Jammu & Kashmir gets new DGP in Rajendra

K Rajendra was on Wednesday appointed asthe Director General of Jammu and Kashmir police exactly eight years after he was seriously injured in a gun-fight with terrorists near Lal Chowk in heart of the city.

K Rajendra was on Wednesday appointed asthe Director General of Jammu and Kashmir police exactly eight years after he was seriously injured in a gun-fight with terrorists near Lal Chowk in heart of the city.

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57-year-old Rajendra takes over from Ashok Prasad, a 1979-batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, who returns to the Intelligence Bureau as its Special Director.

Rajendra has served in the state in various capacities.

On this eight years ago, Rajendra was injured while fighting a suicide attack by Lashker-e-Taiba terrorists who wanted to storm a public rally of Congress at Sher-i-Kashmir park and target the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

A 1984-batch IPS officer, Rajendra was out of action for many days after this incident which had left seven people dead and 20 persons injured. He was the then Inspector General of Police (Kashmir).

The attack came a day ahead of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's arrival in the city for a round-table conference on Kashmir issue.

Rajendra's name was cleared by a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

The state cabinet approved the repatriation of Ashok Prasad, Director General of Police, J&K, to the Intelligence Bureau, with immediate effect and appointment of Special Director General of Police (Coordination) K. Rajendra Kumar, as the Director General of Police, an official spokesman said.

A domiclie of Andhra Pradesh, Rajendra had been SSP Srinagar, IGP Jammu, IGP Kashmir and IGP CID, Director General (Prisons) till he was appointed recently as Special Director General of Police (Coordination), Police Headquarters.

He had also served as interim DGP for a short duration in 2012 after the retirement of Kuldeep Khoda who now heads the State Vigilance Commission (SVC).