Charu Sinha, a senior Indian Police Service officer of the 1996 batch, currently serves as Director General of the Telangana Police. She is the first female IPS officer in India to command four different operational sectors in the CRPF’s history: Bihar, Jammu, Srinagar, and the Southern Sector. Charu Sinha became the first female CRPF IG to be posted in the Srinagar Sector in 2020. She received her early education in Hyderabad and graduated from St. Francis College for Women with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, History, and Political Science. She also earned an MA in Political Science from the Central University of Hyderabad from 1990 to 1999.
Her tenure as Inspector General of Police, Srinagar Sector, during the most sensitive period in Kashmir, is known for her strategic acumen and skillful leadership of counter-insurgency operations. Early in her career, she also participated in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. From 2020 to 2022, she led approximately 69 counter-insurgency operations, killing at least 21 terrorists. She also oversaw security arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra, the first such event in two years after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022.
Currently, she leads a comprehensive anti-corruption campaign in the Anti-Corruption Bureau, ensuring transparency and accountability. She also leads the Main Criminal Investigation Branch of the Directorate General of Crime Investigation Department and is fully responsible for statewide women’s safety initiatives, such as the “Telangana She Teams” and “Bharosa Centers”, under the Women’s Safety Wing.
Welfare Initiatives
- Love You Zindagi (LYZ) Campaign: Launched a psychological wellness program to prevent extreme stress, depression, and suicides among paramilitary personnel. She trained over 28,000 personnel and significantly reduced suicide rates among paramilitary personnel.
- Women and Child Safety: Led campaigns like #StandWithHer and #StreeRide to combat digital harassment, increase legislator sensitivity, and create child-friendly police stations under the POCSO Act.
- Anti-Naxal Operations: She has also been involved in anti-Maoist operations in Bihar. In 2018, she was appointed CRPF IG of Bihar Sector, during which she successfully led operations against Naxalites.
Main Awards and Honors
- 2012 Indian Police Medal : for Meritorious Service (Indian Police Medal for Meritorious Service) from the Central Government in recognition of her distinguished service record.
- 2016 Police Medal : for Meritorious Service (Indian Police Medal for Distinguished Service) for significant contribution to maintaining law and order and policing.
- 2022 FICCI Smart Policing Award
- 2023 President’s Police Medal : for Distinguished Service (Indian Police Medal for Distinguished Service), the highest police honor, on the occasion of Republic Day 2023 for outstanding career and service to the nation.
- 2025 Police Service Medal : for sustained policing contributions.
- DG Commendation Disc (Indian Police Service Medal) for leading successful operations in various difficult sectors of the CRPF.
International Award
- United Nations Peace Medal :for serving the United Nations in Kosovo in the early years of his career.