UP DGP Mukul Goel removed for 'neglect of duty', 'indolence'

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday removed the state police chief Mukul Goel from his post for ‘disregard of government duty’, ‘not taking interest in departmental work’ and ‘indolence’. Goel has now been posted as director general (DG), civil defence.
The state government is yet to name his successor. Additional DG (law and order) Prashant Kumar has been given the additional charge until a new DGP is appointed. Additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Awasthi, confirmed to TOI about Goel's removal.
"DGP Mukul Goel has been removed for not taking interest in official work, disregard of duty and general indolence. He has been sent to the civil defence as the DG," said a government spokesperson.
Sources said CM Yogi Adityanath was not happy with Goel for skipping departmental meetings which were, as a tradition, supposed to be chaired by the state police chief. Goel also skipped the recent law and order review meeting presided by the CM. Later it was revealed that he had proceeded on leave after applying for the same but not intimating the bosses in the government about it, said a source. "He also did not visit recent spots of crime, nor issued any directives to the district police chiefs," said a government spokesperson.
Repeated attempts to reach out to Goel for his side of the story proved futile. Goel’s career has been full of ups and downs. He was among several IPS officers who were suspended in 2007 by the then CM Mayawati for alleged irregularities in police recruitment. He was the ADG (law and order) in 2013 when Muzaffaranagar riots took place. A PIL had also been filed before Allahabad high court in August last year against his appointment as the DGP.
Goel, an IPS officer of the 1987 batch, had taken charge as the DG of the state on July 2, 2021 and served on the post for almost ten months. He was repatriated to his state cadre from BSF on the superannuation of the then UP DGP, HC Awasthy.
As per the provisions, the three seniormost IPS officers will now be in the race to become the new DGP. The IPS cadre's gradation list shows RP Singh and GL Meena of 1987 batch (both 1963 born) and Biswajit Mahapatra, also of 1987 batch (born 1962), as the three senior most IPS officers in UP.
Since Mahapatra has only three months of service left and the norms require the office to have a minimum of six months' service to be posted as the DGP, his candidature is unlikely. The fourth officer in the list is RK Vishwakarma of 1988 batch (born 1963).
Since 2010, Goel happens to be the fourth DGP to have been removed from the post before completing a two-year tenure as state police chief, as per the norms.
DGP Brij Lal was removed from the post in 2012 by the election commission before assembly polls in UP. In 2013, DGP Ambrish Sharma was removed by the then CM Akhilesh Yadav for deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Thereafter, DGP Javeed Ahmad was removed in 2017 after the Yogi government came to power.