Meghalaya may get acting DGP as Idashisha Nongrang retires on Nov 19

Meghalaya could end up with an acting Director General of Police (DGP) later this month, as the tenure of Idashisha Nongrang, the state's first woman police chief, ends on November 19 and the process to select her successor has reportedly not begun.

According to a report by Legend Officers, a portal that tracks civil service appointments, the state government has not yet sent its list of eligible IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for empanelment.

Reminders from the UPSC

The report says the UPSC asked the state to send its proposal on May 14 and followed up with reminders on August 5 and September 24, but had not received a panel. NEInsider could not independently confirm the correspondence, and the state government has not commented publicly.

Under the Supreme Court's directions on police reforms, states must send names of eligible officers to the UPSC well before a DGP post falls vacant. The commission then shortlists three officers, from whom the state picks its police chief, who gets a minimum two-year tenure. The court has repeatedly criticised states that appoint acting DGPs instead of following this process.

With nine days left, it is unlikely that the empanelment can be completed in time, which would leave the government to give interim charge to a senior officer.

Nongrang's tenure

Nongrang, a 1992-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, took over as DGP on May 20, 2024, after L R Bishnoi retired. Her two-year term was due to end on May 19, 2026, but the state granted her a six-month extension in February, taking her tenure to November 19.

Her appointment in 2024 was widely seen as a milestone for the matrilineal state, where she became the first woman to head the police force.

Why it matters

The DGP oversees law and order in a state that has recently dealt with the illegal coal mining issue, militant surrenders from the banned HNLC, and border tensions with Assam. A regular appointment through the UPSC process gives the police chief a fixed tenure and is meant to shield the post from political pressure.

The Meghalaya government is yet to say whether it will send a panel to the UPSC or name an interim chief.

NEInsider will update this story when the state government announces its decision.