Proposal mooted to promote two more IPS officers as DGPs

Jammu: The Police Department has mooted a proposal for promotion of two more Additional Director Generals of Police (ADGPs) as Director Generals of Police (DGPs), four IGPs as Additional DGPs, confirmation of four officiating DIGs as full-fledged DIGs and higher grades in favour of SSPs and SPs.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has kept with itself the powers to promote Additional DGPs as DGPs but delegated powers of promotion of the IPS officers up to the rank of Additional DGPs to the Jammu and Kashmir Government, official sources told the Excelsior.

As per the proposal, Rashmi Ranjan Swain, Additional DGP CID and AK Choudhary, Additional DGP Armed, both IPS officers of 1991 batch, have been tipped for promotion as DGPs with effect from January 1, 2021 when they will complete mandatory 30 years of service in Police Department required for promotion as the DGPs.

There is sanctioned strength of four DGPs in Jammu and Kashmir but already six DGPs are in place. They include Navin Aggarwal of 1986 batch posted as Chief Executive Officer/Director General National Anti Doping Agency (NADA), VK Singh, DG Prisons, SM Sahai, on Central deputation and Dilbag Singh, DGP, all three of 1987 batch, Lalat Indu Mohanty of 1989 batch posted as Director BSF Academy Tikanpur in Madhya Pradesh and Dr B Srinivas of 1990 batch posted as Commandant General Home Guards/Civil Defence/State Disaster Responder Force with additional charge of Director Fire and Emergency Services.

The proposal cited that since three out of six DGPs are on Central deputation including Aggarwal, Sahai and Mohanty, there is one vacancy of the DGP. However, it has proposed promotion of two Additional DGPs as DGPs since both the IPS officers due for promotion including Swain and Choudhary, belonged to 1991 batch of IPS.

Sources said the DPC for promotion of DGPs headed by Union Home Secretary AK Bhalla will meet shortly to discuss the proposal of promotion and take a call. Other members of the DPC include Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, J&K Home Secretary Shaleen Kabra and Director General of Police Dilbag Singh.

Only couple of months back, Mohanty and Dr Srinivas were promoted as DGPs. Mohanty was, however, given proforma promotion as he is on deputation with the BSF.

As two posts of Additional DGPs will fall vacant if the proposal for promotion of two ADGPs as DGPs matured, the Government might take up the proposal for promotion of four IGPs of 1996 batch as Additional DGPs including Mukesh Singh, IGP Jammu, Manish Kishore Sinha, IGP Crime, Sunil Kumar, who is on deputation to the Border Security Force (BSF) and Danesh Rana, IGP Armed.

“Only three posts of Additional DGPs will be required for promotion of 1996 batch IPS officers as Sunil Kumar is on Central deputation and two posts will become available if the ADGPs are promoted as DGPs,’’ sources said.

However, no DIG posted in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is eligible for promotion as IGP. The IPS officers need 18 years of service to become eligible for promotion as the IGP. The officers, who are eligible for promotion as IGPs, are on Central deputation and proforma promotion, as per the sources, can’t be given unless an officer junior to them had to be promoted within the Union Territory.

There is also a proposal to confirm four officiating DIGs including Sunil Gupta, who is on deputation with the Government of India, Sujit Kumar, DIG Udhampur-Reasi range, Vivek Gupta, DIG Rajouri-Poonch range with additional charge of DIG Jammu-Samba-Kathua range and M Suleman Choudhary, DIG North Kashmir Range Baramulla.

All of them are IPS officers of 2007 batch and had been promoted as DIGs before completion of mandatory 13 years of services due to shortage of DIGs in Jammu and Kashmir.

Three IPS officers of 2008 batch including Tejender Singh, presently on deputation with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Abdul Jabbar, DIG Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range and Udhey Bhaskar Billa, who is on deputation to Andhra Pradesh, are likely to get Pay Band-04.

Three IPS officers of 2017 batch including Anayat Ali, SSP Kargil, Nikhil Borkar and Tanushree are likely to get Selection Grade. (Daily Excelsior)