The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday approved the appointment of senior Chhattisgarh cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sundarraj Pattilingam as Inspector General in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Central deputation. In an official communication dated June 16, 2026, addressed to the Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh, the MHA conveyed the approval of the competent authority for the appointment of Sundarraj P, a 2003-batch IPS officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, as Inspector General in the country’s premier anti-terror investigation agency. However, some time still remains before the officer is formally relieved for his Central assignment. Sundarraj is expected to continue discharging his responsibilities as Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, until the State Government finalises administrative arrangements for his successor.

 

Official sources indicated that a major IPS reshuffle is likely before the end of June or during July, with the posting of a new Bastar Range IG expected to precede his relieving. The MHA order stated that the appointment has been made against an existing vacancy in the NIA and will be governed by the usual terms and conditions applicable to Central deputation assignments. The Ministry has requested the Chhattisgarh Government to relieve the officer immediately to enable him to assume his new responsibilities at the Centre without delay. The communication, issued by Sanjeev Kumar, Under Secretary to the Government of India, has also been marked to the Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh, and the Director General of the NIA. The agency has been asked to intimate the Ministry regarding the date of joining of the officer. Sundarraj P has been instrumental with several major anti-Naxal operations and security initiatives in Bastar, where he has served one of the longest tenures among senior field commanders in recent years.

 

“His appointment as Inspector General in the NIA is being viewed as a significant recognition of his operational experience and expertise in internal security, counter-insurgency and anti-terror operations,” a senior IPS officer at Police Headquarters (PHQ) told The Hitavada.