The Odisha government has started the process of selecting the state’s next Director General of Police (DGP) ahead of the retirement of incumbent police chief Y B Khurania on August 31. A panel of 11 senior IPS officers has been forwarded to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for consideration.
According to senior government officials, the state had initially submitted only three names earlier this month. However, after the UPSC advised the government to send a wider pool of eligible officers, the revised list was submitted last week.
Senior Officers in the Race
The panel includes senior IPS officers from multiple batches. Among them are Sudhanshu Sarangi from the 1990 batch, Susanta Kumar Nath and R P Koche from the 1993 batch, and Sanjeeb Panda along with Yeshwant Kumar Jethwa from the 1994 batch.
The list also features 1995 batch officers Ritu Arora, Saumendra Priyadarshi, Santosh Bala and P S Ranpise, besides Arun Bothra and Sunita Kakran from the 1996 batch.
At present, Sarangi, Nath and Koche hold the rank of Director General of Police, while the remaining officers are serving as Additional Director Generals with more than 30 years of experience in policing and administration.
Why the State Expanded the List
Under the existing procedure, state governments are required to send names of eligible senior officers to the UPSC, which then shortlists three candidates for the top post. The final appointment is made by the state government from this shortlist.
Officials said sending only three names reduced the purpose of the UPSC’s screening process. To address this, Odisha expanded the panel to include all officers meeting the eligibility criteria.
In 2023, the UPSC relaxed the service requirement for DGP appointments from 30 years to 25 years. The move allowed smaller states and Union territories to consider ADGP-rank officers if enough DGP-ranked officers were not available.
Front-Runners for the Top Post
Odisha currently has four DGP-ranked officers apart from Khurania — Sudhanshu Sarangi, Susanta Kumar Nath, R P Koche and Vinaytosh Mishra. However, Mishra is not being considered because he is scheduled to retire in November and does not meet the requirement of having at least six months of service remaining from the date the post falls vacant.
Among the officers being discussed for the role, Sarangi and Koche are viewed as leading contenders. At the same time, Sanjeeb Panda and Yeshwant Kumar Jethwa are also being seen as strong candidates.
Retired DSP S K Pattnaik said the selection should be based on merit, experience and service record. He added that while political leadership and the chief minister play a major role in such appointments, both the UPSC and the state government should ensure that the most suitable officer is chosen for the position.
