Major reshuffle of senior IPS officers; LG transfers 9 special Commissioners

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu has ordered a significant reshuffle of senior IPS officers in the Delhi Police, transferring nine Special Commissioners of Police across key divisions, including Law and Order, Crime, Intelligence, Traffic, and Protective Security, with immediate effect.

LG took the decision on the recommendation of the Police Establishment Board.

The order, issued by Principal Secretary (Home) Santosh D Vaidya, covers officers from the 1994 to 1998 batches of the Indian Police Service, indicating a broad restructuring at the apex of Delhi Police’s command structure.

The most significant movement involves the Law and Order divisions. Neeraj Thakur, a 1994 batch IPS officer and Special Commissioner in the Traffic Division, has been transferred to Special Commissioner, Law and Order Division Zone-II.

Devesh Chandra Srivastava, a 1995 batch officer who was Special Commissioner of the Crime Division with additional charge of Perception Management and Media Cell Division, has been moved to Special Commissioner, Law and Order Division, Zone-I.

Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal, a 1997 batch officer who was listed as “on arrival,” has been posted as Special Commissioner of the Crime Division with additional charge of Perception Management, Media Cell, and Legal Division, effectively filling the vacancy left by Srivastava’s movement to Law and Order.

In a notable lateral shift, Manish Kumar Agarwal, a 1996 batch officer who was heading the Intelligence Division with additional charge of the Public Transport Safety Division, has been transferred to the Special Commissioner of the Traffic Division.

The Intelligence Division has been handed to K Jegadesan, a 1998 batch officer who was previously heading the Protective Security Division with additional charge of MD/DPHCL. Jegadesan will now hold the additional charge of MD/DPHC in his new role.

Ajay Chaudhry, a 1996 batch officer who was Special Commissioner of the Vigilance Division with additional charge of SPUWAC, has been moved to Special Commissioner of the Protective Security Division, vacated by Jegadesan.

David Lalrinsanga, a 1995 batch officer, remains in the Operations Division handling PCR and Communication, but has been given expanded responsibility with additional charge of both SPUWAC and SPUNER, compared to his previous additional charge of SPUNER alone.

Atul Katiyar, a 1997 batch officer who was in the Welfare Division with additional charge of the Licensing and Legal Division, moves to Special Commissioner of the Vigilance Division, retaining additional charge of the Welfare and Licensing Division. Vijay Kumar, also a 1997 batch officer, remains in the Armed Police Division but has been given the additional charge of the Public Transport Safety Division, which was previously held by Manish Kumar Agarwal.

The transfers cover nine officers in a single order, suggesting a coordinated restructuring rather than routine rotation. The simultaneous movement of officers heading Law and Order, Crime, Intelligence, and Traffic divisions signals a deliberate rebalancing of senior leadership across the divisions that handle the most critical operational aspects of policing in the Capital.

The order is this is page one of a two-page document, indicating further transfers of IPS officers may have been included on the second page.