Hyderabad, Mar 13 (TNT): H. J. Dora, former Director General of Police of the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, passed away while undergoing treatment at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad on Friday. He was 83.
Born in 1943 in Srikakulam district, Dora completed his Master’s degree in Economics from Andhra University in Visakhapatnam before joining the Indian Police Service in 1965.
He was allotted to the Andhra Pradesh cadre.
Dora served as the ‘DGP of Andhra Pradesh between 1996 and 2002′, a period marked by intense Left-Wing extremism in the state.
His tenure was noted for strategic and determined efforts to curb Naxal activities and strengthen policing during a turbulent phase.
During his career, he also served as Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force in New Delhi and later as Vigilance Commissioner at the Central Vigilance Commission.
In 1993, Dora was among about 40 police officers reportedly targeted by the People’s War Group, a Maoist outfit active in the region at the time.
He held several other key positions, including Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation between 1989 and 1992, and served as a police officer in districts such as Anantapur district, Karimnagar district and Krishna district before moving to the intelligence wing of the police department.
Dora was also associated with sports administration, serving as President of the Indian Olympic Weightlifting Association and as Chef-de-Mission of the Indian contingent to the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
After retiring from police service, he joined the GMR Group in 2006 as security advisor for the Indira Gandhi International Airport during the airport’s privatisation transition.
He was a recipient of the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service, the Police Medal for Meritorious Service, and the Police Medal for Gallantry.
Meanwhile, A. Revanth Reddy expressed deep sorrow over Dora’s passing, recalling his valuable services as Intelligence Chief and later as DGP of the united Andhra Pradesh.
The Chief Minister said Dora played an important role in introducing reforms in the police department, particularly in promoting friendly policing, and conveyed condolences to the bereaved family.
N. Chandrababu Naidu also expressed shock over Dora’s demise.
In a message posted on the social media platform X, Naidu said Dora played a key role in building the reputation of the Andhra Pradesh police.
He said Dora’s services as an intelligence officer during the tenure of former Chief Minister N. T. Rama Rao and later as DGP during his own tenure would be remembered, adding that Dora handled the Naxal problem facing the state at the time with great competence.
Naidu also conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.
Leave a Reply