UPSC seeks IPS officers’ list for permanent DGP

Kolkata: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has asked the West Bengal government to send a panel of eligible Indian Police Service (IPS) officers for the appointment of a permanent Director General of Police (DGP) for the state.

At present, 1993-batch IPS officer Peeyush Pandey is serving as the acting DGP. The last permanent DGP of West Bengal was Manoj Malviya, who retired in 2023. Since then, the post has remained without a full-time incumbent.

Sources at the state secretariat, Nabanna, said that following a recent communication from the UPSC, the state Home department has initiated the process of shortlisting eligible officers whose names will be forwarded to the Commission for consideration.

“In all probability, the names will be sent to the Commission by Friday,” a Nabanna official said on condition of anonymity. According to seniority norms, 1991-batch IPS officer Anuj Sharma, currently Director General of West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services, is considered the frontrunner for the post.

Other senior officers likely to feature in the panel include acting DGP Peeyush Pandey; Director General (Home Guard) Natarajan Ramesh Babu; Director General of Correctional Services Siddh Nath Gupta; and Director General (Civil Defence) Sanjay Singh.

After the retirement of then acting DGP Rajeev Kumar on January 31 this year, the state government appointed Pandey as acting DGP. At the time, the Union government had accused the state of failing to forward a panel of names to the UPSC within the stipulated

timeframe and declined to grant clearance for a permanent appointment.

To ensure continuity in administration, the state appointed Pandey in an acting capacity.