BHUBANESWAR: There’s something missing in the incumbency chart of Director General of Police (DGP) at key establishments of Odisha Police which displays names of the police chiefs. Literally.
The incumbency chart of Director General of Police at the DGP’s camp office in the Capital and the State Police Headquarters at Cuttack has names of five former police chiefs - Prakash Mishra, Sanjeev Marik, KB Singh, Dr RP Sharma, Abhay and incumbent DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal.
Interestingly, names of two officers, BK Sharma as well as Satyajit Mohanty - both of whom were appointed as In-Charge DGP - are missing. Both preceded Abhay whose tenure ended on December 31. Sharma, a 1986 batch IPS officer, was appointed as DGP in-charge and Head of Police Force (HoPF) on August 7, 2019 after the then DGP Dr RP Sharma’s voluntary retirement application was accepted by the State Government.
Sharma was moved out of the post on November 20, 2019 and 1986 batch IPS officer Abhay was appointed police chief the same day. Abhay took charge as DGP on December 9, 2019. Until the officer, who was on deputation to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad, assumed charge, the State government had appointed 1988 batch IPS officer Satyajit Mohanty as the in-charge DGP. Mohanty is currently, Chairman of Odisha Public Service Commission.
What happened to their names in the incumbency chart? No one in the State Police has an answer though insiders say Sharma and Mohanty featured in the list and their names might have been removed. The incumbency chart uploaded on the official website bears names of only the full-time DGPs.
Retired officers are of the opinion that incumbency chart must reflect names of full-time and in-charge DGPs as matters of tradition.
An In-charge DGP is appointed by virtue of a government notification unlike the officiating ones when the head of police force goes on leave. Incumbency charts indicate the incumbents besides maintaining chronology.
“Even the names of former inspectors are mentioned in incumbency charts of IICs at police stations. The names of officers appointed as In-charge DGP by the government must be mentioned in the incumbency chart list of DGP,” said former DGP Bipin Bihari Mishra.
Another ex-DGP Gopal Nanda said that no guidelines exist to mention the names of in-charge DGPs in the incumbency chart. It is a successor’s prerogative to keep or remove a name of a predecessor, he pointed out.
“An officer assuming charge as DGP may or may not opt to mention the names of in-charge DGPs. However, many officers prefer to mention the names of their predecessors out of respect,” he added.
Sources said the police headquarters in Cuttack is possibly re-working on the list of the names of former DGPs to be mentioned in the incumbency chart. DGP Bansal could not be contacted for his comments on the matter.