Vice Admiral M.P. Muralidharan, who has been appointed as Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, is its 19th Director General.

The Admiral is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on January 1, 1975. A Navigation and Direction specialist, he is also a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. In an illustrious career of three and half decades, he has held significant operational and staff appointments.

His operational appointments include command of INS Chatak, Sharda and Ranvijay; Fleet Operations Officer of Western Fleet and Principal Director of Naval Operations at Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Navy). His staff appointments include Director of Indian Naval Tactical Evaluation Group, Naval Assistant to FOC-in-C (West) and to the Chief of the Naval Staff, Naval Attaché at Moscow, Flag Officer Sea Training, Chief of Staff of Western Naval Command, Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat Area. He was also the first Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala in Kerala. He was Chief of Personnel at the IHQ MoD (N), prior to taking over as the Director General.