Top Rank? No Thanks! 75 cops say ‘No’ to ACP rank

 

 

Climbing the ranks is no longer the dream for many in Maharashtra police as many Police Inspectors (PIs) in Maharashtra are saying “no” to promotions. This year, 75 PIs have refused to become Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) or Sub-Divisional Police Officers (SDPO). The reason? They want to stay in powerful postings as in-charge of police stations, which they believe give them more control and influence. Noticing this growing trend, the Director General of Police has ordered all police units to take action.

 

These officers will now be moved from their current posts to non-executive roles. A communication in this regard has been sent by Additional Director General of Police (Establishment) Dr. Sukhwinder Singh to unit commanders across Maharashtra. Among the 75 officers who have refused promotion, the highest number - 24 are from Mumbai City, followed by nine each from Pune City and Thane City, six from Navi Mumbai, four from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), three each from Pimpri Chinchwad and CID Pune, two each from BDDS Pune City, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar City, and Solapur City. One officer each is from Nashik City, Nashik Rural, Raigad, Pune Rural, the State Intelligence Department, Ahilyanagar, Jalgaon, Solapur Rural, Sangli, Sambhajinagar Rural, and Mira-Bhayandar-Vasai-Virar. Sources revealed that a group of Police Inspectors in Mumbai has consistently delayed the promotion process from PI to ACP for reasons known best to them.

 

The list of officers who turned down promotions clearly shows the highest number from Mumbai City, while notably, no officer from Nagpur City has refused promotion. In the communication, ADG Dr. Singh included detailed guidelines. Point No. 6 in the Establishment Board instructions states that officers rejecting promotion must be immediately transferred to non-executive posts. A senior police official commented, “These officers should be flagged by unit commanders and permanently sidelined from executive roles. They are only interested in holding key positions without taking on the broader responsibilities that come with higher supervisory roles.”