New Delhi: A 1985-batch Union Territories cadre IPS officer, Amulya Kumar Patnaik, will be the next commissioner of Delhi Police. He will succeed Alok Kumar Verma. With Mr Verma becoming the CBI director, Mr Patnaik was one of the frontrunners for the post along with Deepak Mishra and Dharmendra Kumar.

Originally from Odisha, Mr Patnaik is holding the charge of special commissioner (administration) in the Delhi Police. By appointing Mr Patnaik for the top post in the city police, the government has superseded  Mr Mishra and Mr Kumar,  both 1984-batch IPS officers of AGMUT cadre.

Mr Patnaik, 57, will retire in January 2020. Thus, he can  serve as the top cop of the force for almost three years. “Amulya Kumar Patnaik, IPS has been appointed to the post of commissioner of Police, Delhi from the date of actual assumption of the charge, in place of Shri Alok Kumar, IPS who has been appointed as director, CBI, till further orders,” an order issued by the Union government said. Mr Patnaik was also known to be close to the outgoing police chief.

Mr Patnaik has handled several critical assignments in the Delhi Police and as joint commissioner, he had the rare distinction of leading both the crime branch and the Southern Range. He is known for his adept investigation skills and has been involved in the detection of sensitive cases like the Sarita Vihar kidnapping of a school boy by armed gangsters, which was solved in a record 12 hours.

Some of the cases that he has handled include the parcel bomb case, bursting of the dreaded Asghar gang of dacoits and handling the Bombay serial blast accused. He was at the forefront of the police action to quell riots in mammoth public rallies, one being the anti-Dunkel rally in Uttarakhand in 1994.

In 1995, Mr Patnaik took the initiative to launch Pratidhi, a Delhi Police programme to extend counselling and other assistance to victims of traumatic crimes, an initiative that is working successfully till date.

During his stint as IG, SPG, he was  credited with the planning and managing the security of the-then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2003, who had undertaken the lone train journey.

Mr Patnaik has handled the Central, East and South Districts of Delhi Police wherein his focus on preventive planning and police community partnership led to a drastic fall in heinous crimes. He has taken steps like launching the anti-obscene calls Cell and anti-stalking cell. As Special CP (administration), he was part of the team which brought about the recently given large-scale promotions in Delhi Police.

Mr Patnaik has also served as SSP, Law & Order, Puducherry, and DGP in the sensitive north-eastern state of Mizoram. He is also a recipient of the President’s Police Medal for distinguished service and the Police Medal for Meritorious Service. He  also got the prestigious G-Files Excellent Contribution Award in the year 2015 for his outstanding track record of honesty, integrity and dedication to work.