Anuj tripathi 111 at 22:16, 7 April 2026

2026-04-07T22:16:05Z

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{{short description|Indian Author and former Director General of Police of Assam}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Kuladhar Saikia
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1959|01|09}}<ref>{{Cite web |date= 8 November 2019|title= IPS Officers civil list of Assam-Meghalaya cadre|url=https://www.cag.gov.in/uploads/media/IPS-CIVIL-LIST-20200608155107.pdf |access-date= 6 December 2025|website= [[Government of Assam]]|language=en}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Rangiya|Rangia]], [[Kamrup district|Kamrup]], Assam, India
| alma_mater = ([[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]])<ref>{{Cite web |date= 26 April 2018 |title= Saikia to be new DGP of Assam |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/north-east/saikia-to-be-new-dgp/cid/1447353 |access-date= 2 January 2026|website= Telegraph India|language=en}}</ref> [[Ramjas College]]<br />([[Master of Arts|M.A.]]) [[Delhi School of Economics]]<br />[[Delhi University]]<br />(PhD) [[IIT Guwahati]]<br /> [[Pennsylvania State University]] ([[Fulbright scholar]])
| occupation = Author and former [[Indian Police Service|Indian Police Service officer]]
| office = [[Director general of police|Director General of Police of Assam]]
| term_start = 1 May 2018
| term_end = 30 November 2019
| predecessor = Mukesh Saha
| successor = Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta
| awards = [[President's Police Medal]], Katha Award, [[Sahitya Akademi Award]]
| website =
}}

'''Kuladhar Saikia''' (born 9 January 1959<ref>{{Cite web |date= 8 November 2019|title= IPS Officers civil list of Assam-Meghalaya cadre|url=https://www.cag.gov.in/uploads/media/IPS-CIVIL-LIST-20200608155107.pdf |access-date= 6 December 2025|website= [[Government of Assam]]|language=en}}</ref>) is an Indian author and retired 1985 batch [[Indian Police Service|Indian Police Service officer]] who served as [[Director general of police|Director General of Police of Assam]] from 2018 to 2019.<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.assampolice.gov.in/community3.php
| title = Assam Police-Nagarik Committees
| website = assampolice.gov.in
| access-date = 2016-02-26
| archive-date = 5 March 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305074206/http://www.assampolice.gov.in/community3.php
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.guwahatiplus.com/page/news-major-reshuffle-in-assam-police-guwahati-gets-a-dcp-traffic-after-2-months-of-hiatus|title=Major Reshuffle in Assam Police. Guwahati gets a DCP Traffic after 2 months of hiatus » G-Plus|website=guwahatiplus.com|access-date=2017-06-11}}</ref> He has been involved in issues relating to Community Development and was awarded [[President's Police Medal]] twice for his outstanding contribution to policing. He was the initiator and Nodal officer of Assam Police community empowerment initiative called "Project Prahari" and one of the founders of Economic Policy Research group called Assam Prakalpa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Curbing witch-hunting: An Assam police officer's relentless campaign |url=http://www.thestatesman.com/mobi/news/northeast/curbing-witch-hunting-an-assam-police-officer-s-relentless-campaign/87574.html |access-date=2016-02-26 |website=thestatesman.com}}</ref> He was awarded the prestigious Katha Award in 2000 and [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] in 2015 for his short stories. He was elected President of [[Asam Sahitya Sabha]] in January 2020.<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/interviews/Writing-helps-my-policing-Kuladhar-Saikia/articleshow/50254467.cms
| title = Writing helps my policing: Kuladhar Saikia
| website = The Times of India
| access-date = 2016-02-26
}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Kuladhar Saikia was born on 9 January 1959 in [[Rangiya|Rangia]], Assam, India. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree from [[Ramjas College]] and his Master of Arts degree from [[Delhi School of Economics]] both under [[Delhi University]] and his PhD in economics from [[IIT Guwahati]].<ref>{{Cite web|date= 2 April 2018 |title= Saikia to be new dgp |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/north-east/saikia-to-be-new-dgp/cid/1447353 |access-date= 2 January 2026|website= [[Telegraph India]]|language=en}}</ref>
He was also a [[Fulbright scholar]] at [[Pennsylvania State University]] in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |date= 8 November 2019|title= IPS Officers civil list of Assam-Meghalaya cadre|url=https://www.cag.gov.in/uploads/media/IPS-CIVIL-LIST-20200608155107.pdf |access-date= 6 December 2025|website= [[Government of Assam]]|language=en}}</ref>

==Civil Service career==
Saikia is a 1985 batch [[Indian Police Service|Indian Police Service officer]] from [[Assam]] and [[Meghalaya]] cadre. Before joining [[Indian Police Service]] Saikia was an [[Indian Economic Service|Indian Economic Service officer]] where he worked with the government in policy making. He has also served as a consultant to the [[World Bank]] at their headquarters in the Washington D.C. As an [[Indian Police Service|IPS officer]] he served as the [[Director general of police|Director General of Police of Assam]] from 2018 to 2019. He was awarded twice the [[President's Police Medal]] because of his contribution towards policing.<ref>{{Cite web |date= 3 January 2020|title= Kuladhar Saikia:From World Bank consultant to Assam DGP to top literary body chief|url=https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/kuladhar-saikia-from-world-bank-consultant-to-assam-dgp-to-top-literary-body-chief/articleshow/73084766.cms |access-date= 6 December 2025|website= [[The Economic Times]]|language=en}}</ref>

==Change agent==
A three-part case series had been published by ''Harvard Business Review'' titled, "Being a Change Agent"<ref>{{Cite web
| url = https://hbr.org/product/being-a-change-agent-a-lessons-from-a-lynch-mob/INS911-PDF-ENG
| title = Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob
| website = hbr.org
| access-date = 2016-02-26
}}</ref> set in a rural district of Assam in India. It describes the efforts made by Kuladhar Saikia, then Deputy Inspector General of Police in the early 2000s, to tackle witchcraft-related crimes that were prevalent in this isolated and economically backward part of the country. Determined to end the social evil that still haunts rural and backward areas of Assam, Saikia's initiative and perseverance has resulted in raising awareness about the scourge of witchcraft that is often used bizarrely to settle personal scores and land disputes in villages.<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.thestatesman.com/mobi/news/northeast/curbing-witch-hunting-an-assam-police-officer-s-relentless-campaign/87574.html
| title = Curbing witch-hunting: An Assam police officer's relentless campaign
| website = thestatesman.com
| access-date = 2016-02-26
}}</ref>

Kuladhar Saikia initiated the project in 2001 by running campaigns involving village chiefs and elders, said the involvement of entire communities and the lack of evidence due to the fear of being ostracised had made the task of apprehending the culprits quite challenging. Project Prahari has brought together different stakeholders – student groups, science clubs, mahila samitis and other social activists on a common platform.<ref>{{Cite news
| url = http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/assam-police-officer-campaigns-against-a-social-evil-114022000597_1.html
| title = Assam police officer campaigns against a social evil
| newspaper = Business Standard India
| date = 20 February 2014
| access-date = 2016-02-26
}}</ref>

== Awards and recognition==
* Munin Borkotoky Award (1998) for ''Akhorot Moi Aru Anyanya'' (আখৰাত মই আৰু অন্যান্য), a collection of short stories
* Kotha Award (2000)
* Rashtrapati Arakhyi Award received twice
* Sahitya Academy Award (2015) for ''Akashar Chhabi Aru Anyanya Galpa''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=dec1815/at052 |title=The Assam Tribune Online |website=assamtribune.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223042303/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=dec1815/at052 |archive-date=2015-12-23}}</ref>

==Asam Sahitya Sabha==
Saikia is the president of Asam Sahitya Sabha and he has appealed on social media to contribute to the field of [[Assamese Wikipedia]] as well as various methods for the preservation of the [[Assamese language]] on digital platforms. This has helped many people to learn about the Assamese Wikipedia and many interested people to create accounts on Wikipedia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/north-east/sabha-bid-to-promote-assamese/cid/1764129|title=Sabha bid to promote Assamese|date=12 April 2020|website=The Telegraph|location=India|first=Pranjal|last=Baruah|accessdate=12 April 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saikia, Kuladhar}}
[[Category:Indian Police Service officers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Director generals of Assam Police]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Assamese]]
[[Category:Indian Institutes of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:Delhi School of Economics alumni]]
[[Category:Delhi University alumni]]

Kuladhar Saikia - Revision history

Anuj tripathi 111 at 22:16, 7 April 2026