BHUBANESWAR: The selection of Odisha’s next Director General of Police (DGP) comes at a time when the state’s IPS cadre is grappling with one of its biggest structural challenges.
The latest IPS cadre allocation is a case in the point. Last month, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued the cadre allocation notification for 147 IPS officers who cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2024. Six officers were allotted the Odisha cadre, but none belonged to the state. The six represented all categories - general, other backward classes (OBC), scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST). Yet, not a single insider candidate found a place in the state’s IPS allocation because none made it to the IPS list.
With no Odia candidate entering the IPS through direct recruitment this year, the state’s already skewed insider-outsider composition is set to become even more imbalanced.
The cadre shortage is stark. Against an authorised IPS strength of 195 officers, Odisha currently has only 132 officers in position, leaving 63 vacancies, among the highest in the country.
The 63 vacancies in a sanctioned strength of 195 officers can be attributed to the fact that no State Police Service (SPS) officer has made it to the IPS cadre. This and dwindling representation of Odisha-domiciled officers from direct IPS recruitment will emerge as one of the foremost issues awaiting the incoming police chief.
The leadership transition assumes added significance as the tenure of Director General of Police YB Khurania ends on August 16. The state government is in the process of selecting his successor under the Supreme Court-mandated procedure overseen by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The government initially forwarded a panel of three Director General-rank officers before expanding the list with eight more names. Under UPSC guidelines, only officers with at least 25 years of service and a minimum residual service of six months are eligible to be considered for appointment as state DGP.
Among the top contenders are 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, both from the 1993 batch. Sarangi and Nath are natives of Odisha, while Koche hails from Maharashtra.
Sarangi is considered one of the frontrunners. Besides being the seniormost all-India service officer in Odisha, he is also among the senior-most serving IPS officers in the country after R&AW chief Parag Jain of the 1989 batch. Sarangi was recently empanelled to hold the rank of Director General at the Centre.
Officers of the 1994 batch, including Sanjeeb Panda and YK Jethwa, could fancy their chances too. Sources said the UPSC is expected to meet later this month to finalise a panel of three names for the state government.
All eyes would be on the DGP selection with questions galore floating around. Will the state finally get an Odia domiciled officer as full-time DGP after 12 years? The last time an officer from Odisha made it to the coveted post was Prakash Mishra in 2012. Mishra, currently, is an advisor to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Under the previous BJD government, a string of IPS officers, not natives of Odisha, were appointed to the DGP post which often drew criticism which is why the ensuing appointment holds significance.
While the choice of the next DGP has attracted considerable attention, senior officers say the larger challenge lies in restoring balance within the state’s IPS cadre.
As per the IPS Cadre Rules, about one-third of the sanctioned strength is to be filled through promotion from the SPS. Last year, the state informed the MHA that Odisha’s authorised promotion quota stood at 59 officers. However, there was no promoted officer in the state’s IPS cadre, leaving the entire promotion quota vacant. The situation has remained unchanged.
The prolonged absence of promotions has also affected directly recruited deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), many of whom have completed the qualifying service required for induction into the IPS. Under the IPS (Appointment by Promotion) Regulations, a state police officer becomes eligible after completing eight years of continuous service as DSP or an equivalent rank, subject to other prescribed conditions, including the age limit of 54.
The delay has led to growing resentment among direct recruit DSPs who have been waiting for years to enter the IPS through promotion. Several officers point out that while Odisha Police Service (OPS) officers have been appointed as SPs, none of the direct recruit DSPs has been elevated to that rank.
The imbalance is also visible in district policing. Of the 34 police districts in Odisha, only seven are headed by insider or domiciled IPS officers.
“While the insider-outsider ratio of 1:2 is intended to ensure balanced representation and promote national integration, maintaining the prescribed proportion of insider officers and filling the promotion quota are equally important. Officers who belong to the state possess a deeper understanding of local culture, language and social dynamics, which helps in administration,” a retired DGP said on condition of anonymity.
The shrinking number of Odisha officers also has implications for social representation across reserved categories. With fewer candidates from the state qualifying for direct recruitment, reserved category representation is increasingly being filled by officers from outside Odisha. This year’s cadre allocation shows that the ST and OBC quotas are filled by outsider candidates.
“It is a double whammy. The insider ratio is shrinking because fewer Odia candidates are qualifying through direct recruitment, while representation of reserved categories from the state is also getting affected,” another senior police officer said.
Cadre management challenges do not end there. Promotion avenues have also narrowed because of congestion at the top. Odisha currently has four DG-rank officers besides the DGP and as many as 23 officers at the Additional DG level, including some on central deputation. The resulting bottleneck has delayed promotions in the ADG level as well as further down the hierarchy.
Manmohan Praharaj, one of the finest DGPs to helm the state police, says retirements, central deputations and prolonged administrative delays have left several sanctioned positions vacant while the absence of promoted IPS officers has sharply reduced the number of insiders in the cadre.
Senior officers believe the next DGP’s biggest challenge will be to streamline cadre management by expediting promotions and restoring the prescribed balance. Without structural reforms, Odisha’s police leadership will continue to grapple with the same institutional constraints.
“In such circumstances, an Odia officer should head the state police force. A police chief with a strong understanding of the state’s social and cultural context is better placed to connect with the people and address policing challenges,” Praharaj said.
Official numbers
IPS cadre strength
Sanctioned strength: 195
Officers in position: 132
Vacancies: 63
2024 IPS cadre allocation
IPS officers allotted to Odisha: 6
Odisha (insider) candidates: 0
All six are outsiders
Promotion quota
Authorised SPS-to-IPS promotion quota: 59
Promoted in Odisha: 0