Kolkata:The West Bengal government has submitted a list of eight senior IPS officers to the Centre for consideration as the state’s next permanent Director General of Police (DGP), according to official sources.
The list, sent to Delhi on January 21, includes acting DGP Rajeev Kumar, who will retire on January 31, and Rajesh Kumar, a 1990 batch IPS officer who alleges unfair treatment in the selection process. The other nominees are Ranveer Kumar, Debashish Roy, Anuj Sharma, Jagmohan, N Ramesh Babu, and Siddhinath Gupta.
By procedure, the state government sends a panel of senior IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The UPSC’s Empanelment Committee then selects three names and sends them back to the state government for the final decision.
Sources explained that Rajeev Kumar’s name was included for administrative reasons, as he was among the senior IPS officers in West Bengal Police when the last permanent DGP, Manoj Malaviya, retired in December 2023. Officials clarified that his inclusion does not guarantee reappointment.
Sources also indicated that Piyush Pandey, Rajesh Kumar, and Ranveer Kumar are under serious consideration. Pandey, a former SPG officer, currently leads the security team of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. However, it remains uncertain whether the final selection will be from among these three.
This is the second time the state has submitted a panel for the DGP position. The previous list, sent on December 27, 2023, was returned by the UPSC due to procedural lapses. According to regulations, the panel should have been submitted at least three months before Malaviya’s retirement, by September 2023. While IPS officer Rajesh Kumar approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), claiming he had been unfairly excluded despite meeting all eligibility criteria.
Acting on his petition, the Tribunal directed the state government last Wednesday to resubmit the panel by January 23. The Tribunal also instructed the UPSC to convene its Empanelment Committee on January 28 to consider the names. The Commission is expected to forward three shortlisted candidates to the state government on January 29, following which the state must make a decision “as quickly as possible.”
Currently, West Bengal Police is operating without a full-time DGP, as Rajeev Kumar serves in an acting capacity until his retirement on January 31.
–IANS
