Pramod Kumar, the senior-most serving IPS officer in the state, has been given additional charge as the state's Director General of Police (DGP). He replaces Geetha Johari, the first woman to occupy the post in the state, who superannuated a day earlier.
In a notification issued on Friday, the state Home Department said Pramod Kumar, Director General of Civil Defence, has been given the additional charge of Director General and Inspector General of Police, Gandhinagar. Incidentally, the notification spelled the new DGP's name as Promod.
The notification said that the order has been issued as per the instruction of the Election Commission. The state government had proposed the names of three senior-most serving IPS officers for the top post — the other two were Shivanand Jha and Tirth Raj. However, EC approved Pramod Kumar's name.
Speaking with reporters after taking over, Pramod Kumar said his priority would be to ensure the peaceful conduct of Gujarat elections.
Pramod Kumar, who belongs to the 1983 batch of IPS, will superannuate in February, which means he will serve as DGP only for three months.
This will, however, be his second stint as the state's top cop, having held the charge for a few months in 2013, after then DGP Amitabh Pathak's death following a heart attack.
Pramod Kumar joins a long list of officers to have served as DGP in the past few years without being given regular appointment to the post. His predecessor Geetha Johari, and before her PP Pandey, also held additional charge of the top post. Prior to that, Chitranjan Singh was the in-charge DGP for close to two years between 2010 and 2012.
Former IPS officer Rahul Sharma has filed a Public Interest Litigation in Gujarat High Court seeking a full-time DGP in Gujarat. A number of hearings have been held so far in connection to the PIL.
THE NEW CHIEF
- Pramod Kumar will serve for three months and will superannuate in February.
- This is his second stint as state’s top cop, as he had held the post for a few months in 2013
