AAP Questions Timing of Anurag Kumar’s Appointment as Delhi Police Chief, Links Move to CJP Protest
New Delhi, July 17: The appointment of Anurag Kumar as the new Delhi Police Commissioner has sparked a political controversy, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging that the sudden leadership change may be connected to the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that the removal of former Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha indicated that “heads are rolling” and alleged that the Centre was concerned about the upcoming CJP march to Parliament scheduled for July 20, the first day of the Monsoon Session.
Anurag Kumar, a former Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau, replaced Golcha, who had been heading the Delhi Police since August 22, 2025. Golcha had earlier taken charge after the removal of then Commissioner SBK Singh.
Reacting to the appointment, Bharadwaj said the government was “panicking” over the growing support for the CJP protest. Referring to media reports that cited concerns over the handling of the demonstration as one of the reasons behind the change, he questioned the timing of the decision.
In a post on social media platform X, Bharadwaj also hit back at those calling the CJP movement the “BJP’s B-team”. He claimed that the protest had gained unexpected public support and that authorities had failed to anticipate its scale.
“All those calling CJP a BJP’s B-team should take note. The government did not see this coming, and the protest became a major ground movement,” Bharadwaj said, alleging that the police leadership change reflected the administration’s concern over the planned Parliament march.
However, no official statement has linked Kumar’s appointment to the protest, and the government has not commented on AAP’s allegations.
Anurag Kumar Takes Charge as Delhi Police Commissioner
Anurag Kumar, a 1994-batch IPS officer from the AGMUT cadre, formally assumed charge as Delhi Police Commissioner on Friday at the Delhi Police headquarters on Jai Singh Road.
According to an official order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Kumar’s appointment was approved by the competent authority and will remain effective until further orders.
Kumar has returned to his parent cadre and has taken over the post just months before his scheduled retirement.
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
