Rashmi Ranjan Swain, a senior IPS officer from the 1991 batch, is set to assume the role of Director General of Police (DGP) for the J&K Police force on October 31.
He will succeed Dilbag Singh, who will retire as the longest-serving Police chief of J&K on the same day.
Swain has served as the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in both Srinagar and Jammu, the capital cities.
Having spent over 15 years on central deputation, he has held various significant roles, including a foreign posting as a recognition of his exceptional abilities.
It is anticipated that the official appointment of Swain as the J&K Police chief will be announced in the coming days, according to reliable sources.
Well placed sources informed The Kashmiriyat that his name was the sole one recommended by the officials in the Jammu Kashmir administration to the Home Ministry.
Who is Swain?
R. R. Swain, an IPS officer from the 1991 batch, was initially stationed in Jammu and Kashmir until 2005 before transitioning to central deputation.
During his tenure in Kashmir, particularly between 2001 and 2004, Swain held the position of SSP in Srinagar from 2001 to 2003 and SSP in Jammu from 2003 to 2004. Additionally, he served as SSP in Ramban, Poonch, and Leh.
His roles in J&K also included serving as Assistant Inspector General and Deputy Inspector General of Police in the J&K Vigilance organization from 2004 to 2006.
Subsequently, Swain moved to central deputation, where he took on various responsibilities, including a foreign posting, typically reserved for exceptional officers in their respective fields.
In June 2020, the J&K government requested his return to the region. On June 15, he was appointed as the intelligence chief of J&K, replacing B. Srinivas.
Swain’s approach emphasized not only eliminating militants but also “identifying those who aided and sheltered them”, with particular attention to Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and support networks.
His rigorous efforts also strangled the funding militancy in Kashmir, significantly weakening militancy in J&K.
In November 2021, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) was established in J&K to combat militancy. Swain played a pivotal role in its formation, becoming its first director.
The SIA has since been involved in solving longstanding cases, including the murder of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir, Molvi Muhammad Farooq, and has investigated various militancy-related and narco cases, even making arrests in other states across the country.