A cryptic order from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, giving another officer additional charge of the post of Special Protection Group (SPG) Director has created confusion over the status of agency chief K. Durga Prasad, whose tenure ended on November 2 but was informally told then to continue till a regular appointment was made.
The order giving charge to the next senior officer, issued by B.P. Sharma, Secretary of the committee, was posted on the Department of Personnel and Training website on Tuesday evening. “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has directed that the charge of Director, Special Protection Group, may be looked after by the next senior-most officer till the appointment of a suitable successor,” it said. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is the other panel member.
The SPG is mandated to provide security to the Prime Minister and former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members.
The order does not clarify if Mr. Prasad has been relieved from the post. The order came when the SPG chief and his second-in-command were in Nepal with the Prime Minister’s entourage to the SAARC summit, which concludes on Friday.
“He is still in Nepal supervising security arrangements. His successor, S.S. Chaturvedi, is also accompanying him,” confirmed a government official. The tenure of Mr. Prasad, a 1981-batch IPS officer who was appointed SPG Director in November 2011, ended on November 2. However, he was informally told to continue till a regular appointment was made.
“After the order was brought to our notice on Tuesday evening, we informally raised the issue that its language was not clear. Second, a copy of the order had not been marked to Mr. Prasad to intimate him of the committee’s decision,” said the official. It is learnt that four senior officers, including A.K. Singh of the Gujarat cadre and O.P. Singh of the U.P. cadre, are being considered for the SPG Director’s post.
