In a late-night notification on Monday, the Gujarat Home Department reshuffled a total of 19 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and six State Police Service (SPS) officers, marking significant changes in leadership across various districts and departments.
The reshuffle comes as part of ongoing efforts to address law-and-order concerns and fill vacancies, some of which had remained unaddressed for several months.
Key Changes in IPS Leadership
1996 batch IPS officer Rajkumar Pandian, currently serving as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) for CID (Crime and Railways), was transferred to the crucial post of ADGP (Law and Order) in Gandhinagar.
In a swift response to a vacancy that had remained since May 2023, the state government appointed IPS Jaipalsinh Rathore as the new Deputy Inspector General (DIG) for Sector-2, Ahmedabad. Rathore, a 2010 batch officer, takes over the area that has seen growing law-and-order concerns, particularly in its eastern zones. His appointment follows the transfer of Additional DGP Brijesh Kumar Jha, who was moved to Rajkot Police Commissioner after the tragic fire at Rajkot’s TRP Mall, which claimed 27 lives.
Transfers Linked to the Rajkot Fire Tragedy
Several officers whose postings had been delayed due to the aftermath of the Rajkot TRP Mall tragedy have now received new assignments. Among them are IPS officers Sudhir Desai and Vidhi Choudhary, who were assigned roles nearly 20 months after the tragic incident. Choudhary, a 2009 batch officer, has been appointed as the Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Branch) in Ahmedabad and will also take on the additional role of Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration).
Other Notable Appointments
Shamsher Singh, the Law and Order DGP (1991 batch), was replaced by Rajkumar Pandian, a 1996 batch IPS officer, although Singh will continue to serve as the Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
1999 batch IPS officer Ajay Kumar Choudhary, previously serving as Additional DGP, was transferred to head the Women’s Cell. His position was filled by Vidhi Choudhary, who has been promoted to Additional DGP of the Special Branch.
Himkar Singh was moved to the role of Superintendent of Police (SP) for Rajkot Rural, with the post downgraded to accommodate this transfer.
Ahmedabad Zone Transfers
Bharatkumar Rathod, a 2018 batch officer, has taken over as the new DCP of Zone-2 in Ahmedabad, replacing Shreepal Shesma, who is now awaiting a new posting.
Sudhir Desai, who had previously served as the SP Intelligence for Gandhinagar, was transferred to take up a new role as the SP of Intelligence, replacing Rathod.
Transfers in Vadodara and Other Districts
Leena Patil, DCP of Zone-3 in Vadodara, was promoted to the position of Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime, Law, and Order), Vadodara City. This position was downgraded to accommodate the move.
Abhishek Gupta, a 2019 batch officer, succeeded Patil as DCP Zone-3 in Vadodara.
Vikas Sunda, a 2018 batch officer, was posted as the new SP for Kutch (West), a position that had been vacant for some time.
Administrative Shifts
Ravindra Patel (2016 batch) has been appointed as the Executive Director of the Police Housing Corporation, replacing Vasantkumar Nayi, an SPS officer.
Bhakti Dabhi, DCP Zone-1 Surat, was transferred to Surat HQ, and N A Munia, an SPS officer, was appointed as the Commandant of SRPF Group-3 in Madana.
This reshuffle is expected to bring a fresh dynamic to the Gujarat Police force, with several officers being appointed to key positions in response to growing concerns about law and order across the state.
