https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Punjab Promotes 8 IPS Officers to DGP Rank, Now Has Nation’s Highest Number of Top-Rank Police Officers

Delayed for 18 Months, Promotions of 1994-Batch IPS Officers Finally Cleared
Indian Masterminds Stories

Chandigarh: In a major administrative move, the Punjab government has promoted eight IPS officers of the 1994 batch to the rank of Director General of Police (DGP). The officers were previously serving as Additional Director Generals of Police (ADGPs) and had been eligible for elevation since January 2024. The promotions make Punjab the state with the highest number of serving DGPs in India.

The promoted officers include:

  • Dr Naresh Kumar
  • Ram Singh
  • S.S. Srivastava
  • V. Neerja
  • Amardeep Singh Rai
  • Parveen Kumar Sinha
  • B. Chandra Sekhar
  • Anita Punj

Read Also: Chandigarh Police SIT Under Fire: High Court Summons IPS Officer Over Probe Into Alleged Assault on Colonel by Punjab Police

Promotion Delayed for Over 18 Months

The promotion process had initially begun in November 2023, but was stalled due to objections from Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha (IAS:1992:PB). He raised concerns over the creation of additional DGP-level posts, citing saturation at the top level of the state police hierarchy, which already had 12 serving DGPs.

However, with Monday’s promotion orders, the total number of DGP-rank officers in Punjab has risen to 20 — a striking figure for a state with only 23 districts.

Disproportionate Top-Rank Structure Raises Eyebrows

Punjab now has the highest number of DGP-rank officers in the country, outpacing even much larger states in both population and administrative size. According to the IPS gradation list published on the Punjab Police website, the following officers were already serving as DGPs before this round of promotions:

  • Sanjiv Kalra (IPS:1989:PB)
  • Parag Jain (IPS:1989:PB) – on central deputation as RAW chief
  • SS Chauhan, Harpreet Singh Sidhu, Gaurav Yadav, Kuldip Singh (All IPS:1992:PB)

Gurpreet Kaur Deo, Varinder Kumar, Ishwar Singh, Jitendra Kumar Jain, Shashi Prabha Dwivedi, Arpit Shukla (All IPS:1993:PB)

Harpreet Singh Sidhu is currently posted with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) as ADG, while Gaurav Yadav is serving as the officiating DGP of Punjab.

Rules vs Reality: How the Numbers Stack Up

Officially, Punjab has only two sanctioned DGP-level posts, as per the Government of India’s IPS cadre strength. However, the IPS Cadre Rules allow state governments to temporarily create additional posts at the DGP level for up to two years, to address functional or transitional needs.

As per the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) guidelines:

  • Officers become eligible for promotion to Inspector General (IG) after 18 years
  • For ADGP, after 25 years
  • And for DGP, after 30 years of service

All the newly promoted officers from the 1994 batch have completed more than 30 years of service and thus fulfilled the promotion eligibility.

Read Also: Delhi Govt Reshuffles 11 IPS & DANIPS Officers Across Key Police Divisions; Rajesh Khurana Posted as Spl. CP (MD), DPHCL

Implications and Concerns

While the promotions fulfill long-pending administrative obligations and are welcomed by the officers, they raise fresh questions about bureaucratic bloating, resource allocation, and effective deployment in a police force with limited field responsibilities at the DGP level.

Experts warn that having such a high concentration of top-ranking officers in a relatively small state may result in hierarchical redundancy, unless strategic reforms are introduced to optimize their roles.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
bureaucracy news
Major Bureaucratic Reforms on the Anvil as Centre Hires Consultant to Map Bottlenecks & Draft Roadmap - Details Inside
MTNL
MTNL Defaults on ₹8,585 Cr Bank Loans from Seven PSU Banks; Debt Soars to ₹34,484 Cr
HSL CMD Khatri
Upskill to Stay Ahead: HSL CMD Cmde Khatri’s Call to Maritime Sector at BIMSTEC 2025
IPS A.B
HC Clears Former Top Cop: Andhra Ends All Legal Action Against IPS Venkateswara Rao
Minister Sonowal
Hydrogen Tug Project Gets Boost as Minister Sonowal Backs Hindustan Shipyard (HSL)’s Vision - Details Inside
IOCL and SJVN
PESB Invites Applications for Director Posts in IOCL and SJVN; Deadlines Set for August 11
IREDA logo 1
IREDA Seeks Shareholder Nod to Raise Borrowing Limit to ₹1.5 Lakh Crore; Pushes for Massive RE Financing
Indian Police Services IPS Officer
Punjab Promotes 8 IPS Officers to DGP Rank, Now Has Nation’s Highest Number of Top-Rank Police Officers
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
promila gupta
The Secret of The Secret – How To Make The Universe Conspire For You
AI 171 CRASH
AAIB Initial Probe In AI-171 Crash Questioned By Aviation Experts
Ravi Kapoor
Why Ex-IRS Officer Ravi Kapoor Walked Away from Power
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-14 at 15.58
The Economist Who Became an IFS Officer
How Abhimanyu Gahlaut balanced global economics and civil services dreams to crack UPSC with AIR 38
Disha Dwivedi UPSC
How Disha Dwivedi Conquered UPSC on Her Sixth Attempt
Disha Dwivedi’s UPSC journey from five prelims failures to securing AIR 672 in 2024 showcases strategic...
Sushmitha and Ishwarya Ramanathan
Their Home Was Washed Away — Sushmitha & Ishwarya Built a Legacy Instead
Sushmitha and Ishwarya lost their home to the 2004 tsunami. But with books, belief, and each other, they...
Social Media
Standing Leopard
Leopard Stuns Internet by Standing on Two Legs Like a Meerkat
A rare video of a leopard standing on two legs in Kruger Park stuns viewers and goes viral across social...
G S Roshni
Kerala’s Fearless Forest Officer G.S. Roshni Rescues 16-Foot King Cobra with Bare Hands, Garners Praise & Critique
Beat Forest Officer G.S. Roshni’s first-ever king cobra rescue goes viral, earning her the title of ‘Green...
Kaziranga Baby Elephant
Chotu the Baby Elephant Reunited with Mother in Kaziranga: Retired IFS Officer’s Post Goes Viral
A baby elephant's emotional reunion with its mother in Kaziranga, shared by retired IFS officer Susanta...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
bureaucracy news
Major Bureaucratic Reforms on the Anvil as Centre Hires Consultant to Map Bottlenecks & Draft Roadmap - Details Inside
MTNL
MTNL Defaults on ₹8,585 Cr Bank Loans from Seven PSU Banks; Debt Soars to ₹34,484 Cr
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
promila gupta
AI 171 CRASH
Ravi Kapoor
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT