Odisha DGP Prakash Mishra shifted, Marik to replace him

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Jul 5, 2014 at 7:29 PM Updated On : Jul 5, 2014 at 11:32 PM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau

Bhubaneswar, July 5:

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In a move that speaks volumes about the Naveen Patnaik government part-IV, Odisha DGP Prakash Mishra was today shifted and posted as chairman and managing director (CMD) of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC).

The special DG, police headquarters Sanjeev Marik, a 1981 batch IPS officer, has been posted as the new DGP.

Manoj Chhabra has been posted as the ADG of the state Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) as part of the reshuffle.

Interestingly, the move by the state government to shift the DGP comes a day after the Union Home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the chief minister Naveen Patnaik to inform him of the selection of Prakash Mishra as the special secretary, Internal Security, Government of India.

Earlier, the state government had written to the Centre- five months after recommending his deputation to the Centre in December 2013- that they can not spare Mishra because of acute shortage of IPS officers in the state. This, despite the fact that the vacancy position in the state IPS cadre was also a factor in December 2013, when his case was recommended.

“It appears, the BJD government is hellbent on not allowing Mishra to occupy any high position at the Centre. His only fault is that he was neither a part of the BJD think-tank nor an active member of the ruling party’s election campaign bandwagon, unlike some senior police officials and bureaucrats,” said a retired IPS officer.

However, the matter is not likely to end too soon. With the Centre keen on having Mishra as an officer of the Home Ministry, the issue is likely to drag on, informed sources told OST.

In May 2007, the state government had placed Sanjiv Marik under suspension for nearly a year over allegations of his links with some criminals from Bihar who were lodged in Bhadrak jail. He was reinstated after CAT quashed the suspension order and the Union Home ministry recommended his reinstatement.

Informed sources said a number of influential BJD MPs and ministers were lobbying hard for Marik’s posting as the DGP. However, this took time to materialise because of stiff resistance to the idea by another section of the party, the sources added.

The sources also said there is move by a clique within the Naveen Patnaik government to stall- by hook or by crook- any further efforts by the Centre to get Prakash Mishra to Delhi .