As Jammu and Kashmir awaits the announcement of the election schedule by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a major administrative reshuffle has been carried out in the Union Territory (UT).
The development coincides with the appointment of Nalin Prabhat as the Special Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir by the ministry of home affairs (MHA). He will assume the role of DGP of J&K on October 1, following the retirement of the incumbent R.R. Swain. Nalin Prabhat, a 1992 batch IPS officer from the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has now joined the AGMUT cadre on inter-cadre deputation.
The MHA in an order stated, “Consequent upon joining the AGMUT cadre on inter-cadre deputation from the Andhra Pradesh cadre, Nalin Prabhat is hereby posted to Jammu and Kashmir as Special Director General till September 30. Further, upon the retirement of R.R. Swain on September 9, Nalin Prabhat is appointed as DGP of Jammu and Kashmir till further orders.” Prabhat has previously served in Kashmir as part of the CRPF after it replaced the BSF in J&K.
Meanwhile, R.R. Swain has ordered the transfers and postings of 19 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySPs) across Jammu with immediate effect. To strengthen ongoing anti-terror operations, the Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) has recently established several new units and sub-divisions of the Police Component or Special Operations Group (SoG) in various districts of the Jammu province where there has been a surge in terror activities.
The J&K administration has also ordered the transfer and postings of 89 officers in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections in the UT.
The ECI had directed the J&K administration to transfer officers posted in their home districts. The General Administration Department (GAD) complied with the ECI's directive and instructed all administrative secretaries to adhere to the guidelines regarding the transfer of officials in their home districts.
These transfers and postings signal the readiness of the J&K government for the assembly elections in the UT.
The last assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2014, leading to the formation of a coalition government by the PDP and the BJP. The coalition collapsed in 2018, and in 2019, the BJP initiated the move to abrogate Article 370, splitting Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The Home Ministry has linked the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir with the processes of delimitation and elections. The Centre has indicated that statehood would be restored after the election.