On Friday, the government announced the appointment of Rajkumar Vishwakarma as the acting Director General of Police (DGP) for Uttar Pradesh. Vishwakarma, a 1988 batch IPS officer, will be taking over from Acting DGP Devendra Singh Chauhan, who is retiring on the same day. In addition to his DGP duties, Vishwakarma will also serve as the chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment & Promotion Board.

Vishwakarma holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Roorkee, and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Delhi IIT. He furthered his education by earning a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from the same institution. After completing his studies, Vishwakarma cleared the civil services examination and went on to become an IPS officer.

In addition to his career as an IPS officer, RK Vishwakarma also spent two and a half years working for Tata. During his time at Tata Motors, he was involved in the design of the company’s well-known heavy-duty vehicle, the Tata 407.

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As the second most senior officer in the Uttar Pradesh cadre after 1987 batch IPS officer Mukul Goyal, Vishwakarma holds a position of significant authority. He is set to serve until May 31, 2023, according to official sources.

Vishwakarma hails from Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh and is currently serving as the Director General and Chairman of the Police Recruitment and Promotion Board.