Rajeev Krishna is a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1991 batch from the Uttar Pradesh cadre who has served the nation with distinction for over three and a half decades.
Born in Gautam Buddha Nagar and trained across the most challenging districts of India’s most populous state, he rose through the ranks with a reputation for effective law enforcement, anti-organised crime operations, and institutional leadership.
In May 2025, he was appointed the acting Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh, the fifth consecutive officer to serve in that role on an acting basis and subsequently confirmed as the permanent DGP of Uttar Pradesh in 2025, finally ending a four-year vacancy at the top of the state’s law enforcement hierarchy.
He has been awarded the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service, the Police Medal for Gallantry (twice), and the President’s Police Medal, reflecting a career of consistent courage and excellence.
Profile
| Full Name | Rajeev Krishna |
| Date of Birth | June 26, 1969 |
| Birthplace | Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Home State | Uttar Pradesh |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | IPS Officer, Director General of Police (DGP), Uttar Pradesh |
| Service | Indian Police Service (IPS) |
| Batch | 1991 |
| IPS Identity | 19911027 |
| Cadre | Uttar Pradesh |
| Date Joined | September 15, 1991 |
| Education | B.E. (Bachelor of Engineering) |
| Spouse | Meenakshi Singh (IRS officer, Income Tax Commissioner, Lucknow) |
| Current Posting | DGP, Uttar Pradesh / DG Vigilance, UP (from May 31, 2025) |
Early Life
Rajeev Krishna was born on June 26, 1969, in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree.
He cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 1991 at approximately 22, making him one of the youngest officers to enter the IPS at that time, and joined the Indian Police Service on September 15, 1991, allocated to the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
Education
Rajeev Krishna holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree, as documented in the Ministry of Home Affairs IPS Civil List. He subsequently received police training at the Moradabad Police Training Centre following his IPS appointment.
He underwent advanced training at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad before returning to Uttar Pradesh to take his field posting.
Career
Early Career (1991–2007)
Rajeev Krishna began his policing career as a trainee IPS officer in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in 1992. He returned from training in Hyderabad in October 1993 to assume charge as the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Bareilly.
From 1995 to 2003, he served as ASP in Bareilly, Kanpur, and Aligarh, and subsequently as Superintendent of Police (SP) in Firozabad, Etawah, Mathura, Fatehgarh, Bulandshahr, Noida, Agra, Lucknow, and Bareilly.
In 2004, he was elevated to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Agra, where he conducted high-impact crackdowns against organised kidnapping gangs operating in the ravines, operations that earned him significant public recognition and internal commendation.
In 2007, he was appointed Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Uttar Pradesh. Also, he served that year as Additional Director General (ADG) at the Uttar Pradesh Police Academy, where he trained and mentored new police officers.
Mid-Career Growth (2007–2017)
Rajeev Krishna served as DIG of Lucknow during the Mayawati government’s tenure and was subsequently promoted to Inspector General (IG) of the Meerut Range.
In 2012, he proceeded on central deputation to the Government of India, serving until 2017. Upon his return to Uttar Pradesh, he served as Additional Director General (ADG) of the Lucknow Zone and the Agra Zone, accruing wide-ranging experience across policing, administration, law and order management, and intelligence.
He reached the rank of Director General of Police (DG) in February 2024, completing a career spanning over three decades and every major tier of police command in India’s largest state.
Acting and Permanent DGP (2025)
On May 31, 2025, following the retirement of acting DGP Prashant Kumar, Rajeev Krishna was appointed as the acting Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh, the fifth consecutive officer to serve in the role in an acting capacity over the preceding three years.
His appointment was endorsed by the UPSC panel process, which forwarded three names Renuka Mishra (1990 batch), Piyush Anand (1991 batch), and Rajeev Krishna (1991 batch) to the state government, which then selected Krishna based on his administrative experience, law-and-order expertise, and organisational leadership.
He was subsequently confirmed as the permanent DGP of Uttar Pradesh, ending a four-year gap in the top leadership of the state’s police hierarchy. Under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s government, he has been entrusted with critical assignments, including overseeing police recruitment examinations following a major paper-leak controversy, a task he reportedly executed with transparency and efficiency.
Medals and Honours
- President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service (2015)
- Police Medal for Gallantry (2009)
- Police Medal for Gallantry (2002)
Personal Life
Rajeev Krishna is married to Meenakshi Singh, an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer currently posted as an Income Tax Commissioner in Lucknow.
His brother-in-law, Rajeshwar Singh, is a former Joint Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and currently serves as a BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Sarojini Nagar assembly constituency in Lucknow.
His sister-in-law (Rajeshwar Singh’s wife), Laxmi Singh, is the Noida Police Commissioner, making the family one of the most remarkable examples of multiple senior officers within a single extended household in contemporary Indian civil service history.
Net Worth
No verified personal net worth figure for Rajeev Krishna is available in the public domain.
As a serving IPS officer at Pay Level 16 (the highest pay level in the IPS Pay Matrix), his remuneration is governed by the 7th Central Pay Commission scale applicable to the Director General of Police rank.
Conclusion
Rajeev Krishna’s appointment as the permanent Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh, a state with a population larger than that of most countries, represents the culmination of over 34 years of distinguished service across some of India’s most complex policing environments.
His record of field operations, institutional leadership, and administrative integrity has made him one of the most respected officers in the UP IPS cadre.
As he navigates the challenges of leading the largest police force in India under a government with ambitious law-and-order goals, his career represents an enduring model of how dedication to public service compounds over time into genuine institutional authority.
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