KATHMANDU: Nepal Police is heading towards a major leadership reshuffle, with several senior officers set to retire and multiple positions at the Additional Inspector General (AIG) and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) levels expected to become vacant in the coming weeks.
The changes come amid controversy over the government’s recent decision to transfer Nepal Police Inspector General (IGP) Dan Bahadur Karki to the newly created position of special security adviser to the Prime Minister and appoint AIG Dr Manoj Kumar KC as the 34th chief of Nepal Police.
The decision was taken at an emergency Cabinet meeting on November 4. Security experts have criticised the creation of a new post to facilitate the transfer of an incumbent IGP, comparing the move with the controversy surrounding former IGP Achyut Krishna Kharel nearly three decades ago. They have described the latest development as a sign of renewed political interference in the police organisation.
Following KC’s elevation to IGP, the AIG position he previously held became vacant. KC had been leading the Crime Investigation Department, which is now headed by DIG Om Rana, leaving a department generally led by an AIG under the leadership of a DIG.
The police organisation is set to face further vacancies on December 20, when five serving AIGs will retire after completing their mandatory 30-year service period.
The retiring officers are Siddhi Bikram Shah of the Provincial Coordination Department, Uma Chaturvedi of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Sushil Singh Rathour of the Kathmandu Valley Police Office in Ranipokhari, Himalaya Kumar Shrestha of the Operations Department and Dambar BK of the Administration Department.
Nepal Police has nine sanctioned AIG positions, including one technical position. With one vacancy already created following KC’s appointment as IGP, only Rajan Adhikari and Ishwar Karki will remain in the AIG ranks after the five officers retire.
The developments have intensified competition among DIGs seeking promotion to the AIG level. Bhupendra Khatri, Sanuram Bhattarai, Om Adhikari, Shekhar Khanal, Abhinayaran Kafle and Bishwo Adhikari are among the leading contenders.
DIGs Govinda Thapaliya, Dinesh Kumar Acharya, Arun Paudel and Rajendra Prasad Bhatt, who belong to an earlier recruitment batch, are also competing for promotion.
Although only one promotion would be required to fill the immediate vacancy, the retirement of five additional AIGs within a month could allow the government to promote as many as six DIGs in a single round.
The promotion process is also significant for the future leadership of Nepal Police. If Khatri, Bhattarai, Adhikari and Khanal, all members of the 112th batch of police inspectors, secure promotion to AIG, the potential succession race for the IGP position could begin to take shape.
Current IGP Dr KC is scheduled to retire on March 30, 2028, after completing his 30-year service tenure. Consequently, the officers promoted in the current round could emerge as potential candidates to lead Nepal Police after his retirement.
Meanwhile, the organisation is also set to lose three DIGs on December 20. Om Rana, Dilip Nath Deuba and Surendra Gurung will retire upon completing their 30-year service period. All three were initially recruited by the National Investigation Department on December 20, 1996, before being transferred to Nepal Police.
Their retirement will leave three additional DIG positions vacant. If six DIGs are promoted to AIG, the retirement and promotions combined will create nine vacancies at the DIG level after December 20, setting the stage for a significant reshuffle in the police hierarchy.
