Raipur, Jul 16 (IANS): Anil Navaney, appointed the new Chhattisgarh director general of police, will take over charge next week even as some police officers here are puzzled over the sudden removal of Vishwa Ranjan from the post.

On July 12, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government removed Ranjan while he was in Gujarat on leave. The 1973-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer was rehabilitated as director general (DG), Home Guards.

Ranjan is expected to return here Sunday after which Navaney will most likely take charge by next week.

The sudden decision to remove Ranjan has raised many eyebrows in the police department.

"Can't understand the logic of dropping Ranjan in a controversial style as he was persuaded by the same BJP government in July 2007 to give up his nearly two-decade stint as additional director in Intelligence Bureau and join as DGP of India's worst Leftist insurgency-hit state," a top police officer told IANS, declining to be named for obvious reasons.

He said that "Ranjan had lived up to the expectations by successfully cracking down on Maoists' urban network in the state. But his forced exit was unceremonious".

"His (Ranjan) removal was a shocker for the police department in general and top police officers in particular," he added.

Another officer at the police headquarters said the move had affected the anti-Maoist drive because of lack of instructions on how to handle the rebels in wake of the Supreme Court order to disband and disarm special police officers (SPOs).

Sources say that after handing over the charge, Ranjan will either go on a long leave or press for voluntary retirement as his retirement was due in eight months, rather than assuming charge as DG, Home Guards.