Odisha: Sanjay Kaushal Replaces Ashish Singh As IG-Central Range After EC Transfer Order

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday appointed IGP, Vigilance, Sanjay Kumar Kaushal as IG (Central), replacing Ashish Singh, in accordance with April 2 transfer order of Elections Commission of India (ECI).

Singh has been asked to report at the state police headquarters.

Following the EC’s approval, DIG of Police, Vigilance, Prakash R has also  been transferred and posted as Cuttack DCP. He will succeed Kanwar Vishal Singh, who too has been asked to report to state police headquarters.

Similarly, DIG of Police, Intelligence in-charge Security Wing, Brijesh Kumar Rai, has been appointed as Rourkela SP, replacing Mitrabhanu Mahapatra. DIG of Police, SIW, Umashankar Dash, has been asked to take charge from Angul SP Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra.

Both Mahapatra and Mishra have been asked to report to state police headquarters, the official notification issued by the Home Department said.

On April 2, the ECI had ordered transfer of 6 IPS officers – IGP (central range) Ashis Singh, Cuttack DCP Kanwar Vishal Singh, Rourkela SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra, Angul SP Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra, Khurda SP Jugal Kishore Banoth, Rourkela SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra, and Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek Kumar, to non-election related posts with immediate effect.

Cuttack Collector Vineet Bharadwaj and Jagatsinghpur Collector Parul Patwari were also transferred.

The ECI’s order came a couple of days after BJP’s MP candidate from Berhampur, Pradeep Panigrahy, alleged that an IG-ranked IPS officer was threatening politicians in Ganjam district asking them not to leave the BJD.