Bhubaneswar, Senior IPS officer Tadasha Mishra, a native of Odisha, has earned the distinction of being the first woman to head the police force in Jharkhand even if in an interim capacity.
She, who is currently serving as Special Secretary, Home, Prison & Disaster Management Department, has been appointed as the acting Director General of Police (DGP) of Jharkhand. An official notification issued on November 6 designates her as “in-charge DG & IG of Police, Jharkhand”, with the appointment taking effect immediately.
Her appointment followed the voluntary retirement of Anurag Gupta, whose resignation was accepted by the state government earlier this week. “Gupta shall be considered retired with effect from November 6, 2025,” the notification added.
Interestingly, Gupta, a 1990 batch officer, was removed from the post of Jharkhand DGP by the Election Commission ahead of the assembly polls in November last year, but was reappointed to the post again on February 3 even after his retirement by the Hemant Soren government. He continued as Jharkhand DGP for seven months despite the central government’s letter, stating that retaining him as DGP past his retirement date was incorrect.
Mishra’s tenure as the state’s DGP, however, is expected to be brief, as she is due to retire on December 31, 2025.
Born into a family from Odisha, Mishra joined the Indian Police Service in 1994 under the Bihar cadre and was later allocated to Jharkhand after the state’s formation in 2000. She has held several key posts in her career, including Additional Director General (Railways) and Superintendent of Police, Bokaro, where she earned recognition for firm policing and operational effectiveness.
