The Government of Punjab on 7 November 2026 promoted four 1995-batch Indian Police Service officers to the rank of Director General of Police and assigned new charges to seven senior officers, according to orders issued by the Department of Home Affairs and Justice. Promod Ban has been posted as Special DGP of the Anti-Gangster Task Force.
The promotions place Mohd Faiyaz Farooqui, Promod Ban, Amit Prasad and G. Nageswara Rao in the DGP rank at Level 16 of the pay matrix, with immediate effect. The orders were signed by Alok Shekhar, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Home Affairs and Justice, and copies were sent to the Union Home Secretary, the Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and the Director General of Police. The round sits against a wider national debate on how states fill top police posts, including the Supreme Court’s scrutiny of DGP appointment rules.
Which Punjab IPS officers were promoted to DGP rank?
Farooqui, Ban, Prasad and Nageswara Rao, all of the 1995 batch, have been elevated to Director General rank. Kapil Dev, also a 1995-batch officer and currently on Central deputation, has been granted pro forma promotion to the same grade. His pay and other benefits during deputation, and after he rejoins the state cadre, will be regulated under the applicable rules, The Tribune reported.
The elevation is one of Punjab’s larger DGP-rank movements this year and follows earlier state police reshuffles, including a May 2025 transfer of nine senior Punjab IPS officers that posted Varinder Kumar as DGP of the State Human Rights Commission.
Promod Ban takes charge of the Anti-Gangster Task Force
After the promotion, Promod Ban has been posted as Special DGP of the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF). Amit Prasad has been appointed Special DGP, Counter Intelligence. Farooqui has been posted as Special DGP, State Armed Police, Jalandhar Cantonment. Gollapalli Nageswara Rao has been appointed Special DGP, Provisioning, and will hold additional charge as Special DGP, Modernisation.
Ban, a 1995-batch Punjab-cadre officer, had earlier handled assignments linked to counter-intelligence, modernisation, Chief Minister’s security and Special Crimes and Economic Offences, according to biographical notes compiled with the 7 November order. The AGTF posting puts a newly elevated Director General over the state’s specialised anti-gangster unit.
Other Special DGP and additional charges
Dr Jitendra Kumar Jain, a 1993-batch officer who was Special DGP at Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), Patiala, has been posted as Special DGP, Railways. He will continue to hold the PSPCL charge in addition. Anita Punj, a 1994-batch officer who is Special DGP, Human Resource Development and Welfare, has been given additional charge as Special DGP, Human Rights.
Reports of the same Home Department order also name Gautam Cheema, a 1995-batch officer, as ADGP, Law and Order. All officers have been directed to join their new places of posting immediately. The pattern of pairing promotions with fresh operational charges is familiar from other recent state police moves, such as Uttar Pradesh’s February 2026 transfer of five senior IPS officers.
Why the Punjab IPS order matters
Elevating four 1995-batch officers to DGP rank fills Level 16 posts that oversee anti-gangster operations, counter-intelligence, the State Armed Police, provisioning and modernisation. Pairing those promotions with named Special DGP charges, plus Railways, Human Rights and Law and Order, reduces interim gaps at the top of Punjab Police.
The order also continues a year of frequent administrative movement in the state, seen earlier in a August 2025 transfer of 22 Punjab IAS officers. Primary reports of the 7 November notification are available from The Tribune and Indian Masterminds.
Key takeaways
- Mohd Faiyaz Farooqui, Promod Ban, Amit Prasad and G. Nageswara Rao (IPS 1995) have been promoted to DGP rank (Level 16); Kapil Dev received pro forma promotion while on Central deputation.
- Promod Ban is Special DGP, Anti-Gangster Task Force; Prasad heads Counter Intelligence; Farooqui heads State Armed Police, Jalandhar Cantonment; Nageswara Rao heads Provisioning and Modernisation.
- Dr Jitendra Kumar Jain is Special DGP, Railways, while retaining PSPCL, Patiala; Anita Punj adds Human Rights; Gautam Cheema is ADGP, Law and Order.
Featured image: Promod Ban IPS, appointed Special DGP of Punjab’s Anti-Gangster Task Force. Photo: Nationalist.India via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).