Patna, Feb.4: The state police, already facing a manpower crunch, could be in for more reduction in numbers. Sixteen senior police officers, including four of director-general (DG) rank will retire in the next eight months.

The police, facing a shortage of direct recruit IPS officers, may find it difficult to pick up DGPs, as there is no senior officer meeting the criteria for appointment.

A source said four officers of DG rank, two additional director-generals (ADG), three inspectors-general (IG), two deputy inspectors-general (DIG) and five superintendents of police (SP) will superannuate this year.

This is perhaps the first time that such a large number of senior police officers of the state are retiring in a year.

While DGP Neel Mani (1975 batch) will retire on August 31 this year, three other officers of DG rank — J.K. Khanna (1974 batch) U.S. Dutt (1976 batch) and Nehchal Sandhu (1973 batch) — will retire from service on April 30, September 30 and December 31 respectively.

Except Sandhu, who is currently on central deputation, the rest are all posted in the state.

Sandhu, who is at present posted with the Intelligence Bureau (IB), has not returned to his parent cadre ever since he left the state and proceeded on central deputation in 1979.

P.K. Sharma (1977 batch) and Rajvardhan Sharma (1980 batch) will retire on September 30. Rajvardhan is at present posted as ADG (CID).

Three IGs, Kumud Kumar Verma, Sahab Akhtar and Raghunbansh Prasad Yadav (all 1991 batch) will leave their job on September 30, July 31 and March 31 respectively.

Verma is posted with the vigilance department, Akhtar is in-charge of Bihar home guards. Yadav is posted as IG-cum-additional commissioner in civil defence.

Prominent among the SPs to retire this year are Shyam Kumar (Banka) and Ram Jag Ram.

Sources in the state police headquarters said that altogether eleven IPS officers of the 1996 batch are likely to be promoted to the rank of DIG.

The officers are B.S. Meena (SSP, Patna), Sunil Kumar (SSP, Muzaffarpur), Sudhanshu Kumar (Khagaria), N.H. Khan (Purnea), Kamal Kishore Singh (Jamui), Anil Kishore Yadav (Bhojpur), Paras Nath (East Champaran), G.P. Sinha (Nawada), Ashok Kumar Singh, Amit Kumar Jain and Kapileshwar Manjhi (headquarters).

The meeting of the departmental promotion committee (DPC) is scheduled to be held on February 11, a source said.

An IG rank officer Rakesh Kumar Mishra (1986 batch), who returned from central deputation in January, is waiting for posting.

Sources in the headquarters said three posts in the IG rank were vacant, and he could be posted in one.

At present there are 41 vacancies in the sanctioned strength of the IPS in Bihar. The sanctioned strength of IPS is 231.

Of them 161 are for the direct recruit IPS officers while the remaining posts are to be filled up with the officers of the state service.

The Union government increased the sanctioned strength of Bihar cadre IPS officers last year.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar raised the issue of vacancies in direct recruit IPS officers of Bihar cadre at a high-level meeting held on internal security in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a few days ago.

Bihar has been allotted seven IPS officers of 2009 batch. These IPS officers on probation have been posted in different district.