18 IPS officers reshuffled in state

Patna: In a major reshuffle, 18 IPS officers were transferred in the state on Saturday, including Patna's senior superintendent of police (SSP) Avkash Kumar, who has now been appointed commandant of Bihar Special Armed Police (BSAP)-1.He will be replaced by Purnia SP Kartikeya K Sharma, a 2014-batch IPS officer. The shake-up also includes all three city SPs of Patna, according to a notification issued by the state home department.City SP (east), K Ramdas, has been posted as assistant director-cum-SP at the Bihar Police Academy in Rajgir. Central city SP Sweety Sehrawat will now serve as Purnia SP while city SP west, Sarath R S, has been transferred to Supaul as SP.Avkash Kumar's transfer comes just six months after his appointment on Dec 28, 2024, amid growing concerns over deteriorating law and order in the state capital.Kartikeya Sharma, the new SSP, brings an impressive academic background. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIM Ahmedabad, Sharma cleared the UPSC examination after a stint in engineering and management.Other notable transfers include Vineet Kumar as SP of Jehanabad and Arvind Pratap Singh as SP of Samastipur. Chandrashekhar Prasad, previously SP of CID, Patna, has been appointed SP (law and order) while Ashok Kumar Mishra moves from Samastipur to head the special branch. Shaishav Yadav, former SP of Supaul, has been posted as AIG (modernisation) in Patna.The overhaul is being viewed as an attempt by the state govt to tighten control over law enforcement and restore public confidence.