Odisha DGP Y.B. Khurania to Retire on August 16; Search Begins for New Police Chief
DGP-ON DESK
Manoj Kanta Dash, Odishabarta
Bhubaneswar, July 24: Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur (Y.B.) Khurania will retire from government service on August 16, 2026, marking the completion of his two-year tenure as the Head of the Odisha Police Force (HoPF).
The State Government has formally approved his retirement, setting the stage for the appointment of a new police chief.
According to a notification issued by the Home Department, “Shri Yogesh Bahadur Khurania, IPS (RR-1990), Director General of Police, Odisha (HoPF), is allowed to retire from Government service with effect from 16.08.2026 (AN) on completion of his service period.”
With Khurania’s retirement approaching, the process to select Odisha’s next DGP has gathered momentum.
The Odisha Police Headquarters has reportedly forwarded a panel of eligible senior IPS officers of the Director General rank to the State Government, which will be sent to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for final consideration.
Among the senior officers being considered for the coveted post, Sudhanshu Sarangi and R.P. Koche have emerged as the leading contenders.
Y.B. Khurania assumed charge as the Director General of Police on August 16, 2024, after returning to Odisha from Central deputation, where he was serving as Special Director General, Border Security Force (BSF), Headquarters, New Delhi.
A 1990-batch IPS officer, Khurania has had a distinguished policing career spanning more than three decades. In Odisha, he served as Superintendent of Police in Nayagarh, Jajpur, Rourkela, Mayurbhanj, and Ganjam districts, earning a reputation for professional and people-centric policing.
He also held several key leadership positions, including Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Southern and Northern Ranges, Additional Commissioner of Police, Police Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate, and Director-cum-Inspector General of the Biju Patnaik State Police Academy (BPSPA).
During his tenure with the BSF, Khurania served as Special DG (Operations) at BSF Headquarters in New Delhi before being appointed Special DG, Western Command, further strengthening his credentials in national security and border management..
As Odisha prepares for a change in its top police leadership, all eyes are now on the UPSC-led selection process, which will determine who takes over as the next Director General of Police to lead the state’s law enforcement machinery.
