The 1981-batch IPS officer Rupak Kumar Dutta will take over as the 33rd Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) of the state on Tuesday. Dutta will receive the baton from outgoing DG&IGP Om Prakash at 5 pm at the police headquarters on Nrupathunga Road. He has nine months’ service to implement his priorities as DG&IGP. He will retire on October 31.
A meeting headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday decided to relieve Dutta from his current central assignment as special secretary (internal security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs to facilitate his return to his home cadre - Karnataka. The government had finalised the name of Dutta for the coveted post on January 27 and had informed the Centre about the decision.
Dutta was promoted as special director, CBI in July 2016. Prior to that, he was additional director in the CBI and looked after anti-corruption (HQ) zone. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has signed the relieving order and I have received the order. I will reach Bengaluru and join duty on Tuesday,” Dutta told DH. “I am extremely happy to be back in Bengaluru. It’s actually homecoming for me. Karnataka is my state. It is my cadre. It really feels good to be back in my cadre,” he said.
On taking over as the DG&IGP, he said, “I am yet to get official communication from the state government. I will join duty in the state cadre and follow the government order.” Formalities will be completed in the morning to facilitate the way for Dutta to assume office. The government will immediately order him to take over from Om Prakash. All IPS officers and other senior officers have been informed to be present at 5 pm when Dutta assumes office, sources in the Home department told DH.
Dutta is expected focus heavily on Bengaluru, coastal belt which faces the challenges of communalism and terrorist activities and IT-related crimes. He is likely to address graft cases as he is well aware of the situation, due to his stint as ADGP (Lokayukta). Moreover, he supervised two Supreme Court-monitored probes into 2G spectrum allocation and coal blocks allocation, while serving in the CBI.
“I will spell out my priorities only after taking charge,” he said. Retired DGPs have welcomed the government’s decision to appoint Dutta as DG&IGP. Developments in the recent past like constabulary’s threat to go on mass casual leave, suicides by a few officers and resignation by some others, charges of harassment by top brass and lack of understanding between seniors and subordinates have affected the morale of the police force. Dutta should address such issues and restore the reputation of the force, they said.
Published 30 January 2017, 19:37 IST