Not an April Fool's prank: Chandigarh DGP tranferred to BSF as DIG, may end up reporting to juniors

Credit: @DgpChdPolice/X

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday issued orders for the transfer and appointment of Chandigarh DGP Surendra Singh Yadav as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the Border Security Force (BSF) on deputation.

The order instructs Surendra Yadav to join his new post at the Centre forthwith. However, given the unprecedented nature of the move, most of the IPS cadre officers had dismissed it as an April Fool’s prank, News18 reported.

Yadav may now end up reporting to officers nearly a decade junior to him. In the police hierarchy, a DIG holds a junior position compared to a DGP. A DGP is the top-ranking officer in a state or UT, responsible for overseeing the entire police force, while a DIG is a mid-level officer, usually in charge of a specific region or sector.

In the same order, the MHA asked the Union Territory administration to give the charge of the Chandigarh DGP to Raj Kumar Singh, a 2004-batch IPS officer of the AGMUT cadre.

According to the report, Yadav was not empanelled for a senior rank at the Centre, which might have prompted his appointment at the DIG level in BSF. His posting as DIG has been made possible by a new rule, which allows DIGs at the state level to be eligible for similar positions at the Centre as well.

“If he was transferred from Chandigarh and posted in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram or any union territory, Yadav would have got the ADGP or an equivalent rank. However, since he has been appointed in Border Security Force, a central armed police force, he will only get the DIG rank because of his non empanelment as IG at the Centre,’’ explained a police officer.

Yadav was appointed as Chandigarh's DGP in March 2024. Prior to this, he led the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the NCT of Delhi, where he played an active role in tackling corruption within the administration. During his tenure as DGP of Chandigarh, Yadav is also credited with implementing various measures to enhance the standards of policing in the Union Territory.

A senior MHA official stated that the appointment also sends a message to the officers in various states who, despite holding the rank of Additional Director General (ADG) or Inspector General (IG) at the state level, have not yet been empanelled for central positions. "There are several officers serving as ADG and IG in different states who are not yet empanelled for similar roles at the Centre. This appointment hints at the Centre’s policy towards such cases," the official explained.

In terms of seniority, a DGP typically has over 30 years of experience, while a DIG is usually around 14 to 18 years into their service. Currently, officers from the 2008 and 2009 batches are serving at the DIG level in the AGMUT cadre, making them approximately 11 to 12 years junior to Yadav, who belongs to an earlier batch.