Govt move to overcome stagnation
Exercise initiated, report likely by April
JAMMU, Feb 24: Amidst reports of resentment among Jammu and Kashmir Police Services (JKPS) officers, the Government has mandated a high-powered committee to increase IGP-equivalent posts from two to six and DIG-equivalent posts from six to 14 on which the JKPS officers can be posted without being inducted into the Indian Police Services (IPS).
The Panel which has representatives from the Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir Government, Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Police Headquarters, Finance and Law Departments of the UT Government, is expected to submit its recommendations in the month of April.
“The posts to be identified by the high powered committee will be non-cadre i.e. the posts which are not held by the IPS officers,” official sources told the Excelsior saying the Panel has been asked that the posts should be significant.
The exercise is part of JKPS cadre review proposal, they said, adding the Government as well as the Police Headquarters are well aware about stagnation among JKPS officers leading to resentment among them and circulation of jokes in the Social Media.
As per the earlier cadre review, the Police Department had identified two posts in the rank of IGP and six in the rank of DIG on which the JKPS officers had to be posted. Of these posts, one in the rank of IGP and four DIG, have been filled and only posting orders are to be issued by the Government.
“The Government now proposed to take IGP-equivalent posts to six and DIG-equivalent to 14 to adjust more JKPS officers,” the sources said and added that the move will help overcome stagnation among the JKPS officers at least to some extent if not fully. Besides, the Government will also try to ensure timely induction of JKPS officers into IPS by projecting vacancies before the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC), they said.
Some of the posts under consideration for JKPS officers in the rank equivalent to IGP include IGP Headquarters Armed Police Headquarters, IG Litigation, IG Enforcement, IG Internal Vigilance and Audit, IGP Telecom, Director Cyber Security and Director VIP Security.
The posts under consideration at the level of DIG for JKPS officers are DIG Railways Kashmir/Jammu, Secretary Road Safety Council, Additional Director SKPA Udhampur, DIG Women Safety, Public Relations & Protocol, IR Kashmir/Jammu, Security Kashmir/Jammu, Estates, Technical Services, Traffic Headquarters, Police Workshops, Police Housing Corporation, Director SSG, DIG Administration APHQ, Director Police Schools, Director SSF, DIG Enforcement J&K, Joint Director Fire and Emergency Services, DIG Welfare and DIG Trainings PHQ.
Some of these posts exist for State/UT cadre officers in different States and Union Territories.
As per the existing provisions, only IPS officers can be posted on the posts of DIG and above.
On January 20 this year after several months long exercise, the Government ordered promotion of Suhail Munawar, a JKPS officer of 1999 batch to the IGP equivalent rank and four JKPS officers of the same batch to the rank of DIG-equivalent including Ramesh Kumar Angral, Mohd Arshad, Tahir Sajad Bhat and Imtiyaz Hussain Mir.
As per existing Jammu and Kashmir Police (Gazetted) Services Recruitment Rules, 2024, there are two posts of IGP-equivalent and six posts of DIG-equivalent reserved for JKPS officers.
Two posts identified for JKPS officers in the IGP equivalent rank include Commissioner Civil Military Liaison and Commissioner Investigations Human Rights while six posts in the DIG equivalent include Special Director, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Director Civil Defence and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Kashmir, Director Home Guards Jammu, Director Home Guards Kashmir, Additional Director State Investigation Agency (SIA) and Director Commando Training Centre (CTC) Lethpora.
Eligibility for posting of JKPS officers against the posts of Directors is 18 years while for the posts of Commissioners; the service requirement is 22 years.
Sources said adjustment orders of five JKPS officers already cleared for posting in the rank of IGP and DIG-equivalent are likely to be issued within the next few days as the vacancies created by their promotion also has to be filled up by the Government.
“This will lead to a reshuffle in the Police Department,” they added.