With no clarity on their next DGP, West Bengal appoints Manoj Malviya as interim DGP
New Delhi, September 1
Amid the discussion over the appointment of Director General of Police (DGP) West Bengal, the state government appointed Manoj Malviya as the interim DGP of the state.
A 1986 batch IPS officer, Malviya took charge as the acting Bengal DGP while replacing DGP Virendra, who retired on August 31.
Former DGP Virendra was appointed the state DGP in 2018. He was removed by the election commission during the election only to be reinstated by the the present government.
Malaviya will continue to function as Bengal DGP till the UPSC-state consultative process over DGP appointment is completed. Bengal awaits the central panel to choose its DGP.
Malaviya was promoted as a DGP in 2017 and is set to retire in 2023.
On August 23, the state government had sent a list of 17 IPS officers to the UPSC
as all of them have completed three decades of service.
The state government had initiated the process of appointment of DGP in June. It had first proposed seven names of DG-ranked officers. The UPSC then asked for names of all ADGs with 30 years of job experience, Bengal government sent names of 17 IPS officers along with their biodata.
The four senior IPS officers of West Bengal cadre who in their seniority qualify for the post of DGP — Kuldeip Singh, SBS Tomar, Sanjay Chander and Zulfiquar Hasan are o central deputation. While Singh is now the DG CRPF, Tomar is a joint secretary in the cabinet secretariat. The names of these officers were not sent by the WB government.
According to UPSC guidelines, after the state proposes the names for DGPs to the UPSC, the UPSC will shortlist three names and send it back to the state. It is the state’s prerogative to choose one officer from the list.
