Ahead of the Darbar Move to Jammu, the winter capital of the Union Territory, the government has ordered the transfer and posting of 100 police officers across various ranks, districts, ranges and specialised wings with immediate effect.
The extensive reshuffle, ordered by the Home Department, involves officers belonging to both the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Jammu and Kashmir Police Service (JKPS). The changes cover senior-level appointments, district police leadership, traffic management, armed police formations, intelligence units and training institutions.
According to the official order, several key positions have been reassigned as part of the latest administrative exercise.
Senior IPS officer Danesh Rana, who was awaiting a fresh posting, has been appointed Managing Director of the Jammu and Kashmir Police Housing Corporation. He will take over from S.J.M. Gillani, who was holding the additional charge of the post.
Garib Dass, Director of the Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy (SKPA), Udhampur, has been transferred and posted as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Home Guards, Civil Defence and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
Dr Mohd Haseeb Mughal has been appointed Director of the Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy, Udhampur.
In another senior-level change, Abdul Jabbar has been posted as Inspector General of Police (IGP), Armed Police Jammu, while Shahid Mehraj Rather has been appointed IGP, Technical Services, J&K. He will continue to hold the additional charge of Director, Police Telecommunications.
Rayees Mohammad Bhat has been shifted from the post of Deputy Inspector General (DIG), CID Kashmir, and appointed DIG, CID Headquarters, J&K.
The government has also announced several changes in the leadership of police ranges and specialised formations.
Shiv Kumar Sharma has been posted as DIG, Railways, while Swarn Singh Kotwal has been appointed DIG, Udhampur-Reasi Range.
Zahid Naseem Manhas has been assigned the charge of DIG, Armed Police Jammu, while Hareesh H.P. has been posted as Director of the Special Security Force (SSF).
The latest appointments form part of a wider reallocation of responsibilities across the police establishment.
Several districts and police jurisdictions have received new Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) under the reshuffle.
The major district-level postings are as follows:
Kupwara: Sudhanshu Dhama has been appointed SSP, replacing Syed Al Tahir Gilani, who has been transferred as SSP, PCR Kashmir.
Ganderbal: Harshal Rajesh Mahajan has been posted as SSP.
Sopore: Neha Jain has been appointed SSP.
Ramban: Anna Sinha has been posted as SSP.
Poonch: Vaibhav Meena has been appointed SSP.
Bandipora: Tahir Saleem Khan has been posted as SSP.
Handwara: Sajad Khaliq Bhat has been appointed SSP.
Awantipora: Irshad Hussain Rather has been posted as SSP.
These appointments bring changes to the leadership of several district police units across Jammu and Kashmir.
The reshuffle also includes changes to key traffic police assignments covering Srinagar city, the National Highway and rural traffic operations in Jammu.
Bisma Qazi has been appointed SSP, Traffic City Srinagar, succeeding Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, who has been transferred as Commandant of the 23rd Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police India Reserve (JKAP IR) Battalion.
K.M. Priyanka has been posted as SSP, Traffic National Highway, while Master Popsy has been appointed SSP, Rural Traffic Jammu.
The appointments come at a time when traffic management remains an important operational responsibility across urban areas and major road corridors in the Union Territory.
Anand Kumar Mishra has been appointed head of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Jammu and Kashmir.
Apart from these prominent postings, the Home Department’s order includes changes involving several commandants of Armed Police and India Reserve battalions, along with appointments and transfers in intelligence units, training establishments and other specialised police formations.
The large-scale reshuffle covers a broad cross-section of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, ranging from senior officers overseeing specialised wings to those responsible for district policing, traffic regulation and operational formations.
With the transfers taking effect immediately, the newly appointed officers are expected to assume their respective responsibilities in accordance with the government order.
The latest exercise represents a major reorganisation of police leadership across Jammu and Kashmir, involving 100 officers and several key administrative and operational assignments.