Chandigarh: In a significant shake-up of the state’s police force, the Haryana government reshuffled 42 Indian Police Service (IPS) and 13 Haryana Police Service (HPS) officers late Monday night.
The move affects over one-third of the state’s 118 IPS officers, besides five under-training officers, impacting key positions across districts, ranges and commissionerates.
The rejig, ordered by the Home Department under Additional Chief Secretary Dr Sumita Misra, spans 14 of the state’s 19 police districts, and four of the six police ranges. It involves one Commissioner of Police, eight Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs), and one Joint Commissioner.
The transfers, effective immediately, are aimed at streamlining police administration, and enhancing operational efficiency across Haryana, in the wake of a series of complaints of corruption and dereliction of duties by police personnel during the past few months.
In the latest such instance, the station house officer (SHO) at Palwal Police Station, Radhey Shyam, was arrested Saturday in connection with alleged custodial torture and brutality against an accused.
In January this year, Sub-Inspector Yashpal, in charge of the Economic Offences Wing in Nuh, had been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau for allegedly accepting Rs 1 lakh in bribe to remove names from an FIR. Investigations had revealed that he had previously extorted Rs 8 lakh from the complainant.
Later in March, in response to the Class 10 and 12 Haryana board exam paper leak, 25 police officers, including four Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) and three SHOs were suspended for dereliction of duty. The paper leaks had occurred in Nuh and Punhana districts, leading to widespread criticism and an FIR against 12 individuals, including invigilators and students.
In November 2024, a probationary sub-inspector posted at the Cyber Police Station in Faridabad was apprehended by ACB, while accepting a bribe of Rs12 lakh in exchange for facilitating bail in a case. His associate, Sub-Inspector Ram Chander, had managed to escape during the operation.
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Key appointments & transfers
Additional Director General of Police Mamta Singh, IPS officer of 1996 batch has been assigned dual responsibilities as ADGP/IRB, Bhondsi, Gurugram, and ADGP/Crime, Panchkula.
Dr. Matta Ravi Kiran, also from 1996 batch, previously the ADGP, Hisar Range, has been posted to Karnal Range, replacing Kuldeep Singh (2007 batch).
ADGP Krishan Kumar Rao (1996 batch) has been moved from Rohtak Range to Hisar Range, while Y. Puran Kumar (2001 batch) is taking over as Inspector General of Police, Rohtak Range.
Among key commissionerate shifts, Sibash Kabiraj (IPS, 1999 batch) has been appointed Commissioner of Police, Panchkula, relieving Rakesh Kumar Arya (2003 batch) of the charge. Kabiraj retains additional charge of IGP, State Crime Record Bureau and Cyber.
Rajshree Singh (IPS, 1999 batch) is the new Commissioner of Police, Jhajjar, replacing B. Satheesh Balan (2004 batch), who moves to IGP, IRB, Bhondsi.
Sangeeta Kalia (2010 batch), Deputy Inspector General, IRB Bhondsi has been posted as Joint Commissioner of Police, Gurugram.
Pankaj Nain (IPS, 2007 batch), previously the Special Officer (Community Policing and Outreach) in the Chief Minister’s Office, has been given additional charge as IGP, Ambala Range.
Notable district-level transfers include those of Superintendents of Police Astha (IPS, 2013 batch) from Fatehabad to Kaithal, and Lokender Singh (IPS, 2014 batch) from Panipat to Security-1, CID, with the additional command of 1st Battalion, Haryana Armed Police, Ambala.
Additionally, Bhupinder Singh (IPS, 2017 batch) has been appointed as SP, Panipat. SP Mayank Gupta (IPS, 2019 batch) has been shifted from Rewari to Sirsa, while Ajit Singh Shekhawat (IPS, 2017 batch) takes charge as SP, Ambala.
Manbir Singh (IPS, 2011 batch) is the new SP of Bhiwani. Surender Bhoria (IPS, 2014 batch) is taking over as SP, Yamunanagar, Rajesh Kumar (IPS, 2014 batch) is SP, Nuh, Varun Singla (IPS, 2017 batch) SP Palwal, and so on.
Deepak Saharan (IPS, 2014 batch) has been appointed as SP, Haryana State Enforcement Bureau, with additional charges of HPUs Vigilance, and SP, Cyber, Haryana, Panchkula.
Nitika Gahlaut (IPS, 2014 batch) takes over as SP, Railways, Ambala, alongside her existing role as SP, SCRB. Nikita Khattar (IPS, 2018 batch) moves from SP, ACB to SP, Dabwali, while Medha Bhushan (IPS, 2019 batch) assumes the role of SP, ACB.
Among HPS officers, DCP Mukesh Kumar moves from Crime and Traffic, Panchkula to Crime, Faridabad. Baljinder Singh is now SP, Haryana Police Academy, Madhuban. Bharti Dabas takes over as DCP, Gohana, Sonipat.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)