With Alok Kumar Verma likely to head CBI, hectic lobbying on for top job

New Delhi: With Delhi police commissioner Alok Kumar Verma emerging as the frontrunner for the post of CBI director, senior IPS officers have reportedly started lobbying for the post of the city’s top cop. Among the names doing rounds for the police chief’s post are CRPF additional DG Deepak Mishra, CISF additional DG Dharmendra Kumar, special police commissioner (administration) Amulya Patnaik and Gujarat cadre officer Rakesh Asthana.

It is reliably learnt that Mr Verma, after serving as the head of the force for 11 months, is likely to take over as the CBI chief by the end of this month. Soon after reports suggested that Mr Verma was leaving the force, four IPS officers reportedly started hectic lobbying to take over the post.

While Mr Mishra and Mr Kumar have served in various capacities in the Delhi Police, Mr Patnaik is heading the force’s key administrative wing. It is only Mr Asthana, who was appointed as additional director of the CBI in April, who has not served in the city police.

A senior officer said that Mr Asthana is also in the race as the 1984 batch IPS officer is considered close to both PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. “Since the other three in the race have all the knowledge about the city police, there are chances that the government may finally pick one of them to head the Delhi police,” a senior officer told this newspaper.

It was during former Police commissioner B.S. Bassi’s tenure that both Mr Mishra and Mr Kumar were handling key departments in the force. Mr Mishra had been entrusted with handling law and order and Mr Kumar was the special unit coordinator of the force. After Mr Bassi retired, both Mr Mi-shra and Mr Kumar opted out of the force. After Mr Verma took over, he chose Mr Patnaik as the Special CP (Administration).