Reshuffle in police top brass on cards

Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 25

With two senior IPS officers retiring this month, a senior officer being promoted to the DGP rank, another senior officer returning from the Central deputation and the Haryana CID chief Anil Rao attaining superannuation next month, a reshuffle is on the cards for the top positions in the state police in less than a week.

State Vigilance Bureau DGP KP Singh and Haryana Police Housing Corporation Managing Director KK Mishra retire this month, while 1993-batch IPS officer Alok Mittal will return to Haryana after completing his stint in the NIA.

Sources said Mittal’s name was doing the rounds for heading the coveted post, 1989-batch officer Mohammad Akil, posted as the ADGP (Headquarters) and holding the charge of Police Commissioner, Gurugram, is due for promotion to the rank of DGP.

An IG-rank officer, Vikas Arora, is already back from the Central deputation while DIG-rank officer Shashank Anand, serving as the SP, Traffic, Chandigarh, is set to return to Haryana next month

With Rao retiring in July and the hunt for a “suitable” replacement for the top slot on, sources say he may be retained in the capacity of “Adviser” to the CID since there is a precedent for the same from the Congress tenure.

Former IPS officer PV Rathee, the intelligence chief during the Congress government, was retained after his retirement by the CM as Adviser to the Home and Intelligence Department. Sources say the BJP government could tread a similar path and retain Rao once he retires. This, however, is entirely the CM’s prerogative.