Atul Verma is new Himachal DGP, was given important posting after Sukhu govt faced crisis

TNR Desk

Atul Verma, 1991-batch IPS officer, has been appointed the new Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police. He will replace Sanjay Kundu, who superannuated on April 30 (2024).
Currently posted as the Director General of Himachal Pradesh CID, the appointment of Atul Verma as the new Himachal DGP was notified by the Himachal Governor on Wednesday (May 1) morning.

Atul Verma is seen as a trusted officer of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as he was given the charge of the all-important CID wing recently after the Congress government was caught napping when six of its MLAs cross-voted for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha election, leading to existential crisis for the Sukhu regime.

Atul Verma, who recently returned from central deputation, had then replaced Satwant Atwal as the CID chief. Atwal, who had even held the additional charge of the Himachal DGP for a brief period when Kundu was on leave, was reassigned as ADG, Vigilance.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) last Wednesday held a meeting of the screening committee in New Delhi regarding the appointment of the new Himachal DGP.
At the meeting, the panel of three names sent by the Himachal Pradesh government for the post of the next Himachal DGP was examined and their eligibility was checked. Himachal Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena too had reached Delhi for the meeting.

Ojha too was in the race
SR Ojha, a 1989-batch IPS officer, too was seen among those in the race for the Himachal DGP post. If the state government chose to go by seniority, Ojha would have assumed the role of Himachal DGP.

Ojha too had recently concluded his central deputation where he served as ADG in the CRPF. Currently serving as DG-Jails, Ojha too had assumed additional charge as the DGP for 13 days when Kundu took leave in March. Ojha belongs to the same batch as Kundu and is scheduled to retire in May 2025.

Final decision rest with CM
The decision regarding the new DGP ultimately rests with Chief Minister Sukhu. Despite the customary reshuffling on key posts following a change in power, CM Sukhu had retained DGP Kundu, a move that faced internal opposition within the party. When the Congress was in opposition, it had criticised Kundu’s handling of the police constable paper leak but did not remove him upon assuming power.

Due to the upcoming Lok Sabha poll and the Assembly byelections, the post of DGP cannot remain vacant for a long period due to the crucial role of the police in electoral processes. Therefore, the government is expected to expeditiously appoint a new DGP.