Will Odisha Get Its First Woman DGP? B Radhika In Race As New Top Cop Talk Begins

Bhubaneswar: With director general of police (DGP) Sunil Kumar Bansal’s two-year term ending on December 31, names of top contenders for the post, which include a woman IPS officer, have started doing the rounds.

Though Manoj Chhabra and Arun Ray, both of 1988 batch, are next in the seniority list, 1989-batch officers B Radhika and A M Prasad, and Y B Khurania of 1990-batch are said to the front-runners for the DGP post. Chhabra is set to retire this month while Ray was recently sidelined and given the insignificant posting of officer of special duty (OSD) in the home department and therefore, chances of him being chosen as DGP are slim, official sources said.

According to guidelines, the DGP is to be selected by the state government from among the 3 senior-most officers empanelled by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) based on their service length, record and range of experience for heading the police force. In addition, officers who have a minimum of six months of service left before retirement are eligible for empanelment by the UPSC for selection to the post.

Pranabindu Acharya, a 1989-batch, is likely to miss the bus as he is due retire on May 31 next year.

However, speculation is rife that after picking a woman Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly, the state government may go for the first woman DGP to re-establish its commitment to women empowerment. Radhika is currently on central deputation and posted as Additional DG of SSB, New Delhi. She is also the first female IPS officer of the Odisha cadre.

Sources, however, added that the government may also contemplate giving an extension to Bansal, considering the twin polls next year.