Who would be next SSP of Chandigarh? Punjab starts process to form panel of officers

Punjab has started the process to identify the next Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Chandigarh and has asked the Punjab Police headquarters to prepare a panel of eligible IPS officers for the post.

Sources said the names of 2014-batch IPS officers Varun Sharma, Gaurav Toora and Harish Dayama are among those under consideration. Once finalised, the panel will be forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Chandigarh Administration, which will make the final selection.

The exercise has begun even though incumbent SSP Kanwardeep Kaur has about four months left in office. The 2013-batch IPS officer was granted a one-year extension by the Centre after completing her original three-year deputation tenure in March this year and is scheduled to continue till March 2027. She is the first Chandigarh SSP to have received such an extension.

Sources in the Punjab government said the succession planning has been initiated well in advance, keeping in mind the Punjab Assembly elections due in 2027. With election-related restrictions on transfers expected closer to the polls and several key postings likely to come up for consideration, the government wants to complete the groundwork for important appointments beforehand.

Police sources said officers from the 2014 batch have emerged as frontrunners largely because the incumbent Chandigarh SSP belongs to the 2013 batch. The administration is understood to be looking at officers of the next batch in line who have acquired substantial district policing experience and are considered suitable for the prestigious assignment.

Under the long-standing administrative arrangement in Chandigarh, the SSP’s post is reserved for a Punjab cadre IPS officer, while the post of SP Traffic is earmarked for a Haryana cadre officer. Punjab, therefore, has the right to propose a panel of officers for the SSP’s post, after which the names are sent to the MHA and the Chandigarh Administration for the final decision.

Sources stressed that no final decision has been taken and the panel is still under preparation. The Chandigarh SSP’s post is regarded as one of the most sought-after field assignments for Punjab cadre IPS officers because of its strategic importance and the close coordination it requires with central agencies as well as the police forces of Punjab and Haryana.