Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, May 21: Senior IPS officer M A Saleem has been appointed as the in-charge director general and inspector general of Police (DG & IGP) of Karnataka. The state government issued the order on Wednesday.

The post was vacant following the retirement of former DGP Alok Mohan on April 30. His service was extended until May 21. M A Saleem, a 1993-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre, hails from Chikkabanavara, Bengaluru.

Alok Mohan had assumed charge as DGP on May 22, 2023, initially in an acting capacity before being confirmed in the role.

Currently, three senior officers were in the reckoning for the DGP post —Prashant Kumar Thakur (DGP, Fire and Emergency Services), Dr M A Saleem (DGP, CID), and K Ramachandra Rao. However, Rao was placed on compulsory leave by the government due to his alleged involvement in a gold smuggling case, narrowing the choice to Thakur and Saleem.

Though Prashant Kumar Thakur, a 1992-batch officer from Bihar, has seniority over Saleem, the state government appointed Saleem as the acting DGP. As per a Supreme Court directive, the DGP must serve a minimum term of two years.