Odisha: Effort begins to pick next DGP

Odisha: Effort begins to pick next DGP

Odisha: Effort begins to pick next DGP

Bhubaneswar: According to reports, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has shortlisted three officials for the position of Director General of Police (DGP) in Odisha: Pradeep Kapur, Sunil Kumar Bansal, and Manoj Chhabra.

The state government must now choose one of the three candidates for the position. With the current DGP, Abhay, set to retire on December 31, the next DGP's name is expected to be revealed soon.

Abhay's classmate and 1986-batch IPS officer Kapur is the National Technical Research Organisation's (NTRO) Scientific Advisor in Delhi. In November 2022, he will step down.

Bansal is the Special Director of the Mumbai-based Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB). In June 2022, this officer from the 1987 cohort will retire. His appointment as Odisha DGP, on the other hand, appears dismal, given that he has been on federal deputation for nearly 16 years.

Chhabra, a 1988 batch officer, has served in the state's Maoist-infested districts. While on central deputation, he also served in the BSF and has firsthand experience combatting ultras. Chhabra was elevated to ADG in 2013 and is now the Special DGP of the Special Armed Police (SAP). In October 2023, his term of duty will come to a conclusion.

The state administration issued a notification last month permitting Abhay to retire on December 31. On December 9, 2019, he gained command. To comply with a Supreme Court ruling requiring a minimum of two years of service for a DGP, his retirement was delayed by six months. Abhay is the first DGP in Odisha to serve for the full two years mandated by the Supreme Court.