Major Reshuffle of IPS Officers in Odisha Following Sexual Harassment Allegations
Odisha government announces significant reshuffle of senior IPS officers, including DGP Susanta Nath amid serious allegations.
Bhubaneswar, November 1 (Daily Kiran) : The Odisha government has announced a significant reshuffle of senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers. This decision comes in the wake of serious allegations against the Director General of Police (DGP) Jail, Susanta Kumar Nath.
Nath has been transferred to the position of Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Home Department. This change follows accusations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation made by a former female jailer at the Choudwar Circle Jail.
A formal complaint was lodged by the ex-jailer at the Choudwar police station on October 31, prompting the action against Nath.
Santosh Bala, a 1995 batch IPS officer and the director of the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL), has been allowed to continue as Additional Director General of Prisons and Director of Odisha’s Correctional Services.
Similarly, Amitabh Thakur, a senior IPS officer from the 1998 batch, who currently serves as the Transport Commissioner in Cuttack, has been relieved of his additional responsibilities as Additional Director General (Prisons). He will now focus solely on his role as Transport Commissioner.
Rajesh Kumar, also from the 1998 batch and currently serving as Additional Director General (SAP) in Odisha, will maintain his additional duty as Special Secretary in the Home Department.
The Odisha government has retained the current structure, allowing these officials to manage both roles effectively.
Additionally, Sara Sharma, an IPS officer from the 2010 batch, has been recalled from central deputation and appointed as the Deputy Inspector General (Vigilance).
Gundala Reddy Raghavendra, a 2019 batch IPS officer who was serving as the Superintendent of Police (SP) in Jharsuguda, has been transferred to the State Police Headquarters in Cuttack as Assistant Inspector General (AIG).
In another set of transfers, Amritpal Singh, a 2021 batch IPS officer, has been moved from Nuapada SP to the position of SP at the State Police Headquarters.
Sonali Singh Parmar, a 2022 batch IPS officer who was serving as Additional SP in Khurda, will now take charge as SP in Jharsuguda.
Tapan Narayan Rath, an Odisha Police Service (OPS) officer, has been transferred from AIG at the State Police Headquarters in Cuttack to serve as SP in Nuapada.
