Senior IPS officer Satish Golcha appointed Delhi Police Commissioner

A day after the alleged attack on Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in the national capital, Satish Golcha, a senior IPS officer, was appointed as the new Commissioner of Police, Delhi, on Thursday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order that Golcha would be serving as the 26th Commissioner of Delhi Police.

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The 1992-batch IPS officer will take over from SBK Singh, who had been holding additional charges as the Commissioner since July 31, following the retirement of Sanjay Arora.

The officer from the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territories) cadre, who is currently serving as the Director General (Prisons) in Delhi, a position he took over on May 1, 2024.

Last year, he was appointed as chief of Tihar Jail by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena based on a recommendation from the police establishment board.

Golcha has held several important positions, including Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Special Commissioner (Intelligence) in Delhi Police, and Director General of Police (DGP) of Arunachal Pradesh. The AGMUT cadre officer has previously held key positions as DGP of Arunachal Pradesh from February 2022 to June 2023, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Joint Commissioner of Police, and Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order).

He notably served as Special CP (Law and Order) during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, playing a central role in restoring order during a challenging period. He has also held the post of Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) in the Delhi Police.

Since May last year, Golcha served as DG of Prisons, overseeing Tihar Jail, Mandoli, and Rohini, initially in an interim capacity to manage rising jail violence and gang-related unrest, before the posting was regularized.

On Wednesday, Delhi CM Gupta was allegedly attacked by Rajesh Sakariya, 41, who has a history in criminal activities. Earlier, he had been booked by the Gujarat Police in five cases, including assaults and knife attacks, police sources said.

Following the incident, Sakariya, originally from Rajkot in Gujarat, was taken into police custody.

“We got to know that he was previously booked in five different cases at Bhaktinagar police station in Gujarat,” a source said.

According to sources, five cases are registered against Sakariya at the Bhaktinagar police station in Gujarat. He was previously booked under sections related to voluntarily causing hurt, causing hurt by dangerous weapon or means, and causing grievous hurt, among others, sources mentioned.

Currently, the Delhi Police is investigating every angle of the case, and are in coordination with the Rajkot Police. Central agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, are also involved in the interrogation that has been ongoing with the attacker.