Shimla (HP), Jan 2 (PTI) Hours after shifting state police chief Sanjay Kundu to the Ayush department as principal secretary, the Himachal Pradesh government Tuesday gave IPS officer Satwant Atwal Trivedi additional charge of the Director General of Police.

Trivedi, a 1996-batch IPS officer, is presently posted as additional DGP (vigilance and anti-corruption bureau) and CID.

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The notification issued by the government said she would hold additional charge of the DGP till further orders. Earlier in June 2023 too, she was given additional charge of the DGP when Kundu went on a leave.

The first IPS women officer from Himachal, Trivedi was awarded the President's Police Medal (PPM) for distinguished service in January 2023.

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She also holds the distinction of being the first IPS women officer of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Border Security Force (BSF) and is known for raising her voice for issues related to women in uniform.

Atwal hails from Bilaspur in Himachal. She is an alumna of St Bede's College. She was also the first woman SP in Himachal.

Kundu was shifted in compliance with the Himachal Pradesh High Court orders which had directed to move him and the Kangra district police chief so that they do not influence the probe in a businessman's complaint about threat to his life.

In its order on December 26, 2023, the High Court had said it was intervening due to "exceptional circumstances" in the matter, "more particularly when the respondent Home Secretary had chosen to turn a blind eye" to material presented in the case.

In his complaint, Palampur-based businessman Nishant Sharma has alleged threat to him, his family and property. He had also questioned the role of the Director General of Police who had allegedly made calls to him, asking him to come to Shimla.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)