BHUBANESWAR: The Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) empanelment committee is scheduled to meet on August 7 to shortlist three eligible candidates for the post of director general of police (DGP) of Odisha.
The meeting, to be held at New Delhi, comes ahead of incumbent DGP YB Khurania’s retirement on August 16.
Earlier last month, the Home department forwarded the names of 11 senior IPS officers to the UPSC for selection of the new police chief, as Khurania is set to retire on August 16 after completing his two-year tenure.
Under UPSC guidelines, only officers with at least 25 years of service and a minimum residual service of six months are eligible for consideration for the post of state DGP. Among the contenders, the senior most include Sudhansu Sarangi, a 1990-batch officer and Director General of Fire Services; Susanta Kumar Nath, Director General of Prisons; and RP Koche, Director of Intelligence, all of whom are eligible under the criteria.
“As per the guidelines, the UPSC will prepare a panel of three senior-most IPS officers based on their length of service, a very good record and diverse experience in heading the police force,” said a senior police officer.
The UPSC empanelment committee for state DGP’s selection is a high-level body constituted in accordance with Supreme Court’s guidelines to shortlist three eligible candidates for appointment as a state’s police chief.
The committee comprises of UPSC chairperson or their nominee as the head, Union Home secretary or their nominee, police chief/head of a Central Police Organisation or Central paramilitary force, who is not of Odisha cadre, as well as the chief secretary and outgoing DGP of the state concerned.