Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has ordered a major police reshuffle, transferring 12 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and appointing new Superintendents of Police (SPs) in five districts. The transfer orders were issued by the state Home Department late Wednesday night, bringing changes to district police leadership, the Police Headquarters in Bhopal and several Special Armed Force (SAF) battalions.
The reshuffle includes new SP appointments in Narmadapuram, Betul, Panna, Harda and Alirajpur. Several officers have also been assigned responsibilities as Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and Commandant of SAF battalions.
The transfers come against the backdrop of farmers’ protests in Narmadapuram, Panna and Harda, where the government’s handling of public demonstrations and administrative responses has come under scrutiny.
The latest changes also follow another round of administrative action in Dewas and Sagar over incidents involving suspected spurious liquor.
Five Districts Get New Superintendents of Police
One of the most significant changes involves Narmadapuram, where 2014-batch IPS officer Deepak Kumar Shukla has been appointed as the new Superintendent of Police.
Shukla was serving as Commandant of the 32nd Battalion in Ujjain. He replaces Saikrishna S. Thota, also a 2014-batch IPS officer, who has been transferred to the Police Headquarters in Bhopal as Assistant Inspector General.
In Betul, 2017-batch IPS officer Amit Saxena has been appointed Superintendent of Police. He replaces Virendra Jain, a 2016-batch officer, who has been transferred to Bhopal as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic).
Panna will now have 2017-batch IPS officer Savyasachi Saraf as its new SP. Saraf was previously serving as Cyber SP in Indore. He replaces Nivedita Naidu, a 2016-batch IPS officer, who has been posted as Commandant of the 10th Battalion of the Special Armed Force in Sagar.
In Harda, 2017-batch IPS officer Ankit Jaiswal has been appointed as the new Superintendent of Police. He replaces Shashank, a 2019-batch IPS officer, who has been transferred to Police Headquarters, Bhopal, as Assistant Inspector General.
Meanwhile, 2017-batch IPS officer Samar Verma has been appointed as Superintendent of Police, Alirajpur.
These appointments bring changes to police leadership across districts that have recently witnessed administrative and law-and-order challenges.
Full List of 12 IPS Officers Transferred in Madhya Pradesh
According to the transfer orders issued by the Madhya Pradesh Home Department, the following officers have been assigned new responsibilities:
- Raghuvansh Kumar Singh (IPS, 2012 batch) – Posted as Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Police Headquarters, Bhopal.
- Deepak Kumar Shukla (IPS, 2014 batch) – Appointed Superintendent of Police, Narmadapuram.
- Saikrishna S. Thota (IPS, 2014 batch) – Posted as Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Police Headquarters, Bhopal.
- Virendra Jain (IPS, 2016 batch) – Appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bhopal.
- Nivedita Naidu (IPS, 2016 batch) – Posted as Commandant, 10th Battalion, Special Armed Force, Sagar.
- Ankit Jaiswal (IPS, 2017 batch) – Appointed Superintendent of Police, Harda.
- Amit Saxena (IPS, 2017 batch) – Appointed Superintendent of Police, Betul.
- Savyasachi Saraf (IPS, 2017 batch) – Appointed Superintendent of Police, Panna.
- Samar Verma (IPS, 2017 batch) – Appointed Superintendent of Police, Alirajpur.
- Abhishek Anand (IPS, 2018 batch) – Posted as Commandant, 15th Battalion, Special Armed Force, Indore, with additional charge of Superintendent of Police, Police Training College (PTC), Indore.
- Shrutikirti Somvanshi (IPS, 2018 batch) – Posted as Commandant, 2nd Battalion, Special Armed Force, Gwalior, with additional charge of the 14th Battalion, SAF, Gwalior.
- Shashank (IPS, 2019 batch) – Posted as Assistant Inspector General, Police Headquarters, Bhopal.
Farmers’ Protests Trigger Administrative Action in Three Districts
The police reshuffle comes amid administrative action following farmers’ protests in Narmadapuram, Panna and Harda.
In Narmadapuram, the state government has replaced both the District Collector and the Superintendent of Police following concerns over the handling of farmers’ demonstrations.
Collector Somesh Mishra was removed from his position, while SP Saikrishna S. Thota has now been transferred to Police Headquarters, Bhopal.
Deepak Kumar Shukla has been appointed as the district’s new SP.
The developments followed protests by farmers that reportedly created significant administrative and law-and-order challenges.
Two months earlier, farmers from Harda and Narmadapuram had travelled to Bhopal to stage demonstrations, disrupting daily activities in parts of the state capital.
The protests brought the administration’s response to farmers’ demands under scrutiny.
Panna SP Changed After Protests Over Ken-Betwa Project
Panna has also witnessed administrative changes following protests linked to the Ken-Betwa river-linking project.
Farmers had been protesting over concerns associated with the project, and the state government had earlier removed District Collector Usha Parmar amid criticism of the administration’s handling of their grievances.
The latest police reshuffle has now resulted in the transfer of Panna SP Nivedita Naidu.
Naidu has been posted as Commandant of the 10th Battalion SAF in Sagar, while Savyasachi Saraf has been appointed as the district’s new Superintendent of Police.
Saraf, a 2017-batch IPS officer, was previously serving as Cyber SP in Indore.
The change places a new officer in charge of policing in a district where protests related to the Ken-Betwa project have attracted considerable attention.
Harda SP Also Transferred Following Farmers’ Demonstrations
The transfer of Harda SP Shashank is another notable development in the reshuffle.
Shashank, a 2019-batch IPS officer, has been posted as Assistant Inspector General at Police Headquarters in Bhopal.
Ankit Jaiswal, a 2017-batch IPS officer, has been appointed as the new SP of Harda.
Harda was among the districts from which farmers had travelled to Bhopal to participate in protests around two months ago.
The demonstrations reportedly caused disruptions in the state capital and raised questions about coordination between district administrations and police authorities.
The changes in Narmadapuram, Panna and Harda have consequently attracted attention because of the recent protests and the government’s subsequent administrative decisions.
Police Headquarters and SAF Battalions Also See Changes
Apart from district-level postings, the Madhya Pradesh government has made several changes at Police Headquarters and within the Special Armed Force.
Raghuvansh Kumar Singh, a 2012-batch IPS officer, has been appointed Deputy Inspector General at Police Headquarters, Bhopal.
Saikrishna S. Thota and Shashank have also been moved to Police Headquarters as Assistant Inspectors General.
In Bhopal’s urban policing structure, Virendra Jain will take charge as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), moving from his previous assignment as SP, Betul.
The Special Armed Force has also received new command appointments.
Nivedita Naidu will head the 10th Battalion SAF in Sagar, while Abhishek Anand, a 2018-batch IPS officer, has been appointed Commandant of the 15th Battalion SAF in Indore. Anand will additionally hold charge as SP of the Police Training College, Indore.
Shrutikirti Somvanshi, also a 2018-batch officer, has been appointed Commandant of the 2nd Battalion SAF in Gwalior, with additional responsibility for the 14th Battalion SAF in the same city.
These appointments cover both operational police administration and the management of specialised armed police formations.
Earlier Action in Dewas and Sagar Over Spurious Liquor Incidents
The latest IPS transfers follow another round of administrative changes involving Dewas and Sagar, where incidents of deaths linked to suspected spurious liquor had prompted government action.
Three days before the latest reshuffle, the Madhya Pradesh government had replaced the Collectors and Superintendents of Police of both districts.
In Dewas, three excise officials, including District Excise Officer Basanti Bhuria, were also placed under suspension.
Dewas SP Puneet Gehlot and Sagar SP Anurag Sujania were transferred to Police Headquarters, Bhopal, as Assistant Inspectors General of Police.
The government also made changes to district administration.
Seoni Collector Neha Meena was transferred to Dewas, while Anju Arun Kumar was appointed as the new Collector of Seoni.
The earlier reshuffle and the latest transfers together reflect a series of changes in district-level police and administrative leadership in Madhya Pradesh.
Madhya Pradesh Government Reshuffles Police Leadership Amid Law-and-Order Concerns
The transfer of 12 IPS officers comes at a time when the Madhya Pradesh government has been responding to several administrative and law-and-order challenges, including farmers’ protests and incidents involving suspected spurious liquor.
While the changes in Narmadapuram, Panna and Harda have been linked in reports to concerns over the handling of farmers’ demonstrations, the transfer order also covers routine changes in senior police assignments, training institutions and SAF battalions.
The new SPs in Betul, Panna, Alirajpur, Harda and Narmadapuram will now take charge of district policing, while officers transferred to Police Headquarters and SAF formations will assume their respective responsibilities.
The reshuffle marks another significant change in Madhya Pradesh’s police administration, with new leadership being assigned across several districts and specialised police units.
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