BHUBANESWAR : Amid the Centre’s target to eliminate left-wing extremism (LWE) by March next year, the Odisha government has appointed 1994 batch IPS officer Sanjeeb Panda as ADG, anti-Naxal operations.
In a notification issued on Wednesday, the Home department said Panda will look after the functioning of both Special Intelligence Wing (SIW) and anti-Naxal operations.
The government assigning Panda with the responsibility of looking after both anti-Naxal operations and SIW assumes significance as usually two senior officers are given separate responsibilities to head the Special Operations Group (SOG) and intelligence collection related to the activity of the red ultras.
As per sources, the government is of the opinion that Panda heading both the anti-Naxal operations and SIW will enhance coordination among the officers and help to effectively deal with the Naxal menace, which is currently prevalent mostly in four districts - Kandhamal, Boudh, Nuapada and Rayagada.
Panda was serving as ADG (Training) and director of Biju Patnaik State Police Academy (BPSPA) here. He has earlier served as director Intelligence, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissioner, among others.
Meanwhile, IG (Training) Anup Sahoo will remain as in-charge director of BPSPA until further orders. In a related development, the state government appointed 2009 batch IPS officer and South Western Range DIG Akhilesvar Singh as DIG SIW. Kanwar Vishal Singh, a 2010 batch IPS officer, who was DIG SIW, was posted in place of Akhilesvar Singh as the new DIG South Western Range.