G S Rao Takes Charge as Tripura's In-Charge DGP After Anurag Dhankar's Death
G S Rao, Additional DGP (Armed Police) and a 1999-batch IPS officer, has been made in-charge DGP of Tripura following DGP Anurag Dhankar's sudden death.
Additional Director General of Police (Armed Police) G S Rao has been appointed in-charge Director General of Police, the head of Tripura's police force, with immediate effect, following the death of the state's DGP, Anurag Dhankar.
The Director General of Police is the senior-most operational post in a state's police hierarchy, responsible for overall command of law and order, internal security and coordination with central security agencies. In Tripura, a northeastern state that shares an international border with Bangladesh, the post also carries responsibility for border-area security coordination alongside the state's regular policing functions.
Rao is a 1999-batch IPS officer who was, until this appointment, heading the Armed Police wing of the Tripura Police as Additional Director General of Police. The Armed Police wing typically handles reserve force deployment, law-and-order duties during large-scale public events, and internal security operations, giving Rao direct command experience relevant to the DGP's operational responsibilities.
Rao moves from his position heading the Armed Police wing to the top operational post in the state force, a step up necessitated by the sudden vacancy rather than a scheduled transfer.
Dhankar's death has created an unscheduled vacancy at the top of the Tripura Police, and the state government will now need to move toward identifying a regular DGP. In most states, this involves forwarding a panel of eligible senior IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission for empanelment, in line with Supreme Court directions on police reforms, from which the state then selects its DGP.
Until a regular appointment is made, Rao is expected to hold charge of the state's police administration, overseeing law and order and coordination with central security agencies operating in Tripura.
Rao's appointment as in-charge DGP took effect immediately following Dhankar's death, pending the state government's move to identify a regular successor through the UPSC empanelment process.
