Amid growing concerns over law and order issues in Odisha, including custodial deaths, mob violence and rising criminal activities, the State Police Headquarters has initiated a special monitoring exercise aimed at improving policing and accountability across districts.

Under the Annual Block Inspection Programme-2026, Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania has assigned 15 senior IPS officers, ranging from the DGP to Inspector General (IG) rank, to oversee and monitor police functioning in 17 districts across the state.

Senior IPS Officers Assigned Key Districts

Beginning in July, the designated officers will visit their respective districts to review law and order conditions, crime control measures and the performance of police stations. The initiative is intended to strengthen supervision and improve policing standards at the grassroots level.

According to the assignments, Crime Branch DGP Binaytosh Mishra will oversee Balasore and Bhadrak districts, while ADG Sanjib Panda has been entrusted with Koraput and Rayagada. Other senior officers, including Arun Bothra, Soumendra Kumar Priyadarshi and Sanjay Kumar, have been assigned districts such as Angul, Jagatsinghpur and Sambalpur respectively.

Focus on Crime Control and Police Accountability

The monitoring programme comes at a time when the state police has faced criticism over several incidents related to custodial deaths, law-and-order challenges and increasing criminal activities.

Officials believe that regular inspections and direct supervision by senior officers will help identify shortcomings in policing, improve coordination and ensure effective implementation of law enforcement measures.

Will the Initiative Deliver Results?

The move has generated considerable discussion within police circles, particularly as DGP Khurania is set to retire in August. With only a few months remaining in his tenure, questions are being raised about whether the initiative will bring meaningful improvements on the ground or remain largely an administrative exercise.

However, police officials maintain that the district monitoring programme is designed to strengthen accountability, enhance operational efficiency and improve public confidence in the policing system.

The effectiveness of the initiative will become clearer in the coming months as senior officers begin their inspections and submit their assessments of law and order conditions across Odisha.

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