Patna: Bihar Police is witnessing a temporary change at its top level, with senior IPS officer Preeta Verma (1991:BH) taking additional charge as Acting Director General of Police (DGP) during the 21-day leave of incumbent DGP Vinay Kumar, an IPS officer of 1991 batch.
The Bihar Home Department issued the order after Vinay Kumar proceeded on leave from September 15 to October 5, 2026.
IPSVerma, a 1991-batch Bihar-cadre IPS officer, will handle the responsibilities attached to the DGP’s office during his absence while continuing as Director General of Home Guards and Fire Services.
The development has also brought renewed attention to Ms Verma’s long career in the Bihar Police. A direct-recruit IPS officer who joined the service in October 1992, she has held several senior assignments and was awarded the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2023. Official IPS civil list records show that she was serving as DG (Training), Bihar, when the award was announced.
Her temporary elevation comes at a significant point for the Bihar Police, as the state is also working through the process of selecting Vinay Kumar’s successor ahead of his retirement in December 2026.
Preeta Verma Takes Additional Charge as Bihar DGP
Vinay Kumar, the incumbent Bihar DGP, has proceeded on 21 days of leave beginning September 15. According to the Home Department notification reported by multiple news organisations, his leave will continue until October 5 and has been sanctioned for personal and health-related reasons.
During this period, Preeta Verma will oversee the responsibilities of the DGP’s office at Police Headquarters. She will continue to retain her existing charge as DG of Home Guards and Fire Services rather than being shifted out of that position.
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The arrangement is temporary. Ms Verma’s additional DGP responsibility is linked to Vinay Kumar’s absence and is scheduled to cease when he returns.
Thus, her present designation as Acting DGP should be distinguished from a permanent appointment as Bihar’s police chief. The process for selecting a regular DGP is being handled separately.
Who Is IPS Preeta Verma?
Ms Verma is a 1991-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Bihar cadre. According to the Government of India’s IPS Civil List, she is a direct-recruit officer from the Rajasthan cadre pool and joined the IPS on October 11, 1992.
The official civil list records her educational qualification as Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and her home state as Rajasthan. Her IPS service number is 19911043.
With more than three decades in the police service, Verma is among the senior-most serving IPS officers of the Bihar cadre. Her seniority and DG-level experience have now placed her in charge of the state police administration, albeit temporarily.
From DG Training to Home Guards and Fire Services
IPS Verma has occupied several senior positions during her career.
In January 2023, she was appointed Director General (Training), Bihar, at Pay Level 16. The 2023 official IPS Civil List records her in that position.
Her appointment as DG (Training) followed a major Bihar police reshuffle in January 2023, when she was among senior IPS officers moved to new responsibilities.
She subsequently moved to the Home Guards and Fire Services department in 2026. Before taking the current additional charge of DGP, she was serving as DG-cum-Commandant General of Bihar Home Guard and Fire Services.
Her present arrangement means she is simultaneously continuing with her existing departmental responsibility while overseeing the state police headquarters as Acting DGP.
A Career Recognised With Two Police Medals
One of the notable features of Preeta Verma’s service record is that she has received police medals in both the meritorious and distinguished service categories.
The Government of India’s IPS Civil List records the Police Medal for Meritorious Service for her in 2009 and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2023.
Her 2023 award was formally included in the Independence Day 2023 list issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The official list names “Smt. Preeta Verma, DG (Training), Patna, Bihar” among the recipients of the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.
She was one of two Bihar officers listed for the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service that year, alongside Amrendra Kumar Ambedkar, then DG of the Bihar Special Armed Police. Contemporary reporting also confirmed the two names among Bihar’s distinguished-service awardees.
Her earlier Police Medal for Meritorious Service dates to 2009. Contemporary reporting from that year listed then-DIG Preeta Verma among Bihar police officers selected for the Police Medal for Meritorious Services.
Seniority Puts Her Among Names Being Considered for the Permanent DGP Post
Preeta Verma’s assumption of the Acting DGP charge comes as Bihar begins the process of finding a permanent successor to Vinay Kumar.
Vinay Kumar is scheduled to retire in December 2026, and his current leave has brought the succession process into sharper focus. He is a 1991-allotment-year IPS officer and was appointed Bihar DGP in December 2024, according to the official IPS Civil List.
Reports indicate that the Bihar government is preparing a panel of senior IPS officers for consideration through the prescribed selection process. The Union Public Service Commission is expected to shortlist three names and forward them to the state government, after which the Chief Minister will select the new DGP from the approved panel.
Several senior Bihar-cadre officers have been mentioned in reports concerning the succession process, including officers from the 1992, 1993 and 1994 batches. Among the names discussed are B Srinivasan, Jitendra Singh Gangwar, Jitendra Kumar, Kundan Krishnan and Amit Kumar.
B Srinivasan, a 1992-batch officer, has served on central deputation, while other senior officers from the 1993 and 1994 batches are also being discussed in connection with the forthcoming appointment.
The process, however, is separate from Verma’s current assignment. Being given additional charge during the incumbent DGP’s leave does not by itself constitute appointment as the permanent DGP.
Could Preeta Verma Become Bihar’s First Woman DGP?
Preeta Verma’s current position has also drawn attention because of the possibility that she could become Bihar’s first woman to head the state police force if she is eventually selected for the permanent position.
At present, however, that remains a possibility rather than a confirmed appointment. The government’s permanent DGP selection will follow the separate panel-based process involving the UPSC and the state government.
Her current additional charge nevertheless places a senior woman IPS officer at the helm of the Bihar Police for the duration of Vinay Kumar’s leave.
What Happens After October 5?
For the immediate period, Preeta Verma will continue to handle the DGP’s responsibilities at Police Headquarters until Vinay Kumar’s scheduled return on October 5.
The larger question concerns what happens after that and who will ultimately be appointed the permanent DGP once Vinay Kumar’s tenure ends.
The selection process is expected to move through the UPSC before the final decision is taken by the Bihar government. Reports indicate that a panel of senior IPS officers is being considered, making the coming months significant for the leadership of the Bihar Police.
For Verma, the present assignment marks another significant responsibility in a police career spanning more than three decades. From serving as DG (Training) to heading Home Guards and Fire Services, and now taking temporary charge of the state police force, the 1991-batch officer has reached one of the most prominent assignments of her career.
Preeta Verma: Key Facts
Preeta Verma is a 1991-batch Bihar-cadre IPS officer whose official service records list Rajasthan as her home state and B.A. as her educational qualification. She joined the IPS on October 11, 1992.
She served as DG (Training), Bihar, from January 2023 and received the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2023. Her service record also includes the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2009.
In 2026, she moved to the position of DG of Home Guards and Fire Services. On September 15, following DGP Vinay Kumar’s 21-day leave, she was entrusted with the additional charge of Acting DGP of Bihar until his scheduled return.
The temporary assignment has put one of Bihar’s most senior serving women IPS officers at the centre of the state police administration while the government separately works on the selection of the next permanent DGP.
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