KATHMANDU, Dec 11: The government has promoted Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police, Bishwa Raj Pokharel, to the post of Additional Inspector General (AIG), paving the way for him to become the next Inspector General of Nepal Police.

A cabinet meeting held Thursday decided to promote Pokharel to the post of AIG passing the proposal presented by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The decision of the government is against the direction of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives to scrap the recent decision to create a new post of AIG – second top post in Nepal Police.

Earlier, a promotion committee chaired by Home Secretary Maheshwar Neupane recommended Pokharel for promotion to the post of AIG.

Following the decision, AIG Pokharel is set to become the 29th chief of Nepal Police. As three incumbent AIGs will retire along with the current police chief Shailesh Thapa Kshetri, AIG Pokharel will be the sole contender to become the top cop of the country.

High-ranking police officials have already expressed dissatisfaction over the move of the government to create an additional post of AIG to help Pokharel secure the post of next top cop after May, 2022.

After the decision of the recommendation committee, high-ranking police officials had said that the government created an additional post of AIG just to make him the next chief. “The organization did not ask for the new AIG post. Even the home ministry was unaware that the government is adding the post of AIG. We can imagine how politicians are pushing the entire police organization into the quagmire of dirty politics,” a high-ranking police officer at the Nepal Police Headquarters told Republica, adding that the government itself is breaking the chain of command in the organization.

Recently, the government decided to increase the quota of DIGs to 19, up from the existing 14. The number of AIGs was increased to five including one from the technical quota.

 
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