Uma Shankar Dash (L) and Prateek Singh
BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Tuesday appointed Uma Shankar Dash and Prateek Singh as the new deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, respectively. Besides, the government changed the superintendents of police (SPs) of six districts and made minor reshuffle among senior ranks of the IPS.
This is the first major transfer in the IPS level in the middle of Covid-19 pandemic. According to the home department’s notification, outgoing Bhubaneswar DCP Anup Kumar Sahoo has got a new assignment as the deputy inspector general (intelligence) whereas the outgoing Cuttack DCP Akhileshvar Singh appointed as the SP of Puri district. Anup Kumar, who was promoted to the rank of DIG on December 31, 2019 and subsequently appointed as the additional commissioner of police, had been holding the DCP’s post as an additional charge.
Uma Shankar and Prateek are the outgoing SPs of Puri and Kandhamal districts. Prateek recently received accolades from different quarters, including the chief minister Naveen Patnaik for spearheading an anti-Maoist operation in Kandhamal on July 5. At least 5 top Maoist cadres were gunned down in the operation. Prateek had also led a similar anti-Maoist operation in Kandhamal on May 13, 2018 that saw the killing of five Maoists in Sudukumpa forest.
The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack also got a new DCP (traffic). Sagarika Nath, who was heading the traffic management in the twin cities, has been appointed as SP of Sundargarh district. Outgoing Sundargarh SP Soumya Mishra will be the new DCP (traffic) for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Vinit Agarwala, who was Nuapada SP, will now head the Kandhamal district police. Outgoing Deogarh SP Rahul Jain is the new SP of Nuapada district. S C Jamadar, who was in the state police headquarters, has been appointed as SP of Deogarh district. Tapan Kumar Pattnaik, who was the Crime Branch SP, has become the new SP of Gajapati district.
DGP-ranked officer Satyajit Mohanty, who was the director (intelligence) and holding additional charge as the chief of fire services and home guards, will now head only the fire services directorate. Additional director general of police M Akhaya, who returned from Central deputation, has been appointed as the chairman and managing director of Odisha state police housing and welfare corporation limited. Soumendra Priyadarshi, who was ADG (law and order) and holding additional charge as ADG (Crime Branch), will head only the Crime Branch.
R K Sharma, who was special director (intelligence), has been appointed as the director of the wing. Lalit Das, who was CMD of the police housing corporation, has been given a new posting as ADG (communication).