Bhubaneswar: Director general of police (DGP) Y B Khurania is reportedly unhappy with the frequent absence of several IPS officers at official functions organised by Odisha police in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.On Monday, the state police headquarters sent a letter to 36 IPS officers posted in the twin cities, directing them to attend all police-organized events.“It has been observed by DGP that many senior officers are not attending official functions organised by different verticals of Odisha police. It is, therefore, requested to make it convenient to attend the said official functions without fail,” the letter, signed by additional director general (headquarters) Prateek Mohanty, stated. TOI has seen the letter.The directive excluded IPS officers serving in Odisha vigilance, fire and emergency services, and prisons directorate, as these wings are not under the administrative control of state police.The order further clarified that if officers had unavoidable official commitments, they must seek specific exemption directly from the DGP.Police sources revealed that the directive followed Khurania taking serious note of absenteeism during a felicitation ceremony at Police Bhawan, here, on Monday. The event was hosted to honour sports personnel serving in Odisha police who had excelled in national and state-level competitions, bringing laurels to the force.“The DGP wants to lay emphasis on discipline and collective representation at official gatherings. Officers should not treat it as a diktat as their active participation will make events grand success,” a senior police officer said.
