In a targeted administrative realignments within the state’s senior police apparatus, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has issued fresh posting orders for two senior Director General-rank Indian Police Service (IPS) officers. The latest order bifurcates key administrative responsibilities to streamline emergency management, recruitment operations, and auxiliary force oversight across the state. Under the new notifications released from the state capital, senior IPS officer Ashok Kumar Singh has been formally designated as the Director General of Civil Defence, ending the dual-charge arrangement previously held by Director General of Home Guards Dhruv Kant Thakur.

Ashok Kumar Singh Takes the Helm of UP Civil Defence

Under the revised administrative deployment, 1995-batch IPS officer Ashok Kumar Singh assumes full-time command as the Director General of Civil Defence, Uttar Pradesh. Prior to this elevation, Singh served with distinction as the Director General and Member Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB) in Lucknow, where he steered major state-level selection drives, examination security protocols, and departmental promotion processes. In his new executive assignment, Singh will oversee civilian emergency preparedness, voluntary defence corps mobilization, crisis drills, and inter-agency disaster mitigation protocols spanning all 75 districts of the state.

DK Thakur Relieved of Additional Charge to Lead Home Guards Exclusively

The bureaucratic order also unburdens 1994-batch IPS officer Dhruv Kant Thakur, who was simultaneously managing two high-demand portfolios as Director General/Commandant General of Home Guards alongside the additional charge of DG Civil Defence. With the fresh appointments coming into force, the state home department has relieved Thakur of his secondary responsibility. He will now dedicate undivided administrative focus to heading the Uttar Pradesh Home Guards organisation, an auxiliary security force instrumental in urban traffic management, law-and-order crowd control during major festivals, and perimeter security deployments across sensitive administrative zones.

Administrative Rationalization Following Major Statewide Police Overhauls

The decision to separate the command structures of Civil Defence and Home Guards arrives in the wake of a broader administrative reorganization across Uttar Pradesh. Earlier this month, the state government executed a major reshuffle involving 20 senior police officials, restructuring leadership across district headquarters, police commissionerates, specialized cyber command units, and the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC). Senior administrative analysts in Lucknow point out that assigning independent leadership to Civil Defence ensures enhanced operational readiness, tighter volunteer coordination, and seamless execution of community emergency response mechanisms across Uttar Pradesh.