61 posts of top police officials still lie vacant

Sixty-one posts of senior police officials, including crucial ones in the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Force One, are vacant, reports Debasish Panigrahi.

Sixty-one posts of senior police officials, including crucial ones in the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Force One, are vacant.

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This is what the quarterly list of officers of the Indian Police Service (IPS) and state police services, released by the office of the director general of police on January 28 says.

The list begins with a vacancy for Special Inspector General of Police (IGP), Prevention of Atrocity against Women.

Three crucial postings in the ATS, including that of superintendents of police for the special intelligence cell and technical cell, are vacant. This unit is responsible for tracking terrorist movements in the state and counter them.

Force One, Maharashtra police’s new anti-terror combat wing, has been headless for two months since Inspector General (IG), S Jagannathan, went on deputation to the Interpol. Posts of four departmental heads in Force One are also vacant.

Several key posts in the state intelligence department, including those of the additional director general (DG), intelligence, are unoccupied. IG, K L Prasad, is handling additional charge of the unit. The state’s Anti-Naxal Operation force does not have an additional director general of police since Pankaj Gupta was transferred to the human rights cell.

The newly created post of additional commissioner of police (traffic) is yet to be filled.

Apart from the vacancies, the list also names some IPS officers who are ‘missing’ or inexplicably absent from service. These include Marie Fernandes and S S Ahire.

While five IPS officers are presently under suspension, one is on the dismissal list.