BHUBANESWAR : Odisha government on Monday promoted senior IPS officers Sanjeeb Panda and YK Jethwa, both of 1994 batch, to the DG rank.
In a notification, General Administration and Public Grievance department said the two additional DG-ranked officers are promoted to the grade of DG of Police in level-16 pay matrix with immediate effect and are posted in-situ until further orders.
Panda is currently head of the anti-naxal operations unit while Jethwa is director of state vigilance.
The timing of the promotions is significant as it comes in the midst of the ongoing selection of the next director general of police (DGP) of the state.
The first meeting of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) empanelment committee on August 7 had remained inconclusive and with today’s promotion, decks are clear for Panda to be appointed as the next police chief of the state.
With incumbent DGP YB Khurania set to retire on August 16, the UPSC panel will meet again to finalise the three names from which the state government will select the DGP. Once the empanelment committee reconvenes the meeting, Panda’s name is likely to feature in the senior most officers’ list.
Though 1990 batch officer Sudhansu Sarangi along with RP Koche and Susanta Nath (both of 1993 batch) are in the race, in the last meeting of the UPSC panel, the government had reportedly sought to withdraw the integrity certificate of one of the officers.
However, that step apparently has been dumped by the government, sources said. Instead, one of the three officers is likely to go on central deputation, paving way for Panda.