Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 6: The Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) of police is meeting here on November 8 to take up promotions of Additional Director Generals (ADGs), Inspector Generals (IGs) and Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs).
The Police Headquarters have mooted the proposal for promotion of four IGPs as ADGs, five DIGs as IGPs and 11 SSPs as DIGs for the DPC, which is meeting in winter capital of the State on November 8.
The DPC comprised Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, Home Secretary BR Sharma and Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Prasad.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the DPC would take up the promotions of IGPs, DIGs and SSPs according to vacancies available in the Police Department. The DPC could also clear some promotions pending identification or creation of posts.
While the Police Headquarters appeared to have identified posts for promotion of four IGPs as ADGs and five DIGs as IGPs, they were finding it difficult to promote 11 officers of 1999 batch of Indian Police Services (IPS) as DIGs in the absence of vacancies excepting four posts, which would fall vacant if five DIGs of 1995 batch of IPS cadre were cleared for promotion as IGPs.
Sources said a proposal has been mooted for promotion of four IGPs of 1987 batch of IPS as Additional DGPs. They included V K Singh, IGP CIV, Training and Inspections, Police Headquarters, who had recently returned from deputation from Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), SM Sahai, IGP Kashmir, Dilbagh Singh, IGP Jammu and Sheikh Owais Ahmad, IGP Personnel/Training Police Headquarters/Technical.
VK Singh, SM Sahai and Dilbagh Singh are Direct Recruits of 1987 batch while Sheikh Owais Ahmad was KPS officer, conferred IPS with effect from 1987. Two IPS officers of 1987 batch Raja Aijaz Ali and Ashok Gupta and two IPS officers of 1988 batch—Mohammad Amin Shah and ZH Chisti (all KPS conferred with IPS) have already retired.
The likely promotion of four IPS officers would leave Lalatendu Mohanty, the lone IPS officer of 1989 batch in Jammu and Kashmir cadre as the senior most IGP. He is presently on Central deputation.
Sources said the Police Headquarters have identified the post of Additional DG CID as vacant and proposed Additional DG Home Guards post also for promotion of one of the IGPs as DR Doley has proceeded on eight months leave. It has also identified some other posts for posting as Additional DGPs in Police Housing Corporation, Director General Sports or upgradation of the post held by VK Singh (IGP CIV, Training and Inspections) to the rank of ADG.
Sources said four IGPs could easily be accommodated against these vacancies as Additional DGPs.
The promotions cleared by the DPC had to be approved by the State Cabinet.
Sources said if the DPC approved promotion of four IGPs as Additional DGPs and the Cabinet accepts the proposal, it would leave two prestigious posts of IGP Jammu and Srinagar vacant. Mr Sahai has been holding the post of IGP Kashmir since 2010 summer while Dilbagh Singh was posted as the IGP Jammu in December 2010.
Five DIGs and IPS officers of 1995 batch, who were due for promotion as IGPs, included Shiv Darshan Singh Jamwal, who was presently on deputation with the Intelligence Bureau (IB), S S Khandare, who had recently returned from deputation from Maharashtra, Rajesh Kumar, DIG Baramulla range, T Namgyal, DIG Armed Kashmir and T Punchok, Joint Director Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy (SKPA), Udhampur.
Sources said there would be no problem for the DPC to clear all five officers of 1995 batch of IPS for posting as IGPs if four IGPs were cleared for promotion as Additional DGs. The promotion of four IGPs would create four vacancies, which were needed as SD Singh would get proforma promotion as he was on deputation. Moreover, two posts of IGPs had fallen vacant in August and September this year after the retirement of A Q Manhas (IGP Railways) and Gulzar Singh Slathia (IGP Armed) respectively.
All five IPS officers of 1995 batch were Direct Recruits.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has already asked the Government to consider the officers of 1995 and 1999 batches for promotions.
All 11 IPS officers of 1999 batch have already been accorded Super Time Scale by the Government, clearing decks for their promotion as DIGs.
They included Anand Jain, SSP Baramulla, S R Samuel, Commandant IRP, Nitish Kumar, presently on deputation with National Investigating Agency (NIA), Manmohan Singh, SSP Traffic Jammu, Ashkoor Ahmad Wani, SSP Udhampur, Ali Mohammad SSP Vigilance Organisation, Vijay Singh Samyal, Commandant IRP, J L Sharma, SSP (Special Branch) CID Jammu, Bashir Ahmad Itoo, SSP Human Rights Commission, Israr Ahmad Khan, SSP Samba and Nissar Ahmad, SSP Crime Jammu.
Sources said since Nitish Kumar was on deputation, he would get proforma promotion while the Government would actually need 10 posts of DIGs for clearing entire batch of 1999 for promotion. However, it has only four or five vacancies of DIGs. In such a case, the DPC could clear promotion of 1999 batch with the condition that promotions would actually take place depending on the vacancies.
While four to five SSPs could be promoted earlier, rest might have to wait for creation of posts.
Anand Jain, SR Samuel and Nitish Kumar are only three Direct Recruits in 1999 batch of IPS while rest eight were KPS officers accorded IPS with effect from 1999.