Odisha government appoints Y.B. Khurania as new DGP

Bhubaneswar, Aug 16: Putting an end to speculation, the Odisha government has officially appointed senior IPS officer Yogesh Bahadur Khurania as the new Director General of Police (DGP). The Odisha Home Department issued a formal notification confirming the appointment on Friday.

Khurania, who is from the 1990 batch of IPS officers, will succeed Arun Kumar Sarangi, who has been serving as the interim head of the state police force since December 2023.

This appointment follows the Central government's recent approval of Khurania's early repatriation to his home cadre in Odisha. He was previously serving as the Special Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF).

The unexpected early return had led to widespread speculation about his likely promotion to DGP. Odisha has been without a permanent DGP since December 2023.

Prior to his central deputation, Khurania was the Additional DGP (Provisioning) in Odisha and held various key positions, including Superintendent of Police in Nayagarh, Jajpur, Rourkela, Mayurbhanj, and Ganjam districts. He also served as DIG of the southern and northern ranges, Additional Commissioner of Police, and Commissioner of Police for Bhubaneswar-Cuttack. Additionally, he was the Director of the BPSPA-cum-IG Training.

This appointment follows a meeting between Khurania and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in New Delhi earlier this week.