Outside cadres bossing Chandigarh cops: How power structure in UT police tilting towards central command

Eight IPS (Indian Police Service) officers currently serve in the Chandigarh Police, of these, six top posts are headed by AGMUT officers, and two others — SSP (Chandigarh Police) and SSP (Traffic and Security) — are headed by officers of Punjab and Haryana respectively. Another top post — SP (Crime and Commandant IRBn) — is headed by a DANIPS cadre officer.

Among the top IPS officers in the UT Police, DGP Sagar Preet Hooda and IGP Pushpendra Kumar are from AGMUT Cadre. Further the SSP (Chandigarh) and the SSP (Traffic and Security) — Kanwardeep Kaur and Sumer Pratap Singh — also IPS officers — are from Punjab and Haryana cadres, respectively.

Other IPS officers from AGMUT cadre on key posts are, SP Manjeet, heading the Intelligence, Headquarters, Economic Offences Wing (EOW); SP Geetanjali Khandelwal, heading the Operations, Cyber Crime and Vigilance Cell; SP K M Priyanka, who handles the Women & Child Safety Unit (W&CSU); and Anurag Daru, holding the charge of SDPO (South/West). One top post of SP (Crime and Commandant IRBn) is headed by DANIPS cadre officer Jasbir Singh.

At the DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) level, the shift in balance of power is most visible. Chandigarh currently has 20 DSP-rank officers — 14 headed by local CPS and six from the DANIPS cadre. But the distinction lies in the distribution of responsibility: DANIPS officers transferred to Chandigarh as DSPs, who occupy the high-profile and sensitive posts, heading crucial branches such as the Crime Branch, EOW, Vigilance, Cyber Crime Cell, Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), District Crime Cell (DCC), Operation Cell, Traffic, and as Sub-Divisional Police Officers (SDPOs).

The officers from DANIPS cadre who have been transferred to Chandigarh are Vijay Singh, Vikas Sheokand, A Venkatesh, P Abinandhan, Lakshay Pandey, and Dhiraj Kumar.

Meanwhile, CPS-promoted DSPs, who form the numerical majority, are mostly posted in “supportive” or “administrative” roles, including PCR (Police Control Room), Police Lines, Police Command and Control Room Centre, Community Policing, and certain Traffic divisions. Three DSPs from Chandigarh — Udaypal Singh, Dilbagh Singh, and Gurjeet Kaur — are currently posted as SDPOs (Central, East and South).

The shift began in 2013, when the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) introduced a deputation policy allowing DANIPS officers to be posted in Chandigarh. Until then, the Chandigarh Police operated primarily as an independent local force, where the Deputy SP was the highest rank achievable by CPS officers before retirement. Senior positions were filled by IPS officers from Punjab and Haryana, given Chandigarh’s dual status as the capital of both states.

Recalled Vijay Pal, a retired officer of Chandigarh Police, “Earlier, Chandigarh Police had continuity. Officers spent decades working here — they knew every beat, sector, local issue. Now, with deputed officers coming and going every few years, that familiarity has eroded. For many within the local cadre, this distribution of positions reflects not just an administrative arrangement but a diminishing command presence for CPS officers in the city’s core policing functions.”

He acknowledged that the integration of DANIPS and AGMUT officers has brought modern policing methods, digital investigation skills, and tighter administrative control, but insisted that some within the force feel the change has also led to an “imbalance” in growth opportunities for local officers.

“The CPS cadre, once the city’s operational backbone, now finds itself largely confined to secondary or logistical assignments.”

“I, however, feel that the current DGP of Chandigarh, who had earlier been here before being a DGP, coordinated policing very well earlier too. I am glad that somebody who knows the city well, is serving the Chandigarh people again,” added Vijay Pal, who is now president of the AAP Chandigarh.

Meanwhile, a senior officer defended the arrangement, saying the change has “professionalised” policing in the UT. “Chandigarh’s policing needs are unique — it’s a capital for two states, and a centrally governed territory. Deputation ensures national-level experience, accountability, and uniformity.”

“There have never been direct appointments of DSPs in Chandigarh. The DSP of Chandigarh is promoted from ASI (Assistant Sub Inspector) levels. Since there has been a rise in population of the city and nature of crime incidents, to bring more expertise, the MHA had planned to depute young appointed DSP level officers in Chandigarh, which brought DANIPS cadre officers in Chandigarh for better policing and coordination between experience of local police officers”, the senior officer from outside cadre, added.

Still, among many within the force, the sentiment is clear. “The Chandigarh Police has evolved from being a homegrown, locally led institution to a centrally directed one. While this transition has improved efficiency and introduced national best practices, it has also diluted the local legacy of a police service once built by its own ranks,” a police officer said.