Sulkhan Singh -- From humble background to UP’s top cop
Uttar Pradesh DGP Sulkhan Singh comes from a modest family in Jauharpur village in Banda district. And at his ancestral house, there are no trappings of power.
For the residents of Jauharpur village in Banda district,200 km south of the state capital, UP’s new director general of police (DGP) Sulkhan Singh is a ‘karm yogi’ or one who believes in action.
Former head of Jauharpur village Balwan Singh said Sulkhan Singh came from a humble background and rose to the top post in the state police by dint of hard work and commitment.
The top cop starts his day with yoga. Some pictures of his yoga session he pasted on his Facebook page have gone viral.
The name plate at his modest ancestral house is the only thing that differentiates it from other semi-concrete houses in the area.
From the gate, one has to cross farm machines, tools and gunny bags packed with grain to reach the verandah where it becomes clear that farming is the main occupation of the family.
Sulkhan’s father Lakhan Singh who is in his 80s, was busy discussing plantation of paddy in the coming kharif season.
“My son got the reward of honesty and diligence,” Singh told HT as the villagers nodded in agreement.
On Friday, the village had erupted in celebration when the news broke of Sulkhan’s appointment as DGP.
Sulkhan’s mother Kalawati Devi said the villagers informed her that her son had become the state police chief.
Read more: Will crack down on gau rakshaks, gundagardi, won’t spare VIPs: New UP DGP
“I knew he will make big in life as he was promising and intelligent since school days. Sulkhan has not visited the village for the last one year. After taking the charge, he should visit home to share his achievement with the family and villagers,” she said.
Sulkhan’s younger brother Rajnish lives in the village and helps the family in farming.
“My brother has earned fame due to his honesty and hard work. He will definitely take measures to check corruption in the police force and order crackdown on criminal gangs,” he said.
Singh studied in the village school till class 8 and completed high school from Tindwari School. He completed intermediate from Adarsh Bajrang Inter College in Banda and civil engineering from Roorkee.
He cleared the civil services examination in the first attempt in 1980.
Babulal Gupta, a retired school teacher at Adarsh Bajrang Inter College, said Sulkhan was disciplined and studious as a boy.
The new DGP has made his intentions clear that he takes his job seriously and that is a warning for for those who take law into their hands.
“To send a message to the people that he means business, Singh made it clear the police would take action against the people who are indulging in vigilantism in the name of ‘gau raksha’,” a police officer in Lucknow said.