Profile: The meteoric rise of IPS Anjani Kumar to Telangana top cop

Hyderabad: Senior IPS officer Anjani Kumar who served in various top positions in Telangana and united Andhra Pradesh takes over the mantle from the outgoing director general of police M. Mahender Reddy. The BRS-led Chandrashekar Rao government has appointed Anjani Kumar as the head of the Telangana police.

Even before the orders were issued, there were already rumours that the Bihar-born former Hyderabad commissioner of police, who enjoys the confidence of those in the corridors of power, has a robust chance of clinching the top job.

It is to be recalled that when Mahender Reddy suffered a fracture in his shoulder not too long ago, Anjani Kumar was made 'in-charge' DGP. Needless to say, it was the first sign of grooming him for the top job. The IPS officer has been lying low after he took over as chief of ACB and Vigilance. Anjani Kumar and his wife Vasundhara Sinha, principal commissioner of Income Taxes, Mumbai, are said to be a power couple.

A prolific career spanning over 3 decades

Anjani Kumar was born on 28 January 1966 in Bihar. He is an alumnus of Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, and St. Xaviers, Patna. The 1990 batch IPS officer, Telangana cadre, was awarded the United Nations Peace Medal twice while serving with the United Nations in Bosnia in 1998–99

During his training at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, he won the Maharaja of Tonk Cup for the Best Horse Rider of his batch and the RD Singh Cup for being the best swimmer of his batch.

He earlier served as the director general (Anti-Corruption Bureau), Telangana, Hyderabad; Hyderabad commissioner of police; additional director general of police (law and order), Telangana; additional commissioner of police (law and order), Hyderabad city; inspector general of police, Warangal Range, Telangana; deputy inspector general of police, Nizamabad Range, Telangana; chief of Greyhounds (elite anti-Naxal unit), Telangana and Andhra Pradesh; chief of counter Intelligence Cell; and assistant superintendent of police, Jangaon, Telangana.

Anjani Kumar also co-authored and supervised the production of the coffee table book "Journey of the Hyderabad City Police" with Noopur Kumar. He was the additional commissioner of police (law and order), Hyderabad city during the time of the publication of the book.