By IANS
New Delhi : Gopal Sharma, who heads the Jammu and Kashmir police force, is likely to become the Delhi Police Commissioner, police sources said Wednesday.
Although there is no official confirmation, police sources both in New Delhi and in Srinagar said Sharma had been given the first layer of government clearance to move him from the insurgency-hit state to New Delhi.
In the national capital, no officer was willing to go on record over Sharma. However, a senior officer who has worked with Sharma told IANS that he would be a great asset to Delhi Police.
"He is a very seasoned officer and would be the right person to occupy the seat," the official said.
Senior police officers said the present police commissioner K.K. Paul is set to join the Union Public Services Commission, which means the race for the job of top cop in the city is well and truly on.
Alongside the buzz about Sharma, there is strong speculation that the reins of the city police could be handed over to either Kiran Bedi – a policewoman known for her toughness – or Y.S Dadwal, who is a special commissioner with Delhi Police.
Paul, who joined the IPS in 1970, will complete his tenure on Feb 29, 2008, while Bedi still has two years to go before retirement.
"Bedi, who is second in seniority to Paul and is followed by Dadwal, has the strongest chance to become the new police commissioner," a senior officer told IANS. Dadwal joined the police service in 1974.
Bedi has served in the rank of Joint Commissioner in Delhi Police before being promoted as Director General of the Home Guards. Recently, she was appointed Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development.
While some senior officers say Bedi has the powerful backing of Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna, others think she may be too high profile a person for such a sensitive job.
"She would have been made the police chief four months back if the government had actually wished to give her the deserving post," one senior officer said.
Another added: "She was deliberately shifted to the Bureau of Police Research and Development to placate male egos at the highest level of Delhi Police."