Chandigarh, Dec. 8 -- The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has returned Haryana government's proposal to prepare a panel of three IPS officers for appointing the new director general of police (DGP) with certain observations, it is learnt. The state government had recently sent a proposal to the UPSC containing the names of five IPS officers for convening the meeting of the empanelment committee headed by the UPSC chairman or member. The five included 1990-batch IPS officer Shatrujeet Kapur who was the head of the police force till October 14 but was asked to proceed on leave amid growing clamour for his ouster in wake of suicide by fellow IPS officer Y Puran Kumar. A 1992-batch officer OP Singh, who was only given the additional charge of the state DGP during the leave period of Kapur, is slated to retire on December 31. The other four officers who are holding the post of DGP in the state cadre in level-16 of the pay matrix and whose names were sent to the UPSC are SK Jain (1991 batch), Ajay Singhal (1992 batch), Alok Mittal and Arshinder Chawla (both of 1993 batch). The UPSC, in a communication to Haryana, has observed that as per the Supreme Court judgment on police reforms the state government is required to send its proposal in anticipation of the vacancy to the commission. However, since Shatrujeet Kapur is merely on leave and can join back as state DGP anytime, there would be no vacancy after the retirement of OP Singh. Also, the state government had mentioned in its proposal to the UPSC the reasons for Kapur being on leave since October 14, including the registration of an FIR of abetment to suicide and under provisions of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by Chandigarh Police following the death of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar. A former UPSC functionary told HT that for the state government to send a fresh proposal to the commission for convening a meeting of the empanelment committee, the element - occurrence of vacancy - has to be present. The UPSC has to prepare the panel as per the apex court's directions in Prakash Singh case. "Shatrujeet Kapur was appointed as Haryana DGP on August 16, 2023, for a minimum tenure of two years as per the landmark apex court judgment in Prakash Singh case. Since Kapur has completed his two-year tenure, there is no bar on transferring him for creating the vacancy provided the state government has made up its mind not to let him continue as the head of the police force. Since the Haryana government has already sent a proposal to the UPSC for preparing a panel for three IPS officers from whom one will be picked by the state government to head the police force, it is quite clear that the government is looking for a new DGP,'' said a former commission functionary. While the state government had sent Kapur's name in the proposal to the UPSC as he has 11 months to retire, the fact remains that it was sent on two counts - to get a new DGP after the retirement of OP Singh on December 31, and disinclination of the state government to allow Kapur to continue as head of the police force on returning from leave. In 2021, the state government while sending a proposal to the commission for empanelment of officers for appointment as DGP, Haryana had included the name of incumbent DGP Manoj Yadava as he had four years of service. However, since Yadava had sought repatriation to the Intelligence Bureau and did not give his consent for being considered for the job of head of police force, the UPSC did not include his name in the panel of three officers. Kapur though has not expressed his unwillingness....