The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday night ordered the transfer and appointment of four officers from the Jammu and Kashmir Police Services (JKPS) as new Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) for the districts of Srinagar, Baramulla, and Kupwara, as well as the Superintendent of Police (SP) for Handwara. These appointments were made in accordance with the directives from the Election Commission of India.
The order, issued by Chandrakar Bharti, Principal Secretary Home, outlined the transfer and reassignment of seven police officials, including two Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, across three districts and one police district.
On Wednesday, the Election Commission directed the transfer of senior police officials from Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara, and the Handwara Police District, instructing the administration to submit a panel of Indian Police Service officers to replace them.
As per the order, Imtiyaz Hussain Mir, an officer from the Jammu and Kashmir Police Services, has been appointed as Senior Superintendent of Police for Srinagar; Mohammad Zaid as Senior Superintendent of Police for Baramulla; Ghulam Jeelani Wani as Senior Superintendent of Police for Kupwara; and Ifroz Ahmad as Superintendent of Police for Handwara.
The Indian Police Service officers Gurinderpal Singh and Shobhit Saksena have been reassigned from their roles as Senior Superintendents of Police for Baramulla and Kupwara districts to Incharge Director of Police Telecommunications and Senior Superintendent of Police, Criminal Investigation Department (Headquarters), respectively. Dawood Ayoub, who was serving as Superintendent of Police for Handwara, has been appointed as Senior Superintendent of Police, Criminal Investigation Department (Headquarters).
In a communication sent to the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, the Election Commission approved the postings of Mohammad Zaid as Senior Superintendent of Police for Baramulla, Ghulam Jeelani Wani as Senior Superintendent of Police for Kupwara, Ifroz Ahmad as Superintendent of Police for Handwara, and Imtiyaz Hussain Mir as Senior Superintendent of Police for Srinagar.
The Commission had earlier instructed the Union Territory administration to submit a panel of Indian Police Service officers for the positions of Superintendent of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police in the districts of Srinagar, Baramulla, Handwara, and Kupwara by Thursday evening.
These actions by the Election Commission are seen as efforts to ensure a fair and impartial electoral process ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
