Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 22 (ANI): Days after a major bureaucratic overhaul on September 20 involving 35 IPS and 34 IAS officers, the Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday carried out another administrative reshuffle, transferring 18 IPS officers ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections.
The Uttar Pradesh government transferred and reassigned 18 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers across crucial operational arms, including the Special Security Force (SSF), Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and regional intelligence units.
According to the official order issued by the state administration, the officers previously attached to the Director General of Police (DGP) headquarters, commissionerates, and specialised wings have been directed to assume their new postings with immediate effect.
As part of the reshuffle, Dr Satish Kumar (IPS-RR-2013), earlier attached to DGP HQ, Lucknow, has been appointed as Commandant, 1st Battalion SSF, Lucknow, while Sanjeev Suman (IPS-RR-2014), also attached to DGP HQ, has been posted as Superintendent of Police, UP State Institute of Forensic Sciences (UPSIFS), Lucknow.
Sameer Saurabh (IPS-SPS-2016) has been shifted from SP, CID, Lucknow, to Commandant, 27th Battalion PAC, Sitapur, and Ashutosh Dwivedi (IPS-SPS-2016) from SP, APTC, Sitapur, to SP, Regional Intelligence, Ayodhya.
Anand Kumar-II (IPS-SPS-2017) has been moved from SP, Regional Intelligence, Bareilly, to SP, CID, Lucknow, while Sanjay Rai (IPS-SPS-2018) has been shifted from SP, Regional Intelligence, Ayodhya, to SP, Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Lucknow.
Among other postings, Shashi Shekhar Singh has been moved from ATS, Lucknow, to Commandant, 11th Battalion PAC, Sitapur, Vanshraj Singh Yadav has been appointed as Commandant, 3rd Battalion SSF, Prayagraj, and Rajkumar and Alok Kumar Sharma have been posted as SP, Vigilance Establishment.
Preetibala Gupta has been appointed as SP, ATS, Lucknow, Kamal Kishore as SP, EOW, Lucknow, and Devesh Kumar Sharma as SP, Food Cell, Lucknow.
Rahul Mithas has been reassigned as SP, Technical Services, Lucknow, Dr. Krishna Gopal shifted from 5th Battalion SSF, Saharanpur, to SP, PTC, Moradabad, Shoeb Iqbal from ACO HQ to SP, Traffic Directorate, Lucknow, Pavitra Mohan Tripathi as SP, RTC, Chunar, Mirzapur, and Mahesh Singh Attri from PTS, Moradabad, to SP, Regional Intelligence, Bareilly.
The state government stated that the postings have been made with immediate effect to streamline departmental administration and strengthen key policing branches.
The reshuffle carries significant political and administrative weight when viewed through the lens of state election preparation.
Mass administrative realignments are standard protocol ahead of election cycles. By placing seasoned officers across critical zones (such as Ayodhya, Sitapur, Prayagraj, and Bareilly), the state government ensures law-and-order machinery is well-equipped to manage potential communal, political, or public security sensitivities during high-decibel campaigns.
Once the Election Commission of India (ECI) announces election dates, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes into force immediately. Under MCC rules State governments lose the discretionary power to transfer or promote administrative and police officers without explicit ECI approval.
The ECI takes direct oversight of key law-enforcement personnel to ensure political neutrality.
Initiating these reassignments beforehand allows the ruling administration to establish its preferred command structure across key intelligence, armed battalion (PAC/SSF), and specialized investigation wings without needing ECI clearance.
Seven major state elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh are scheduled to take place in 2027. (ANI)
UP Government reshuffles 18 IPS officers
