On August 16, 2026, Vinaytosh Mishra took charge as the Director General of Police of Odisha, though temporarily, as additional-charge DGP.
For an officer who entered the IPS in 1993, it was the latest chapter in a career spanning more than three decades, several specialised assignments and some of Odisha policing’s most difficult moments.
Born on November 3, 1966, in Madhubani, Bihar, Mishra holds a B.Sc. in Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Police Management. He belongs to the 1993 batch of the Odisha cadre.
His journey through the police force has taken him from field policing and industrial security to modernisation, crime records, cybercrime and scientific investigation. But one episode from his early career continues to cast a long shadow.
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Kalinganagar: The Chapter That Followed Him
As Superintendent of Police, Jajpur, Mishra was at the centre of the Kalinganagar police firing in January 2006. The confrontation between police and tribal protesters during opposition to industrial development left several tribal protesters dead and became one of Odisha’s most contentious law-and-order episodes.
Mishra defended the police response at the time, saying the force had come under attack and that a policeman had been killed. Years later, the episode resurfaced in an entirely different setting.
The Medal That Wasn’t Presented
In 2009, while serving as DIG, CISF, Bokaro, on central deputation, Mishra travelled to Bhubaneswar with his family to receive the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service. He had reportedly attended the rehearsal and was expected to receive the honour.
His name, however, was not called. Mishra complained to the Odisha Chief Secretary. The state government explained that because he had moved to CISF on deputation, confusion had arisen over where the medal should be presented.
Others viewed the episode through the political sensitivity surrounding Kalinganagar. Whatever the reason, the incident became one of the most talked-about episodes of his career. Seven years later, the story took a very different turn.
From Controversy to Distinguished Service
In 2016, Mishra was selected for the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service. By then, he was serving as IGP, Railways, Odisha. He was formally presented the medal in 2017.
The same year also brought another major field assignment: IGP, Eastern Range, Balasore.
His career continued to broaden. He became ADGP Modernisation, later ADGP Headquarters, and was also associated with the organisation of the 3rd All India Police Judo Cluster in Cuttack in 2018.
Away from official files, there was another side to the officer. In the 2016 Senior Police Officers’ Tennis Championship, Mishra finished runner-up in singles.
From Modernisation to the Digital Crime Front
In 2020, Mishra became Director of the State Crime Records Bureau. It was a role that fitted neatly into a career increasingly moving towards technology and specialised policing. He also briefly held additional charge as DG of Fire Services, Home Guards and Civil Defence in 2023.
Then came the Crime Branch. In 2024, Mishra moved from SCRB to CID-Crime Branch, where he became the public face of investigations involving some of Odisha’s most sensitive cases. Cybercrime emerged as a major focus.
Under his leadership, Crime Branch investigated a ₹6.28-crore cyber fraud, fake hotel-booking websites targeting Puri pilgrims, and several other digital scams. He pushed for specialised cybercrime training for thousands of police personnel and advocated placing trained crime-scene officers in all 685 police stations.
The idea was simple but significant: crime scenes needed science, digital evidence and proper forensic handling, not merely statements and suspicion.
The Cases That Put Him in the Spotlight
Mishra’s Crime Branch years brought him into several high-profile investigations — including the murder of former minister Naba Kishore Das, the Bharatpur police station controversy involving an Army officer and his fiancée, the Balasore college student’s self-immolation case and the Special OTET question-paper leak.
In 2026, the Crime Branch under his leadership also took over the Balianta mob-lynching investigation, with Mishra announcing that all accused had been identified. He was also assigned to inspect policing in Balasore and Bhadrak as part of Odisha’s revived district-inspection programme.
And Then Came the DGP’s Chair
Mishra was not originally in the regular race to succeed Y.B. Khurania, partly because of his approaching retirement in November 2026. But when the regular DGP selection process was delayed, the state needed an interim arrangement.
On August 16, Mishra took additional charge as DGP, Odisha, while continuing as DG, CID-Crime Branch. His first priorities were clear: improve investigation, strengthen policing at the ground level, raise conviction rates and confront two growing threats — cybercrime and narcotics.
From the streets of Jajpur to the digital trails of cyber fraud, Mishra’s career has crossed almost every major layer of modern policing. Now, with only months before his retirement, he occupies Odisha Police’s top chair.
For an officer whose career has travelled through controversy, technology, investigation and administration, the final chapter has arrived at the very top.
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