Srinagar: The state administrative council on Wednesday appointed 1987-batch IPS officer Dilbag Singh as the full-time director general of Jammu and Kashmir Police almost after two months of his appointment as acting chief of the state police force.

Dilbag Singh was given additional charge as interim chief of Jammu and Kashmir police force on September 6 in a unexpected move when the then DGP SP Vaid was sacked and demoted as transport commissioner, a post which was held by Saugat Biswas, a 2006-IAS batch officer. However, the post has been upgraded from additional secretary to secretary rank.

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The appointment of Dilbag Singh was long pending due to delay on the part of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Officials told MyNation that appointment of the new DGP has been made according to the Supreme Court guidelines.

The state government led by Governor Satya Pal Malik had submitted three names for the post of police chief, including that of special director general VK Singh and SM Sahai to the UPSC.

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Dilbag Singh will continue to hold the charge of director general of prisons and director, fire and emergency services till 31 December.

VK Singh, who is also a 1987 batch IPS officer and posted as special director general at the police headquarters, has been transferred and posted as commandant general of Home Guards, Civil Defence and SDF. VK Singh, who was in the race for the post of DGP, went on leave showing resentment against the posting of Dilbag Singh as acting DGP in September.

The two-month tenure of Dilbag Singh as acting DGP went well for the forces as the success rate in encounters improved compared to that under his predecessor Vaid, who was sacked after the abduction of family members of 11 police personnel by terrorists in retaliation to the arrest of Hizbul Mujahideen operative Reyaz Naikoo.

The operation against terrorism have picked up pace and the state police are believed to be working in synergy with other security forces in the Valley. However, the Jammu and Kashmir Police have admitted that the upcoming panchayat elections will be a litmus test for the security forces as the poll process will move towards the interior of Kashmir which is believed to be the den of terrorists.