loyalty has a quid pro quo value. Rulers in Odisha are still guided by this legacy of the old royal dynasties who never failed in exchange of gratitude by any means available at their command. For the new DGP KB Singh, loyalty appears to have paid off. Kanwar Brajesh Singh has been appointed new DGP surpassing Binaya Behera and Sl Mukherjee of 1982 batch and Gurbachan Singh and RP Singh of 1984 batch of IPS officers. Sanjeev Marik, replaced two months into his retirement, had a fallout with Naveen Patnaik like two of his predecessors Prakash Mishra and Manmohan Praharaj meeting with the same fate. Praharaj was shunted out following the alleged midnight coup attempt of Pyarimohan Mohapatra against Naveen Patnaik, and Prakash had to be eased out after he seized money-laden vehicles of BJD leaders during the last Assembly polls.
Prakash cleared himself of the corruption charges levelled against him in the Orissa High Court and later in the Supreme Court, but by then the damage was already done. He could not become the CBI Director much to the relief of CM Naveen Patnaik.
Kanwar, as his name suggests, has a royal background. The observation “more loyal than the king” of the High Court about him should have weighed on the CM against elevating him to the DGP post.
Kanwar Sahib seems to be out and out a gentleman if his demeanour has anything to suggest. Anybody who meets him will get such an impression. But he has to portray the character of Zack Mayo played by Richard Gere, the ‘hero’ of the famous Hollywood movie An Officerand a Gentleman. Our advice to Kanwar Sahib will be: Sir! Never compromise with your loyalty towards the ruling establishment at least till the BJD supremo rules the roost.