The Gujarat government on Thursday executed a significant reshuffle in the senior ranks of the Indian Police Service (IPS), announcing the promotion of 14 officers. This move includes the elevation of three senior officers to the prestigious director general of police (DGP) grade.
Three Senior Officers Elevated to DGP Grade
According to an official notification released by the state's home department, three additional director generals of police have been promoted to the DGP grade. Narasimha Komar, who serves as the commissioner of police for Vadodara City, is among the top officers promoted. He is joined by Dr. Prafulla Kumar Roushan, the additional DGP in charge of armed units in Rajkot, and Dr. S. Pandia Rajkumar, the additional DGP for law and order based in Gandhinagar.
To accommodate these promotions, the government upgraded their existing cadre or ex-cadre positions to ex-cadre posts at the DGP level. This structural change formalizes their new seniority and responsibilities within the state police hierarchy.
Proforma and Cadre Promotions Across Batches
The promotion list also features officers from subsequent batches. Dr. Vipul Aggarwal, a 2001-batch IPS officer currently on central deputation as the principal commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority, was granted a proforma promotion. He has been elevated to the additional director general of police (ADGP) grade under the provisions of the IPS (Pay) Rules, 2016.
From the 2008 batch, Neeraj Kumar Badgujar, who was the additional commissioner of police for sector-1 in Ahmedabad City, has been promoted to the inspector general of police (IGP) grade. Following the upgradation of his post to a cadre status, he has been appointed as the joint commissioner of police for the same sector.
Furthermore, three other officers from the 2008 batch received proforma promotions to the IGP grade while serving on inter-cadre or central deputation. These officers are Sarah Rizvi, Shobha Bhutada, and Pradip Shejul.
Six 2012-Batch Officers Promoted to DIG Rank
The notification cleared the path for six IPS officers from the 2012 batch to rise to the deputy inspector general of police (DIG) grade. The promoted officers are:
- Saurabh Singh, currently on central deputation with the Cabinet Secretariat (RAW).
- Sudhir Desai, superintendent of police (intelligence) in Gandhinagar.
- Balram Meena, aide-de-camp (ADC) to the Governor of Gujarat.
- Dr. Karanraj Vaghela, deputy commissioner of police (economic wing) in Surat City.
- S.V. Parmar, commandant of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) Group-15 in Mehsana.
- A.M. Muniya, commandant of SRPF Group-5 in Godhra.
The government clarified that for all officers granted proforma promotions while on deputation, all necessary conditions under Rule 8(6) of the IPS (Pay) Rules, 2016 have been duly fulfilled. This batch of promotions is seen as a routine career progression exercise aimed at strengthening the police leadership in Gujarat.
