Major IPS Reshuffle: CP Sajjanar Moved Out Mahesh Bhagwat Takes Over

In a major reshuffle of IPS officers, the Telangana government on Thursday transferred 21 officers across the state police department. V.C. Sajjanar, who was serving as Hyderabad Police Commissioner, has been shifted to the post of Director General of Telangana Fire Services. His transfer has triggered considerable discussion in official and political circles.

According to the government orders, senior IPS officer Mahesh Bhagwat will replace Sajjanar as Hyderabad Police Commissioner. Among the other key appointments are Swati Lakra as Director General of the Prisons Department, Soumya Mishra as Director General of the Women Safety, SHE Teams and Bharosa wings, and Charu Sinha as Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Similarly, Anil Kumar has been appointed Managing Director of TGSRTC, Vikram Singh Mann as Director General of Greyhounds and OCTOPUS, Nagi Reddy as Civil Supplies Commissioner, and Akun Sabharwal as Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order). Stephen Raveendra has been entrusted with the responsibility of heading the Telangana Traffic Management wing.

Another IPS officer, Karthikeya, has been appointed Inspector General of Police, Multi Zone-I, while Joel Davis has been given additional charge as Joint Commissioner of Hyderabad Traffic Police.

The reshuffle is stated to be aimed at improving the functioning and efficiency of key wings of the state police administration and is being described as part of a routine administrative exercise.

However, Sajjanar’s transfer has come as a surprise, as the government has not officially cited any specific reason for moving him out of the Hyderabad Police Commissioner’s post. The government has described the exercise as part of a wider administrative reshuffle involving 21 IPS officers. No specific allegation or disciplinary action against Sajjanar has been reported.

The post of Hyderabad Police Commissioner is one of the most influential assignments in the state police establishment. Whether the change reflects dissatisfaction with Sajjanar’s functioning, a difference in approach, or is simply part of a larger administrative rearrangement remains unclear.

Mahesh Bhagwat belongs to the 1995 IPS batch, making him one year senior to Sajjanar, who is from the 1996 batch. His appointment may partly reflect considerations of cadre seniority, although this alone does not establish the government’s rationale for the change.