Jai Narayan Pankaj Takes Charge as IG, Southern Range
Manoj Kanta Dash,Odishabarta
Editor-in-Chied
New IGP Pledges to Strengthen Policing and Improve Coordination Across Four Southern Odisha Districts
Brahmapur;(01/09/26):Senior IPS officer Jai Narayan Pankaj on Tuesday assumed charge as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Southern Range, Brahmapur, succeeding senior IPS officer Niti Shekhar.
Pankaj formally took charge at the Southern Range headquarters in Brahmapur in the presence of senior police officials and personnel.
A 2005-batch IPS officer of the Odisha cadre, Pankaj expressed gratitude to the Odisha Government for entrusting him with the responsibility. He said his focus would be on further strengthening policing, ensuring effective law-and-order management and improving coordination among police units across the Southern Range.
The Southern Range comprises Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal and Boudh districts. Pankaj said maintaining effective policing and enhancing coordination among the police forces in these districts would remain among his key priorities.
Prior to his present assignment, Pankaj was serving as Inspector General of Police, Intelligence, Odisha, Bhubaneswar.
He succeeds Niti Shekhar, who was transferred from the post and posted as Inspector General of Police (Provisioning), Police Headquarters, as part of a major reshuffle of senior IPS officers effected by the Odisha Government on August 21, 2026.
A Career Marked by Operational Leadership
Jai Narayan Pankaj is a Direct Recruit IPS officer of the 2005 batch, selected through the UPSC Civil Services Examination and belonging to the Odisha cadre. He joined the Indian Police Service on August 22, 2005.
During his career, Pankaj has served in several important policing assignments across Odisha, including as Superintendent of Police in Nayagarh, Bhadrak, Kandhamal, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Bargarh and Keonjhar districts.
He has handled a wide range of challenging responsibilities, including Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) operations, communal harmony, corruption-related investigations and law-and-order management.
While serving as SP, Vigilance, he was associated with the Vigilance Division that received recognition for its performance. During his tenure as DIG, STF, he played an important role in operations leading to the seizure of large quantities of brown sugar and was also honoured with the DGP Disc.
Key Career Milestones
2019–2020: DIG of Police, STF, Bhubaneswar
2023–2024: IGP, STF, Bhubaneswar
2024–2025: IGP, Operations, Bhubaneswar
2024–2025: Recipient of the Governor’s Medal
2025–2026: IGP, Intelligence, Odisha, Bhubaneswar
2026: Assumed charge as IGP, Southern Range, Brahmapur
With his extensive experience in intelligence, special operations, vigilance and district policing, Pankaj now takes charge of the Southern Range at a time when effective coordination, crime prevention and responsive policing remain key priorities for the region
