Bhubaneswar: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is scheduled to convene its empanelment committee (EC) meeting on August 7 to shortlist three senior IPS officers for appointment as Odisha’s next director general of police (DGP). The exercise comes ahead of incumbent DGP Y B Khurania’s tenure ending on August 16.The EC meeting date that has set the stage for Odisha to select the next police chief is being closely watched in both administrative and political circles.The EC, as mandated, will comprise the UPSC chairman (or a member presiding in his place), the Union home secretary or nominee of equivalent rank, the chief of a central police organisation nominated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) who is not from the Odisha cadre, along with the state’s chief secretary and the outgoing DGP.“As per procedure, the UPSC will prepare a panel of three names. The state government will then exercise its discretion to appoint one officer from that list as the DGP,” a senior govt official said.In May, the Odisha govt forwarded a list of 11 eligible IPS officers to the UPSC, setting the succession process in motion. The names include the senior-most Sudhanshu Sarangi (1990 batch), Susanta Kumar Nath and R P Koche (1993 batch), Sanjeeb Panda and Yeshwant Kumar Jethwa (1994 batch), Ritu Arora, Saumendra Priyadarshi, Santosh Bala and P S Ranpise (1995 batch), besides Arun Bothra and Sunita Kakran (1996 batch). Of these, Sarangi, Nath and Koche already hold the DGP rank, while the others are ADGPs with over three decades of service.Speculation within bureaucratic circles points to Sarangi, Koche and Panda as strong contenders. Odisha currently has four DGP‑ranked officers apart from Khurania — Sarangi, Nath, Koche and Vinaytosh Mishra. Mishra, serving as DG (Crime Branch), is ruled out as he retires in November, falling short of the mandatory six‑month residual service from the date of vacancy.Appointments to the DGP post often carry political undertones, but experts urge merit to be the guiding principle. “Political considerations, recommendations from Delhi and the chief minister’s decision do weigh in, but the UPSC and government must ensure the most competent officer is chosen. Suitability should be judged on service record, leadership and range of experience,” a retired IPS officer observed.
