Ignored transfers over years raise doubts over control, stalling postings across ranks
PANAJI
In a telling sign of administrative breakdown, hundreds of Goa Police personnel continue to defy transfer orders from their own superiors, forcing the department to reissue – yet again – directives that are routinely ignored.
The latest instruction, issued through a wireless message by Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Dharmesh Angle on the orders of Deputy Inspector General (Headquarters) Ajay Krishnan Sharma, follows repeated failures to implement transfer directions recommended by the Police Establishment Board (PEB) over the past several years.
An internal review earlier this year revealed that several personnel have remained in the same postings for more than five years, while others managed to return to their old positions without ever joining their new ones — a practice first exposed by The Goan in October 2024.
This year alone, 506 officers and personnel including three inspectors, 24 sub-inspectors, 39 assistant sub-inspectors, 60 head constables and 380 constables, have allegedly ignored their transfer orders. Two earlier reminders, issued on September 15 and 19, instructed immediate compliance, but to no effect.
Sources at the police headquarters said reluctance to relocate stems from fears of losing access to preferred postings permanently. Between 2020 and 2025, 73 personnel including five sub-inspectors and 20 head constables, have continued to evade transfers, often remaining in “temporary” arrangements for years.
The problem traces back to the 2024 transfer cycle, when a review in early 2025 found that nearly half of the 704 officers transferred in September 2024 were still occupying their original positions.
A reminder was issued on January 23, followed by another on April 3, when police headquarters demanded compliance reports and relieving letters.
A meeting the next day revealed that nearly 850 officers and personnel had not reported to their new posts – some because they were never relieved, others because they simply refused to move. Senior officers have conceded to The Goan that despite repeated warnings of disciplinary action, salary freezes and strict deadlines from Director General of Police Alok Kumar, there is open defiance across the force.
Meanwhile, after the April 4 meeting, the DIG ordered all transfers to be executed within 48 hours. When the deadline passed without major progress, the department issued a sweeping order on April 11, directing the immediate relieving of all officers transferred between 2020 and 2025. However, many personnel did not comply, even as Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had also warned that ignoring transfer orders would lead with strict action.
