Posting twist sees Panaji, Porvorim SDPOs swap charges

Panaji: In an unusual order issued by SP (headquarters) Tushar Vernekar, the officers already serving as sub-divisional police officers in Porvorim and Panaji have been given additional charge of each other’s posts. This means both Panaji and Porvorim will have two officers overseeing investigations.Senior police officers said the order was not issued as per procedure. They said postings of SP are issued by govt, while postings of DySP are handled by the police establishment board.The order, issued on Sept 28, 2026, said: “Vishwesh Karpe, SP presently holding the charge of SDPO Panaji shall hold the charge of SDPO Porvorim, with immediate effect, until further orders. Similarly, Sudesh Naik, SDPO Porvorim shall hold the charge of SDPO Panaji, with immediate effect, until further orders. This is issued with the approval of DGP, Goa.”The order does not say the officers are giving up their existing duties. Despite this, both officers took charge of the new offices.Earlier, on Sept 10, 2026, the state govt had transferred SP Vishwesh Karpe as SDPO Porvorim and given him charge of SDPO Panaji. That order said Karpe would hold charge of SDPO Panaji and give up charge of SDPO Porvorim with immediate effect.Former deputy inspector general of police Bosco George criticised the Sept 28 order. He said postings of DySP made by the police establishment board, while postings of SP are issued by govt. He also said approval from DGP was not required.He said the order reminded him of a James Bond quote, “Once is a mistake, second is a coincidence, third is enemy action.”“In this case, the first mistake is mass promotion to SPs; second mistake is SPs being posted as SDPOs, degrading the post; third, posting is usurped in the name of DG, as DSP’s posting is done by police establishment board (PEB) and SP’s posting is issued by the govt; there is no requirement of DG approval. This is indeed an enemy action,” George said.In Jan 2026, state govt promoted 19 DySP to the post of SP. Nearly a year later, some of them are still being posted in DySP roles. Govt had also relaxed service rules to carry out the promotions.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Goa | Silver Rate in Goa | Bank Holidays in Goa | Public Holidays in Goa | Petrol Price in GoaStay updated with the latest Goa news. Download the TOI App.