Dr Iraj Raja, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Ghazipur, has been named among India’s 100 Best Police Chiefs in the Fame India–Asia Post “India’s Best Police Chiefs Survey 2026.” He is among the 10 police officers from Uttar Pradesh selected for the prestigious list.
The survey has identified 100 police chiefs from across the country on the basis of their performance in areas including crime control, law and order, public service, innovation, leadership, transparency, accountability, crisis management, public relations and the overall image of the police force. The top 25 officers will subsequently be selected from this list and felicitated.
Dr Iraj Raja is a 2017-batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. According to the Uttar Pradesh Police profile, he was born on December 5, 1986, in Agra. He holds MBBS and MDPM qualifications and joined the Indian Police Service on December 18, 2017. He has served in several important assignments before taking charge as Superintendent of Police, Ghazipur, where he has been posted since July 13, 2024.
His service record includes three Director General of Police Commendation Discs. He received the Silver Disc in August 2020, the Gold Disc in March 2023 and the Platinum Disc in January 2025.
Dr Iraj Raja has developed a reputation for combining firm action against criminals with a focus on public-oriented policing. Soon after taking charge in Ghazipur, he directed the police to identify criminals involved in two or more cases and monitor their activities. Action under the Goonda Act and Gangsters Act was also emphasised wherever legally warranted.
Under his leadership, Ghazipur Police has undertaken several operations against organised crime and emerging criminal networks. In June 2026, during “Operation Vajrapat”, police identified 50 criminal gangs and 401 of their members. According to the police, several of these were emerging groups involved in various forms of criminal activity. The operation was aimed at detecting and disrupting such networks at an early stage.
Cybercrime has also remained a major focus. In April 2026, the Ghazipur Cyber Crime Cell arrested three alleged members of an interstate gang linked to a cyber fraud estimated at around Rs 67 crore. The investigation reportedly revealed cases registered across 25 states and the use of hundreds of mule bank accounts. The accused allegedly targeted victims through investment, trading and gaming-related schemes.
Ghazipur Police has also continued action against organised criminal networks associated with the district’s long history of crime. In May 2026, police conducted raids at several locations in Ghazipur and Mau while searching for Afsha Ansari, the widow of jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, in connection with proceedings under the Gangsters Act.
Dr Iraj Raja’s policing experience extends beyond Ghazipur. Before his present assignment, he served as SP Rural, Ghaziabad. During his tenure there, special police teams were planned across 20 police stations to tackle the rising incidents of snatching. Plainclothes personnel were deployed at markets, parks, malls and other public places to strengthen preventive policing.
In January 2023, Dr Iraj Raja took charge as Superintendent of Police, Jalaun. At the time, he stressed improving the police system and ensuring that public grievances were addressed effectively. His approach to policing has consistently placed emphasis on accessibility and responsiveness, alongside strict action against offenders.
His tenure in Jalaun also saw police action against criminal suspects, including arrests following encounters in which illegal firearms were reportedly recovered.
The inclusion of Dr Iraj Raja in Fame India–Asia Post’s list of India’s 100 Best Police Chiefs is therefore significant. It represents national-level recognition of his policing and leadership record across different assignments.
However, the current list is not the final ranking. The top 25 police chiefs will be selected from the 100 officers included in the survey after the next stage of evaluation.
For Ghazipur, Dr Iraj Raja’s inclusion in the list places the district’s police leadership among the country’s nationally recognised policing performers and highlights the growing emphasis on crime control, public service, innovation and accountable policing.
