Punjab- cadre officer in fray for Himachal DGP’S post

SHIMLA: Satish Kumar Sharma, a 1983-batch Punjab-cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, has emerged as a frontrunner for the post of director general of police (DGP) of Himachal Pradesh. The current DGP, B Kamal Kumar, will retire next month.

Sharma (57) has held several significant posts, including the senior superintendent of police (SSP), Patiala, and the inspector general (IG, zonal), Patiala. He is perceived to be close to former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh. Sharma will retire in September 2015.

Presently, he is additional director general of police ( ADGP), human resource development and training, Punjab.

In case the Himachal government finalises his name, it will have to seek permission from the union home minister and the central government’s department of personnel and training. Clearance would also have to be sought from the Punjab government.

Having limited options, the state government had earlier contemplated appointing 1985-batch IPS officer Sanjay Kumar as the successor to B Kamal Kumar, who took over after ID Bhandari was removed abruptly in January over the phone tapping controversy.

Both B Kamal Kumar and Bhandari are 1982-batch IPS officers. Currently in the Central Railways in Patna, Sanjay Kumar is returning to the state on July 21.