Arun Dev Gautam appointed full-time DGP of Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh govt on Saturday appointed 1992-batch IPS officer Arun Dev Gautam as the state’s full-time director general of police (DGP), ending nearly 17 months of his tenure as acting police chief.The appointment order was issued by home department principal secretary Niharika Barik Singh.A decorated officer, Gautam has earlier received the President’s police medal for distinguished service, the Indian police medal and the United Nations medal for serving in conflict-hit Kosovo.Originally from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Gautam holds an MA in political science and an MPhil in international law from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He joined the IPS in 1992 and initially served in the undivided Madhya Pradesh cadre before opting for Chhattisgarh after the state’s formation in 2000.Over the years, he has served as SP in several districts, including Koriya, Raigarh, Jashpur, Rajnandgaon, Sarguja and Bilaspur, and handled key assignments in Bastar after the 2013 Jhiram attack. He also held important postings in CID, police headquarters, administration and chief minister security.Before being appointed acting DGP, Gautam was serving as home secretary and also held additional charge of prisons, transport, home guards and fire services.