Disc Award conferred by outgoing DGP Atul Verma withdrawn

In a shocking instance, the DGP Disc awards, that were conferred on as many as 172 police officers in recognitions of their outstanding work during 2024 by the outgoing Director-General of Police, Dr Atul Verma, were withdrawn as soon as the officer left the premises of the police headquarters on the last day of his service. Verma, the 1991-batch IPS officer, who was serving as the Director-General of Police (DGP) since May, 2024, retired today and conferred DGP Disc awards on police personnel. However, later on, an order was issued in which it was mentioned that the awards conferred by Verma had been withdrawn with immediate effect. The orders were passed by Ashok Tiwari, who has been given the additional charge of the post of DGP by the state government today. Tiwari, an IPS officer of 1993-batch, presently serving as Director-General, State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, was earlier given the additional charge of DGP during the leave period of Dr Verma. Interestingly, the police department shared the posts including pictures and names of police personnel, who were conferred with the awards, on its social media platforms. However, the posts were later deleted. Verma, who has held several prestigious positions in the police department, had also served as the Director-General of the state CID. Though having an illustrious career, Verma also got involved in a recent controversy in the Vimal Negi death case, as he, in his status report, had alleged that Sanjeev Gandhi, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), was trying to influence and block the investigation being conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted under the supervision of Gandhi. As a result, Verma was sent on earned leave by the state government and he joined the office on Friday. Also, Sanjeev Ranjan Ojha, Director-General of Prisons and Correctional Services, also retired today, marking an end to another illustrious career. To honour the outgoing DG, a farewell was organised at Modal Central Jail, Kanda, in Shimla district. The state government has handed over the additional charge of the post of Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP), Prisons and Correctional Services, to Abhishek Trivedi, who at present is serving as ADGP (Law and Order).

Himachal Tribune