Hyderabad, Jul 10 (IANS): Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Dr Jitender has been appointed as the new Director General of Police (DGP) of Telangana, it was announced on Wednesday.

Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari issued an order transferring Jitender, presently the Principal Secretary, Home, and posting him as DGP, Coordination. He will also hold full additional charge of the post of DGP, Telangana.

Jitender becomes the first DGP to be appointed by the government since the Congress came to power in Telangana in December last year.

An IPS officer of the 1992 batch, he succeeds Ravi Gupta, who is posted as Special Chief Secretary, Home.

Hailing from Punjab, Jitender began his career as an Assistant Superintendent of Police in Nirmal. He served as Additional SP in Bellampally and SP of Mahbubnagar and Guntur districts when the Maoist activity was at its peak. The IPS officer also worked for the elite anti-Maoist force Greyhounds and also the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Soon after his appointment, Jitender called on Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and later took charge as the police chief.

On December 3 last year, Gupta, then Director General, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), was appointed the DGP on the direction of the Election Commission of India, which placed then police chief Anjani Kumar under suspension for violating the Model Code of Conduct by meeting state Congress chief Revanth Reddy when the counting of votes was still underway.

The EC had observed that the action of the DGP meeting a contesting candidate and a star campaigner of the party with a flower bouquet at his residence is a clear indication of mala fide intention of seeking favour. It had later revoked the suspension, but the Congress government did not reinstate Anjani Kumar as police chief. He was posted as Chairman, Road Safety Authority.

Gupta was posted as Director General of Police, Coordination and continued to hold full additional charge of DGP (head of the police force).