conduct an Inquiry into the incident of mine blast at Tirumala Ghat Road, Chittur District on 1 October 2003 in which the Naxalite attempted to assassinate the then Chief Minister of the state, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu. A comprehensive Report was submitted by him on 6 February 2004.[12]
Histoire du Naxalisme (French). Les Nuits Rouges. 2003. ISBN9782913112216.
Kohima to Kashmir: On the Terrorist Trail. Rupa & Co. 2001. ISBN9788171675210.
Prakash Singh; US Department of the Army; Foreign Military Studies Office (2000). Disaster Response in India. Books Express publishing. ISBN9781780391427.
Prakash Singh is a recipient of Padma Shri Award in year 1991 for his contribution to Civil Service.[14] He has also been awarded State award by Government of Uttar Pradesh, Police Medal for Meritorious Service and Police Medal for Distinguished Service.