Chetana Belagere By Express News Service BENGALURU: The city’s new police commissioner Alok Kumar, has been appointed after months of speculation about a possible shake-up of the police department by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. Alok Kumar is said to be the ‘blue-eyed boy’ of Kumaraswamy, thanks to his no-nonsense attitude while dealing with cases. He has built a reputation of not backing down, even when tasked with taking action against bigwigs, including former minister Gali Janardhan Reddy in the multi-crore Ambidant scam. Known as a ‘kadak’ (strict) officer, Alok Kumar comes from the 1994 batch of the Indian Police Service. Officers who served under him during his postings at Belagavi, Chitradurga and Kalaburagi districts term him an upright and bold officer. “He would just barge into any rowdy’s house without a second thought. He inspired fear even among the worst rowdy elements in North Karnataka,” a senior officer from the region said. His first Bengaluru posting was as the DCP South and in this posting, he ensured a drastic fall in crime rates. “During his stint in Bengaluru, he was popular for his tough action against rowdies. Many would call him the Singham of Bengaluru, a title which then went to K Annamalai,” an officer from Bengaluru south said. He also served with the Anti-Naxal Force, headquartered in Udupi-Karkala and was instrumental in solving several terror cases and as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Interestingly, he had replaced T Suneel Kumar earlier when he was appointed as the ACP(Law and Order) in Bengaluru. However, this appointment was cancelled during litigation in the High Court. In 2015, Alok Kumar’s name was dragged into an infamous lottery scam when during CID investigation, the kingpin Pari Rajan said that he was an acquaintance of Kumar, who then faced suspension. “He took it as a challenge and fought the situation. After being transferred out of Bengaluru police commissionerate, there was a WhatsApp war among his batchmates,” an officer said. “We always knew he would return. He told officers in a WhatsApp message, ‘I will come back and prove my mettle’. In 2018, with Kumaraswamy coming back to power, he returned to the same post,” the officer added. Kumar has, to his credit, dealt several blows to the city’s notorious rowdy elements and gambling dens. He was also instrumental in bringing back systems like beat policing. His handling of the Ambident scam impressed Kumaraswamy and according to officers, the rise of the IMA Jewels scam could have triggered his appointment. He is also a recipient of the President’s medal for distinguished service in 2010. In October last year, Alok Kumar stepped in to ensure that free passes to the Sunburn Festival, demanded by a police officer, were returned to the organisers.

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