Sanjay is NDRF chief, hunt on for new DGP

SHIMLA: The hunt for a new DGP has begun as the present incumbent Sanjay Kumar all set to assume charge as Director General NDRF New Delhi Sanjay Kumar a 1985 batch IPS officer has been heading the Police Department for the last oneandahalf year

Updated At : 03:33 PM Jul 05, 2017 IST

Sanjay Kumar DGP Director General of Police, Himachal Pradesh. Tribune photo

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 4

The hunt for a new DGP has begun as the present incumbent Sanjay Kumar all set to assume charge as Director General, NDRF, New Delhi. Sanjay Kumar, a 1985 batch IPS officer, has been heading the Police Department for the last one-and-a-half year.

A letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs has been received yesterday, urging the state government to relieve Sanjay Kumar. He is due to retire in January 2019. Now, it remains to be seen whether the state government chooses to appoint a regular DGP before Kumar is relieved or the charge is given to someone as a stop gap arrangement.

A decision is likely to be taken tomorrow. If a regular DGP has to be appointed, the committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, will meet. The other members of the committee are the Additional Chief Secretary (Personnel), the Principal Secretary (Home) and another senior IAS officer.

Among the front runners for the post is Somesh Goyal, a 1984 batch officer, whose seniority was overlooked when Sanjay Kumar was made the DGP, almost oneand-a-half-year back. Goyal is serving as DGP (Prisons) and is the senior-most IPS officer in the Himachal cadre. Though he faced some inquiries, including one by the Vigilance in purchase of shoes, he has now been absolved of all charges. Another officer, who could step into Kumar’s shoes, is Sita Ram Mardi, DGP (Home Guard and Civil Defence).

He belongs to the 1986 batch and his name has been doing the rounds for quite some time. He has been lobbying hard to replace Sanjay Kumar and remained in the CID for a long time but it remains to be seen whether he will find favour with the political bosses to get the top police post in the state or not.

In the race

■ Among the front runners for the post is Somesh Goyal, a 1984 batch officer, whose seniority was overlooked when Sanjay Kumar was made the DGP

■ Another officer, who could step into Kumar's shoes, is Sita Ram Mardi, DGP (Home Guards and Civil Defence)

■ There is also a possibility that Prithvi Raj, who is due to retire on July 31, could be given the officiating charge

■ Tapan Deka, also in race, is on a deputation with the Intelligence Bureau and is serving in Guwahati