Atul Karwal

Atul Karwal, Photo from his stint as the Director of Sardar Vallbhbhai Patel National Police Academy

Atul Karwal is an Indian police officer. He served as the Director of National Police Academy ^[1] and also as the Director General of National Disaster Response Force. ^{[2] [3]} Karwal climbed Mount Everest in May 2008 and became the first Indian civil servant to do so. ^[4]

Career

He joined the elite Indian Police Service in 1988 and was Superintendent of Police in five districts in the State of Gujarat (Valsad, Rajkot Rural, Porbandar, Junagadh, Mehsana), and Deputy Commissioner of Police in Vadodara, Surat and Ahmadabad. He was also Commandant, State Reserve Police Force, Group 13, Rajkot. ^[5]

As Assistant Director (Outdoor Training) in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad, from 1998-2002, he trained 4 batches of Indian Police Service officers. As Deputy Inspector General of Police, he served as DIG Planning and Modernization, in DGP Office, Gandhinagar. As Inspector-General of Police, he served as IG, Anti-Terrorist Squad, Gujarat, Joint CP (Traffic) and Joint CP, Sector-2, Ahmedabad City, Jt. Director, Gujarat Police Academy. As Inspector General of Police, he commanded 23 battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force in Kashmir Valley in the late 2010s. He was also IG (Training), Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF), IG (Personnel) CRPF and Additional Director General (Personnel), CRPF, before joining the National Police Academy as Director. ^[6]

As the head of the National Disaster Response Force, he coordinated Opeartion Dost, the search and rescue operation initiated by the Government of India to aid Syria and Turkey, after the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes. ^[7]

He is an ultra-marathoner, a triathlete, a Black Belt in martial arts and trained in scuba diving. ^{[8] [9]} He has authored a book titled Think Everest: Scaling Mountains with the Mind ^[10] and occasionally contributes Op-eds in national dailies ^{[11] [12]} .

Awards

He has been awarded the Police Medal for meritorious service in 2010 and the President's Police Medal for distinguished service in 2016. He received the Police Medal for Gallantry twice, on Republic Day 2020 and Independence Day 2020 for leading operations in Kashmir. ^{[13] [14]}

References

1. "Atul Karwal appointed National Police Academy Director". Deccan Chronicle. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
2. Deshpande, Abhinay (11 November 2021). "Atul Karwal appointed NDRF chief". The Hindu.
3. NDRF, Government of India. "DGs of NDRF". National Disaster Response Force. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
4. "This IPS officer dons different caps at once". Telengana Today. 10 March 2021.
5. Nair, Sangeeta (10 November 2021). "IPS Atul Karwal appointed as new NDRF Director General". Jagran Josh. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
6. "Gujarat cadre IPS Atul Karwal appointed DG of NDRF". Desh Gujarat. 9 November 2021.
7. ANI. "NDRF DG recalls heart-warming moments of 'Operation Dost'". Times of India.
8. Jain, Bharti (5 September 2020). "PM Modi praises Gujarat IPS officer's role during his chief ministerial days". Times of India. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
9. "Of grit, vigour & service". The New Indian Express. December 2021.
10. Think Everest: Scaling Mountains with the Mind. Viva Books. 2012. ISBN   978-8130919546.
11. "Biparjoy relief ops set an aspirational benchmark". Hindustan Times. 2023-06-27. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
12. "NDRF chief writes: How we moved a mountain to rescue the trapped workers in Uttarakhand". The Indian Express. 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
13. "First-Ever Everester Bureaucrat, This Fitness Freak IPS Has Trained Scores of IPS". Indian Masterminds.
14. "NDRF DG, CRPF ASI killed in Pulwama attack awarded gallantry medals". Economic Times. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2025.