Who is Nalin Prabhat? Meet IPS officer to take over as Jammu and Kashmir special DGP on September 30

Decorated IPS officer Nalin Prabhat will take over as the Special Director General of the Jammu and Kashmir Police from October. The announcement came soon after the Home Ministry cut his tenure as the Director General of the National Security Guard short for deputation to AGMUT cadre.

According to an order shared by the Home Ministry, the official from Andhra Pradesh cadre will be sent to Jammu and Kashmir with ‘immediate effect’. He will take charge following the retirement of RR Swain on September 30. The transfer was announced “initially for a period of three years from the date of joining the AGMUT cadre”.

The appointment comes at a time when the Kashmir Valley has been rocked by a series of terrorist encounters and violent clashes. The new DGP is expected to bring a strategic approach to law enforcement in the region.

Prabhat is a 1992-batch Indian Police Service officer who has been serving as the NSG DG since April 2024. The 55-year-old has had a distinguished career marked by multiple accolades (including three Police Gallantry Medals and the Parakram Padak). He has an extensive background in counter-insurgency operations and previously led the Greyhounds — a highly specialised anti-Naxal unit in Andhra Pradesh.

Jammu and Kashmir has seen a surge in terrorist activities over the past few months with encounters taking place on a regular basis — including an assault on an army convoy in Kathua and skirmishes in Doda and Udhampur. Around 20 soldiers and more than a dozen civilians have also been killed during clashes this year.  An Indian Army captain passed away on Wednesday after being critically wounded amid an encounter in Doda district. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh convened an important meeting to discuss the "rising" terror-related incidents in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

(With inputs from agencies)