In a sudden move, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday unceremoniously shifted Director General of Police (DGP) Prakash Mishra as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Odisha Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC), an ex-cadre post. Special Director General of Police Sanjiv Marik was given the plum post of DGP in place of Mishra.
Interestingly, the axe fell on Mishra, who was appointed as the DGP in July 2012, exactly two years of his continuance in the post on Saturday last. Though no official reason about Mishra’s removal as DGP was cited, the grapevine has it that he failed in his assigned jobs to handle some sensitive political issues, particularly during the elections. Besides, Mishra was reportedly not pulling well with the top brass in the Home Department and in the third floor.
The 1977 batch IPS officer Mishra had found favour with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to be made the DGP by winding up his central posting as the DG, NDRF. He had done excellent jobs in dealing with the Maoists during his tenure. Besides, he had taken a number of initiatives to make police people-friendly.
Mishra, whose Central deputation offer was negated by the State Chief Minister, is tipped for a Central posting as the Special Secretary in the Union Home Ministry in the Internal Security Department. The formal order for his new Central posting is likely to be finalised in a week’s time, reliable sources said.last month, the State Government had written to the Centre, five months after recommending his deputation to the Centre in December 2013, that it cannot spare Mishra on the plea of acute shortage of IPS officers in the State.
According to the notification issued by the Home Department, Manoj Chhabria at present, CMD, OSRTC, has been posted as the Additional Director General of Police, Odisha Human Rights Protection Cell. Crime Branch DGP Bijoy Sharma was holding the HRPC as additional charge.On his appointment as the New DGP, an elated Marik said that his focus areas would be to deal with Maoists effectively; check crime against women and vulnerable sections of society and give stress on overall prevention of crime with stress on detection. Besides, he said he would take steps to improve the rate of finalization of chargesheets within stipulated time.