State Govt yet to take decision
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 20: The Union Home Ministry has forwarded a three members panel of senior IPS officers for selection as new Director General of Police (DGP) in place of present incumbent Kuldeep Khoda, who is retiring from services on May 31 this year after serving the State for nearly five years as police chief of sensitive militancy State.
However, in addition to three members panel, the State Government was also considering options to appoint a local DGP from among the senior Additional DGPs as successor of Mr Khoda.
The new DGP would take over the helm of affairs of Police Department on June 1.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the panel finalized by the Ministry of Home Affairs for posting as new DGP comprised Arun Choudhary, Special Director General in Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Ashok Prasad, Additional Director, Intelligence Bureau and PM Nair, Special Director General (Operations), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Arun Choudhary is 1977 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre and had served as Deputy Director and Joint Director of Intelligence Bureau in Jammu and Kashmir. Ashok Prasad is 1979 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre and was presently posted as Additional Director of IB in J&K, headquartered at Srinagar.
PM Nair is also Bihar cadre officer of 1978 batch and was presently posted as Special DG of CRPF (Operations), New Delhi. He had served as IG CRPF, Jammu during 2005-06.
Sources said the panel has been finalized by the Union Home Ministry for consideration of Jammu and Kashmir Government.
“The State Government has received the panel but was yet to give a thought to it as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was first busy attending his ailing father and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Dr Farooq Abdullah in New Delhi’’, sources said, adding that the Government was yet to take a decision on the posting of new DGP.
DGP Armed and Law & Order K Rajendera and Vigilance Commissioner Pitambar Lal Gupta are both 1984 batch IPS police officers and senior most ADGPs in the State.
Sources said the State Government had the powers to relax the condition to appoint the DGP of its own choice. Mr Rajendera has service till September 2016 and Mr Gupta till August 2015.
Mr Rajendera had served as IGP of both Kashmir and Jammu provinces and dealt with all problems effectively and efficiently. He was also instrumental in devising many strategies successfully for dealing with different kind of unrests. He was seriously injured in a fidayeen attack at the venue of the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, presently Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, at Srinagar in May 2006. He had also served as DIG of Srinagar and Rajouri range.
After Mr Rajendera and Mr Gupta, there were three IPS officers of 1985 batch including Ram Lubaya, Additional DG Security, SK Mishra, who was presently on deputation with the Border Security Force (BSF) and S Gopal Reddy, who was on deputation in Andhra Pradesh. All of them were in the rank of Additional DGPs.
Three IPS officers of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, who were also working as Additional DGPs included Dr Shesh Pal Vaid, ADG Headquarters, Ms D R Doley, Additional DGP Home Guards and Civil Defence and Naveen Aggarwal, Additional DGP Prisons.
Follow our WhatsApp channel