Bhubaneswar: In a major initiative to bolster law and order, improve professional standards, and strengthen accountability, the Odisha Police has launched a comprehensive statewide monitoring and inspection programme.
Senior IPS officers, including Additional Directors General of Police (ADGs) and Inspectors General (IGs), have been assigned to oversee operations in 17 districts.
Under the exercise, these senior officers will conduct on-ground visits to assess policing standards, review law and order management, crime control efforts, and examine complaints against personnel. A key focus will be investigating allegations of third-degree methods or custodial misconduct at police stations. The assigned officers must submit detailed review reports to the Director General of Police (DGP) within 15 days of their inspections.
Crime Branch DG Vinaytosh Mishra has been tasked with overseeing Balasore and Bhadrak districts. Special Operation
s ADG Sanjeeb Panda will monitor Koraput and Rayagada, with particular attention to policing and administrative preparedness in these areas.
Thirteen other senior IPS officers have each been assigned one district for in-depth supervision.
Other assignments include:
ADG Soumendra Priyadarshi: Jagatsinghpur
Railway ADG Arun Bothra: Angul
Law and Order ADG Sanjay Kumar: Sambalpur
ADG Rajesh Kumar: Nayagarh
ADG Prateek Mohanty: Jajpur
ADG Jatindra Koel: Kalahandi
ADG S. Saini: Balangir
At the IG level:
IG S. Praveen Kumar: Kandhamal
IG Gajviye Satish Kumar Eshwardas: Dhenkanal
IG Deepak Kumar: Malkangiri
IG Anup Kumar Sahu: Puri
IG Abinash Kumar: Mayurbhanj
IG Sarthak Sarangi: Kendrapada
Officials indicated that the officers will interact with local units, examine complaints, and evaluate operational challenges to deliver ground-level insights.
Notably, no senior officer has been assigned to Ganjam and Khurda districts, two of most law-and-order-sensitive areas in the state. These omissions have drawn attention amid the otherwise broad oversight effort. Currently, investigation is underway into the death of 32-year-old daily wage labourer Sushant Sahu on May 30 allegedly after being released from detention at Kabisuryanagar police station in the district. Similarly, Balianta, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, witnessed an alleged mob lynching incident on May 7, leading to the death of a GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain. Baranga in Cuttack district also recently reported an alleged custodial torture of 32-year-old Rakesh Behera of Chandiprasad village.