In a major administrative shake-up, the Home Department of Madhya Pradesh issued transfer and posting orders for 65 state police service (SPS) officers on Saturday night. The reshuffle primarily targets Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) and City Police Superintendents (CSPs) across major urban zones, alongside a heavy security reinforcement in the Naxal-affected Balaghat region.

According to the official directive released by the Police Headquarters (PHQ), key City Superintendant of Police (CSP) positions have been overhauled in tier-1 and tier-2 urban clusters, including Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, and Pithampur. Additionally, equivalent urban-cadre postings have been reshuffled across the metropolitan layouts of Bhopal and Indore.

Heavy Security Reinforcement in Balaghat

A major highlight of this administrative layout is the strategic deployment of 18 DSP-level officers into the specialized anti-Naxal unit, the Hawk Force, headquartered in Balaghat. These officers will assume operational charges as Assistant Commandants (सहायक सेनानी).

Hawk Force Deployment Roster (Assistant Commandants):

├── Core Tactical Team: Udit Mishra, Abhilash Kumar Bhalavi, Akash Amalkar

├── Operational Units: Ravi Soner, Umesh Prajapati, Ritesh Kumar Shiv

├── Field Leadership : Ravindra Singh Rathi, Ayush Kumar Alawa, Sachin Patel

└── Special Wings    : Kundan Mandlooi, Rahul Kumar Sayyam, Akshay Choudhary, 

                       Atul Kumar Soni, Aman Mishra, Rohit Rathore, Rakesh Arya

Alongside the specialized anti-guerilla combat wing postings, the state government has plugged crucial structural vacancies in the sub-divisional police architecture of Balaghat by appointing 4 new Sub-Divisional Officers of Police (SDOPs).

Sub-Divisional Policing Realignment (Balaghat):

├── Deepak Tomar       : SDOP Lanji (Balaghat)

├── Chandrashekhar Pande: SDOP Baihar (Balaghat)

└── Abhishek Gautam    : SDOP Paraswada (Balaghat)

The extensive restructuring is viewed by political circles as a tactical consolidation phase to enhance urban policing efficiency while ensuring experienced boots on the ground along the vulnerable interstate forest corridors.

The Madhya Pradesh government is facing criticism over delays in appointing senior State Administrative Service officers to key field positions, with nearly 20 districts reportedly operating without regularly posted Additional District Magistrates (ADMs). The prolonged imbalance in administrative postings has also triggered dissatisfaction among younger officers, many of whom are currently assigned desk roles in the state secretariat instead of field responsibilities.

Officials and administrative sources said the disruption in posting arrangements began before the Lok Sabha elections and has continued despite changes in administrative priorities.

ADM Posts Remain Vacant

Several districts across Madhya Pradesh are reportedly functioning without full-time Additional Collectors, forcing collectors to manage responsibilities through additional charge arrangements. Administrative sources indicated that major districts including Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur currently have vacant ADM positions despite multiple sanctioned posts in these cities. The situation has raised concerns about administrative efficiency, especially in districts handling large populations and high governance workloads.

Impact On District Administration

Officials familiar with district-level functioning said vacant ADM posts increase pressure on collectors and existing officers, affecting day-to-day administrative coordination. Additional Collectors are responsible for handling revenue matters, law and order coordination, election duties and implementation of government schemes. In the absence of regular appointments, many districts are depending on temporary arrangements and additional responsibilities assigned to available officers. Sources said the shortage is impacting both decision-making speed and monitoring of administrative work in some districts.

Young Officers Seek Opportunity

A section of State Administrative Service officers has expressed dissatisfaction over the current posting pattern. Many newly recruited and junior officers are presently serving as under secretaries, OSDs and desk officers in the ministry and departmental headquarters. According to officials, several young officers believe the government is not fully utilising their administrative capabilities by keeping them away from field assignments. They argue that junior officers should be given opportunities to work as Deputy Collectors, SDMs, Joint Collectors and Additional Collectors to gain practical administrative experience.

SDM-Level Posts Also Affected

The issue is not limited to ADM positions. Administrative sources said several sanctioned posts in the Joint Collector and SDM cadre also remain unfilled in different districts. Joint Collectors and SDMs play a crucial role in maintaining local administration, handling public grievances and coordinating revenue and law-and-order duties at the sub-divisional level. Officers said delays in these postings are affecting administrative continuity and increasing workload on existing field officials.

IAS Officers Preferred In Some Roles

Sources within the administrative setup indicated that several positions traditionally assigned to State Administrative Service officers, including Chief Executive Officer posts in district panchayats, are increasingly being handled by young IAS officers. This has added to concerns among state cadre officers, who feel their promotion opportunities and field exposure are being reduced. Some officers argued that experienced senior officials currently posted in ministries could instead be assigned desk responsibilities, allowing younger officers to take up district-level roles.

Vacancies Reported In Multiple Districts

Districts where ADM posts are reportedly vacant include Jabalpur, Narsinghpur, Narmadapuram, Sehore, Shajapur, Barwani, Burhanpur, Gwalior, Chhatarpur, Niwari and Indore, among others. Officials said the absence of regular postings in these districts has forced collectors to operate administrative systems through additional charges and temporary arrangements. The issue has also sparked internal discussion within administrative circles over manpower distribution and career progression opportunities for state service officers.

Many young officers selected through the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission are still posted in ministry offices instead of districts, according to administrative sources. Some officers believe earlier restrictions related to election duties and administrative exercises were cited as reasons for delaying transfers and field postings. However, they argue that such reasons no longer apply and appointments should now be regularised.

IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma has just started his new posting with the West Bengal government, and it’s caused quite a stir behind the scenes. He’s a 2011-batch officer from Uttar Pradesh, and people in police circles know him for his “encounter specialist” reputation. Now, he’s landed in the politically sensitive South 24 Parganas district.

Sharma’s timing couldn’t be more critical. West Bengal’s assembly elections are underway, and tensions are running high. Both the BJP and the Election Commission say he’s there as an “observer” to keep voting clean and fair.

Still, his appointment has already sparked political drama. Local TMC leaders and others are raising eyebrows at Sharma’s past record. The situation’s heated enough that someone has taken it all the way to the Supreme Court with a PIL, arguing that his selection breaks standard safeguards for neutral policing. On the other side, BJP insiders are standing by him. They call him a sort of “Singham”—tough, no-nonsense, and ready to handle any law and order challenge the elections throw at him.