KATHMANDU, Nov 20: The government is in the final stages of adding two Additional Inspector Generals (AIGs) in Armed Police Force and three Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs) in Nepal Police.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Finance for approval to increase the number of positions in both organizations. The proposal to add AIG positions in the Armed Police Force is aimed at strengthening the National Police Academy and administration, while the proposal to increase DIG positions in the Nepal Police is intended for the Narcotics Control Bureau, Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, and security at Tribhuvan International Airport.
"Proposals have been received from both organizations, and the Ministry of Home Affairs is taking steps to move forward," a source from the ministry said. According to the source, the proposal to add one AIG position in the Armed Police Force is an old one, but this time, efforts are underway to add another one. The proposal to increase the AIG position is also aimed at promoting DIG Kishor Pradhan, whose term was extended a year ago and who is set to retire in January, to the position of AIG.
Police Spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki stated that he was unaware of the matter regarding the increase in positions. "The authority to add or reduce positions lies with the government, and this matter would not be known to the spokesperson of Nepal Police," Spokesperson Karki said.
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Currently, there are 27 positions in Nepal Police, with 20 for general and 7 for technical. The plan is to add 3 more positions in the general category, bringing the total to 30.
The police are planning to add three positions for traffic, drug control, and airport security guards, citing the need for these positions. Currently, there are 8 vacant positions, and by adding 3 more, the total will be raised to 11 positions for promotion recommendations. In Nepal Police, the promotion of 8 vacant Deputy Inspector General (DIG) positions has been put on hold, and the focus is now on increasing the number of positions. Police headquarters are seeking to add these positions as there has been maneuvering among those vying for promotion to the DIG ranks. The headquarters have also requested the addition of two technical positions, but the Ministry of Finance has reportedly rejected this request, according to sources.
Since July, the promotion to the position of DIG in Nepal Police has been halted, even though the positions started becoming vacant. Currently, there are 8 vacant DIG positions. In June, although a promotion recommendation was made for AIG, Poshraj Pokharel retired as a DIG. Despite the promotion recommendation, no decision was made, and he retired on July 5. However, he has filed a case in the Supreme Court, seeking a reason for not being promoted. This case is currently under review. In July, after Ram Dutta Joshi was promoted to AIG, two DIG positions became vacant. However, at that time, promotions were halted for a new performance evaluation.
On September 1, Bishnu Kumar KC retired after completing 30 years of service. A month later, on September 30, DIG Yagya Binod Pokharel also retired, bringing the number of vacant DIG positions to four, but promotions were further delayed. On October 27, following the retirement of Rajesh Nath Bastola and the promotion of Kiran Rana to AIG, six DIG positions became vacant. Just two days after Kiran Rana's promotion to AIG, Ram Dutta Joshi also retired from AIG, leading to the recommendation for the promotion of DIGs Buddhiraj Gurung and Kedar Dhakal to fill the vacant positions. Their promotion decisions are still pending. With this, the number of vacant DIG positions in Nepal Police will reach eight.
Three groups are competing for the vacant DIG positions. SSPs from the 2054 BS batch, along with those close to IGP Kunwar, are actively lobbying to become DIGs. Among them, it is expected that a promotion recommendation will be made from a pool of 15 SSPs. Dhruba Raj Raut and Bhola Bahadur Rawal, who are considered to be weak in performance under IGP Kunwar's tenure, are currently the most senior SSPs. They were ahead from their induction to the rank of SP.
Following them, Ganesh Chand, who competed alongside the IGP for the position of police inspector, is also among the top candidates for the DIG position. After DIG Durga Singh Chand was passed over for AIG promotion, it is said that her husband, Ganesh Chand, will be promoted to restore justice. He was ranked first among 32 SSPs during the 2079 BS promotion. It appears that IGP Kunwar is leaning toward promoting these three individuals, not for their performance but because of their association with him.
Similarly, a group that was initially recruited in the National Investigation Department and later brought into the Nepal Police is also likely to have a candidate for the DIG position this time. SSP Siddhi Bikram Shah from this group is almost certain to be promoted to DIG. Previously, when he was an SSP, he was ranked second after Chand. Also, Umaprasad Chaturbedi and Sushil Singh Rathore, who were ranked behind him, are strong contenders for the DIG position this time.
Himalaya Kumar Shrestha, Om Rana, and Dambar Bahadur BK from Shah's batch are also contenders for the DIG position. They must compete with a group that joined as police inspectors in 2054 BS and later served together as SSPs. Among this group, Dan Bahadur Karki, Manoj KC, and Rajan Adhikari have already been promoted to DIG. Members of the same batch are now claiming the DIG position. Some of them may also be promoted. The potential candidates for promotion from this batch include Ishwar Karki, Govinda Thapaliya, Dinesh Acharya, Arun Paudel, and Rajendra Prasad Bhatta.
Among the 32 SSPs, who were promoted together, three have already been promoted to DIG, and five SSPs have already retired. With the retirement of SSPs like Jeewan Kumar Shrestha, Dilliraj Bista, Manoj Kumar Yadav, Rewati Dhakal, and Kisan Singh Thapa, it has become easier to integrate the previous and current batches.
Additionally, Madhav Prasad Shrestha, Dipendra Gharti Chhetri, Dipak Regmi, Dilip Singh Deuba, Binod Ghimire, Sudarshan Prasad Koirala, Dipak Kumar Basnet, Jayaraj Sapkota, Surendra Bahadur Gurung, Sanjeev Sharma Das, Lokendra Shrestha, and Sharada Prasad Chaudhary, who were also promoted to SSP in the same batch, are now strong contenders for the DIG position. Among them, Deuba, Regmi, and Das are considered highly controversial SSPs. They are regarded as unreliable in terms of performance, character, behavior, and financial matters.
