YS Ramesh

Ranchi, July 3: The state administration did not waste any time and appointed a young IPS officer as Pakur superintendent of police, a day after the death of former SP Amarjit Balihar in a Naxalite ambush in Dumka.

According to a notification issued by the state home department today after receiving a nod from Raj Bhavan, 30-year-old Y.S. Ramesh, who is currently posted as sub-divisional police officer at Tandwa in rebel-hit Chatra district, will succeed Balihar.

Ramesh, who belongs to the IPS 2010 batch and has completed his probation from Bokaro district, confirmed his new posting.

“The state has trusted me with a huge responsibility. I hope to tackle it efficiently and tactfully, besides overcoming what happened yesterday. It is certainly a big challenge for me, but I will put in my best,” Ramesh told The Telegraph.

Ramesh hails from Karnataka’s Bellary district, which is famous for huge iron ore reserves.

Sources in the state home department said the decision to appoint Ramesh as the next Pakur SP was taken soon after home secretary N.N. Pandey returned from Dumka this afternoon. Files pertaining to his transfer were sent to Raj Bhavan for the final go-ahead.

However, a section of state bureaucrats opined that sending a fresh IPS to the trouble-prone districts was not a smart move. “The state brass should have sent an experienced police officer to the district,” said an IAS officer.

The home secretary had also visited the spot, where Balihar and five others, including a driver, were killed by Maoists yesterday afternoon. The rebels had struck along the forested tracks of Kathikund and Gipikander on Dumka-Pakur Road, about 29km from Dumka, which is the district headquarters as well as the commissionary headquarters of Santhal Pargana division.

The administration has responded quickly to the fresh challenges posed by the attack and looks set to give a strong reply to the rebels with governor’s adviser Anand Shankar rushing to Dumka soon after paying tribute to Balihar at Jharkhand Armed Police grounds in Doranda. Dumka zone IG Arun Oraon, who was on medical leave, is also returning to the headquarters.

Before leaving for Dumka, Shankar said: “We have not been demoralised or jolted. We will take strong measures. Police cannot share operational details with the media, but we are firm on our goals.”