Bhubaneswar: In a reshuffle of senior IPS officers, the state govt on Friday appointed Himanshu Kumar Lal as inspector general of police (IGP) of special task force (STF) and economic offences wing (EOW), a home department notification stated.Officials said Lal, who held the position of IGP (northern range), will now hold full charge of both specialised units, which were earlier overseen by IGP (crime) Sarthak Sarangi as an additional responsibility. DIG (provisioning) Charan Singh Meena has been posted as the new DIG of northern range.Lal’s new posting is significant as the govt prepares to set up an anti‑narcotics task force (ANTF) to intensify its crackdown on the drug menace. “The STF currently spearheads anti‑drug enforcement, and Lal’s prior experience as DIG of the STF in 2018 is expected to strengthen the drive,” a home department official said.The reshuffle also saw IGP (intelligence) J N Pankaj being transferred as IGP (southern range), replacing Niti Shekhar, who has been posted as IGP (provisioning) at police headquarters. In another change, north central range IGP Satyabrata Bhoi has been appointed IGP (intelligence), succeeding Pankaj.Ashish Kumar Singh, who recently returned from central deputation, has been made DIG (north central range). Singh will hold additional charge as the principal of police training college in Angul.
