In a major shuffle, the Karnataka government on Monday appointed senior IPS officer CH Pratap Reddy as the new Bengaluru city police commissioner, replacing Kamal Pant, according to an official order. Pant will be the new director general of police (DGP) - police recruitment.
The 1991-batch IPS officer, Reddy previously served as an additional director general of police of the law and order department of Karnataka. A native of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Reddy is a B. Tech graduate. He was first posted in Hassan as an assistant superintendent of police (ASP) of Arsikere.
Reddy is also known for his work in cyber security, having served as the Director and advisor of Cyber Security of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM - cyber security wing) since January 2009 in Bengaluru.
He was also deputed to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Bengaluru and headed its Anti-Corruption Branch in Mumbai. He was later also awarded the Karnataka Chief Minister’s Medal for Meritorious Service in 1994 and also, won the President’s Medal for distinguished service.
Usually, Bengaluru's police commissioners are replaced every year. However, Kamal Pant's tenure had been extended by a year and a half due to Covid-19-related restrictions. Pant's appointment as the DGP of police recruitment comes after the sudden transfer of IPS officer Amrit Paul in late April who was heading the recruitment division.
{{/usCountry}}Usually, Bengaluru's police commissioners are replaced every year. However, Kamal Pant's tenure had been extended by a year and a half due to Covid-19-related restrictions. Pant's appointment as the DGP of police recruitment comes after the sudden transfer of IPS officer Amrit Paul in late April who was heading the recruitment division.
{{/usCountry}}The Karnataka government is in the midst of investigating the scandalous police sub-inspector (PSI) recruitment scam, in which several candidates aspiring to be police officers used malpractices and fraud to crack the examinations. The total arrest count in the case has surpassed 45 with charges alleged on ministers from both the BJP and Congress, leading to a political slugfest in the state.
IPS officer R Hitendra, who has now been appointed as the additional director general of police (ADGP) of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), had taken over as ADGP of recruitment in the interim period while the search for a permanent candidate was on, to replace Paul.
Also, IPS officer Alok Kumar, who was rumoured to be the next police chief of the Karnataka capital, has been appointed as ADGP of the law and order department. Several reports in April suggested that the state government was considering Alok Kumar for the position keeping in mind that law and order would need a stricter check as the assembly election approaches next year.
Alok Kumar was appointed as Bengaluru's top cop in June 2019 by the then chief minister HD Kumaraswamy during the JD(S) - Congress coalition government rule but resigned from the post after a month and a half long tenure in the wake of phone-tap allegations.
The ruling BJP government, then headed by chief minister BS Yediyurappa, had reportedly transferred Alok Kumar unceremoniously from the post, transferring him as the ADGP to Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), before appointing Bhaskar Rao in 2019.
Other changes in posts include IPS MN Anuchet as superintendent of police (SP) of the Criminal Investigation Department.