It’s hard not to see the flight of over a dozen IAS officers from Tripura’s cadre as a crypto-threshold moment. Between 2019 and 2023, young administrative talent from IAS batches of 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and even 2023 have been migrating, often in tandem with life changes such as marriage, to other states, including Rajasthan, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana.
While cadre transfers for marriage aren’t a scandal, what happens when they turn into a slow haemorrhage? Tripura’s government is increasingly borrowing TCS (Tripura Civil Service) officers to fill gaps, piling extra roles such as acting SDM onto younger, local babus juggling too much, while swallowing senior-level responsibilities.
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This isn’t simply a numbers game. It is chipping away at institutional memory, weakening leadership at the district level, and leaving key developmental schemes rudderless. When the reserve pool drips out, you end up propping up the admin with less experienced folks playing catch-up.
That’s not all. Sources have informed DKB that Sonal Goel, the one uniform face that should offer assurance, has reportedly been MIA in Delhi, supposedly on childcare leave since July 2023, and no one in Agartala seems certain she’s even in office. That’s not just puzzling, it’s symbolic of a wider shrug of accountability.
The CM’s office hasn’t issued a peep on the broader implications. So, if replenishing talent isn’t a high priority, then perhaps bold steps like offering retention bonuses, incentives for rural postings, or fast-tracking leadership development for TCS officers should be on the table. Public service shouldn’t feel like a revolving door where the state loses while others gain.
Seniority doesn’t wear the stars
Nitin Agarwal can’t seem to catch a break. Kerala’s senior-most IPS officer from the 1989 batch has once again been overlooked for the state’s top police job, this time in favour of a junior, 1991-batch officer, R. A. Chandrasekhar. That’s two supersessions in two years.
And this wasn’t some routine reshuffle, sources have informed DKB. Chandrasekhar’s appointment as Kerala’s DGP and Head of Police Force was a finely choreographed move. He was serving as Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau and was technically not eligible for direct reassignment to the state. However, the Centre moves him to the Cabinet Secretariat as Secretary (Security) for exactly two weeks. From there, the Kerala government snapped him up. Smooth. Seamless. Suspiciously well-synced.
For Agarwal, it’s déjà vu. In 2023, the state picked Shaik Darvesh Saheb from the 1990 batch over him. And now, with Chandrasekhar’s entry, he’s once again reporting to a junior officer, perhaps until retirement in July next year.
What’s fuelling this pattern depends on who you ask. Some say Agarwal lacked the right political backing. Others hint at past run-ins with influential parties. The Congress has slammed Chandrasekhar’s appointment as a compromise between the Centre and the CPM. The Left is nervously defending it, given that Chandrasekhar has a controversial past. It includes his alleged involvement in the 1994 Koothuparamba firing case, where five DYFI activists were killed. He was acquitted, but the ghosts linger.
At the end of the day, seniority, service, and spotless records mean little if you’re not in favour. In Kerala’s DGP musical chairs, what matters most is not the batch year, but who’s got the better orchestra.
The farewell that wasn’t
It was supposed to be a send-off soaked in sentiment with a shawl, coconut, and speeches. The full retirement kit. After 55 months as Chief Secretary, Amitabh Jain was all set to walk into the sunset, complete with warm words from Governor Ramen Deka and a cabinet full of farewells. Then came the twist.
Just as the state’s top brass gathered to mark Jain’s last hurrah, a call from Delhi hit pause on the goodbye. In a move that’s unprecedented since Chhattisgarh became a state in 2000, the Centre extended Jain’s tenure by three months, reportedly with just a phone call. The farewell speeches were shelved, the shrifal suddenly looked premature, and the babus were left blinking in disbelief.
Jain now holds the distinction of being the first Chief Secretary in the state’s history to receive a post-retirement extension. While the corridors of power scrambled to adjust their plans, the rest of Raipur was left wondering: Why the extension? And who’s next?
Until that call, the guessing game was in full swing. Four senior officers, including Renu Pillay, Subrat Sahoo, Amit Agrawal, and Manoj Pingua, were in the running. Two names had apparently already been nixed. But the big question was whether Delhi would repatriate Union Pharmaceuticals Secretary Amit Agrawal or leave the choice to the state.
The extension may have given Delhi more time, but it also gave Raipur a political potboiler, scripted by the Centre. For now, the state has a Chief Secretary who got to retire and un-retire in a single day. Not many babus can claim that on their résumé!
By Dilip Cherian
