Bhubaneswar: IPS officer Sagarika Nath will soon leave on central deputation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, approving her appointment as Superintendent of Police (SP) in the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
In an official communication to Odisha Chief Secretary, the Ministry has requested that Nath be relieved from her current assignment immediately to enable her to assume her new responsibilities at the Centre. Necessary instructions have also been issued to the Director General of Police, Odisha, and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Delhi, to coordinate the smooth transition.
The move is seen as recognition of her outstanding contributions to policing and public service in Odisha, where she currently serves as Khurda SP.
The 2016-batch IPS officer is known for having introduced several initiatives – Project Sampark: A comprehensive anti-drug campaign that combines law enforcement, youth outreach, and mental health awareness to address drug abuse among young people in Khurda, the ‘Chota Cop Programme’, a trust building exercise between police and children and ‘Project Durga’, which focuses on women’s safety and empowerment.
She was earlier posted as Traffic SP in Bhubaneswar and also as SP of Balasore, when curfew was clamped in the coastal town following clashes between two groups sparked over suspicions of cow slaughter during a religious celebration in 2024.
A native of Dhenkanal, Odisha, Nath holds a BTech in Electrical Engineering from CET Bhubaneswar and cracked the UPSC Civil Services Exam in 2015 with an All India Rank of 199.
Her induction also highlights the increasing representation of Odisha-cadre IPS officers in crucial central agencies.
In April, IPS officers – Ravi Kant and Mitrabhanu Mohapatra – were appointed Inspector General (IG) and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Border Security Force (BSF). This came 4 months after senior IPS officers D S Kutey and Ashish Kumar Singh, left Odisha on central deputation and were posted as IG of BSF and IG of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) respectively.