Uttarakhand’s acting Director General of Police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar has finally come out in the open challenging the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)’s decision to exclude his name from the panel sent for the appointment of a regular DGP. A 1996 batch IPS, Kumar has been serving as an acting DGP of the state for more than ten months. According to the Home Department sources, the UPSC has excluded Abhinav Kumar’s name from its panel on ‘technical ground’.
The UPSC’s panel names three IPS officers for the DGP post – Deepam Seth and PVK Prasad from the 1995 batch and Amit Kumar Sinha of the 1997 batch.
Kumar has raised objection to the exclusion of his name from the panel sent by the UPSC through a representation to the state government. In his representation sent to the state Chief Secretary, Radha Raturi, Kumar has said that the UPSC’s decision violates the stay order passed in his favour by the High Court.
Significantly, the Chief Secretary had also voiced his dissent as a representative of the state government during the departmental promotion committee meeting, held on September 30. As claimed by Kumar, the Chief Secretary’s dissent note is included in the minute of that meeting as well.
In his representation Abhinav Kumar has requested the Home Ministry to reconsider the UPSC’s decision by directing it to seek a fresh panel proposal from the state government including his name.
The fact is Kumar has been serving in Uttarakhand ever since the state was created about 24 years back and got all promotions in the state on the basis of which he rose to the position of an acting DGP. Hailing from Bareilly in UP, he was awarded home cadre at the time of his selection to the IPS but he opted for Uttarakhand as he was posted there after the state was bifurcated.
He moved the HC against the Centre’s decision to repatriate him to UP and secured a stay order in his favour and has been serving Uttarakhand since then rising through the ranks.
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