Race for Haryana DGP post heats up

The process to appoint a new Director General of Police (DGP) in Haryana has gathered pace, with the state government finalising a fresh panel of IPS officers who have completed 30 years of service. Sources said the panel is likely to be forwarded to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Tuesday.

The move comes as officiating DGP OP Singh is due to retire on December 31, along with two other senior officers — 1989-batch Mohd Akil and 1991-batch Alok Kumar Roy — who is currently serving on a three-month extension. With their impending retirement, intense lobbying is reported to have begun among senior officers for the top police post.

Among the frontrunners for the DGP’s position are 1992-batch officer Ajay Singhal, currently Director General, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau; 1993-batch officer Alok Mittal, Managing Director of the Haryana Police Housing Corporation; and 1993-batch officer Arshinder Singh Chawla, Director of the Haryana Police Academy, Madhuban.

The name of former DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur, who was earlier included in a panel sent to the UPSC, remains uncertain. Kapur was sent on leave following the alleged suicide of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar at his Sector 11 residence on October 7 and was transferred on Sunday. Sources indicated that his name is likely to be dropped from the fresh panel.

With three senior officers retiring at the end of the month, the government is keen to fast-track the selection and appoint a new DGP before year-end. However, if the process is delayed, the charge of officiating DGP may be handed to another senior officer until a final appointment is made.

A major reshuffle in the top echelons of the Haryana Police is also expected in the New Year following these retirements.