Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 22: Ashok Prasad, an IPS officer of 1979 batch from Andhra Pradesh cadre, who was likely to take over as new Director General of Police (DGP) tomorrow from interim DGP K Rajendera Kumar tomorrow, has stressed for further strengthening police force and make it more people friendly.
Prasad, whose services have already been placed at the disposal of State Government by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, would be flying to Srinagar from New Delhi at 1 pm.
Principal Secretary, Home, B R Sharma, told the Excelsior that decks have been cleared for the appointment of Mr Prasad as new DGP.
“As soon as he arrives in Srinagar, the summer capital tomorrow afternoon, we would hand over him the appointment order as the new DGP. He would take charge at the Police Headquarters tomorrow afternoon’’, Mr Sharma said.
The Police Headquarters would welcome the new police chief with a guard of honour.
In a telephonic conversation with the Excelsior from New Delhi, Mr Prasad said dealing with militancy, maintaining law and order, making police people friendly and strengthening the organisation would remain his priorities.
Mr Prasad, who has experience of working for four years in Jammu and Kashmir as senior officer of Intelligence Bureau (IB), said police would have close co-ordination with security agencies. He said providing good policing to the people would remain on his agenda.
Ashok Prasad had been serving as Additional Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) in Kashmir for past one year. Earlier, he remained posted as Deputy Director of IB in Kashmir from 1999 to 2001 at the peak of militancy.
Mr Prasad said he would be reaching Srinagar tomorrow and take the charge.
Excelsior had on May 28 broke the new of Ashok Prasad’s appointment as new DGP of the State in place of Kuldeep Khoda, who had retired on May 31. However, since the MHA and the IB had to complete various formalities before placing services of Mr Prasad at the disposal of the State Government, the Cabinet had given charge of the DGP to senior most IPS officer of 1984 batch K Rajendera on June 1.
Mr Rajendera was Additional DGP Law and Order and Armed.
Mr Prasad has his services till January 2016.
He would have the distinction of heading second largest police force of 1.2 lakh in the country. Only Uttar Pradesh, the most populous State in India, has the police force higher than Jammu and Kashmir. J&K had recently left behind Punjab in the numbers. The State has 87,000 regular police personnel and 33,000 Special Police Officers (SPOs).
Sources said Mr Prasad enjoyed distinguished career in the Intelligence Bureau and was instrumental in playing a major role during his previous as well as present stint in the Intelligence agency for using his office to maintain peace in the State. The IB has played a very significant role by maintaining close co-ordination with State’s Intelligence agencies, para-military forces and the MHA officials in New Delhi.
Sources added that being head of the Intelligence Bureau in J&K, Mr Prasad has already developed a good rapport with top brass of the Government and officials of civil and police administration.
The MHA had on April 22 submitted a panel of three senior IPS officers to the J&K Government for consideration for the post of DGP on the retirement of Mr Khoda on May 31.
Two other names in the panel included Arun Chowdhary, a 1977 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre and PM Nair, a 1978 batch IPS officer of the same cadre.
Mr Chowdhary was presently posted as Special Director General of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Incharge Airports Security. He had also served in Jammu and Kashmir as Deputy Director and Joint Director of Intelligence Bureau.
Mr Nair, Special Director General (Operations) of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), having headquarters at New Delhi, had also served in the State as IG CRPF Jammu in 2005-2006.
Last year, Mr Nair had been nominated for his appointment as DGP in Naxalite infested Jharkhand but was dropped at the eleventh hour.
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