Shamsher Singh repatriated to Gujarat from BSF duty

The Centre on Friday prematurely repatriated a 1991-batch IPS officer, Shamsher Singh, to Gujarat, just 11 months after he was sent on deputation to the Border Security Force (BSF) in January last year.

The development comes days after the Gujarat government placed the next seniormost IPS officer from the 1992 batch,  K Laxminarayan Rao, in interim charge as Director General of Police after the incumbent police chief Vikas Sahay retired on December 31.

The post of the Head of Police Force of Gujarat fell vacant after the incumbent, 1989-batch Vikas Sahay, retired after serving two years and 10 months as DG and IG of Gujarat Police, including a six-month extension, following his superannuation date of June 30, 2025.

In an office memorandum issued by the I-Division of the Union Home Ministry on January 2, 2026, to the office of the Director General, BSF,  it was stated that the competent authority approved the premature repatriation of Shamsher Singh, Additional Director General, BSF, to his parent cadre “with immediate effect”.

With this latest development, Singh, who holds the rank of DGP in the state cadre in Gujarat, will now become the seniormost IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre serving in the state, when relieved from the BSF.

Singh was on April 30, 2020, empanelled as ADG/equivalent at the Centre. In late 2023, DGP Shamsher Singh was given the additional charge of the Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while at the post of DGP (Law and Order). In January 2025, Singh was sent on central deputation as Additional Director General (ADG) of the BSF.

Shamsher Singh is slated to superannuate on March 31, 2026, which means he has just three months left to his tenure. This could be important if the state government was to seek to consider him for the top post.

In March 2019, the Supreme Court, had ruled that IPS officers with a minimum six months of service left before retirement, could be considered for appointment as Director General of Police of States (Head of Police Force), by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) panel, which earlier considered contenders with two years left before superannuation.

Subsequently, the UPSC put out revised guidelines in September 2023, superseding those framed earlier in 2009 and the committee’s decision on May 22, 2019.

The “zone of consideration” for empanelment of officers to be considered for the post of “Head of Police Force” according to the revised guidelines of 2023, would give first preference to officers holding the post of DGP in the state cadre at Level-16 of the pay matrix.

If no Level-16 officer is available for consideration, the committee would consider those holding the ADG rank and Level-15 in the pay matrix, with 30 years experience before the date of vacancy.

The fourth point here states, “The officer(s) should have residual service of six months or more from the date of occurrence of vacancy in the post of DGP (HOPF).”

The number of the officers under consideration cannot exceed 3 but can be fewer than 3 in exceptional circumstances.

However, even if Shamsher Singh were not to be considered for the top post, there are major vacancies to be filled in important senior positions.

At present, 1992-batch KLN Rao alone holds three major posts including being the substantial chief of CID (Crime & Railways) as well as holding two additional charges of Prison and Correctional Administration, and the Head of Police Force.

The other DGP-rank officers and newly-promoted ones serving in Gujarat, already have significant responsibilities.

Among others from the 1993 batch, Gyanendra Singh Malik is Commissioner of Ahmedabad City Police, and Neerja Gotru heads the Police Recruitment Board. The sole 1994-batch officer Manoj Sashidhar, is on central deputation at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Raju Bhargava of the 1995 batch, is posted as DGP of Armed Units, Gujarat.

Three 1996-batch officers promoted to DGP-rank on January 1, 2026, are currently serving as Commissioner of Vadodara City Police (Narsimha N Komar), Armed Units in Rajkot (Dr Prafulla Kumar Roushan), and DGP Law and Order (Dr S Pandia Rajkumar).

The Indian Express attempted to reach out to Shamsher Singh but he remained unavailable for comment.