In three separate orders, the Jammu and Kashmir administration transferred senior police officers with immediate effect.

This came a day after senior IPS officer Nalin Prabhat was appointed as Special DG of Jammu and Kashmir Police. He will assume the role of the force's chief following the retirement of R R Swain on September 30.

The developments in the Union Territory's police force as well as several transfers and posting of officials in the civil administration are seen by many as a precursor to the assembly election in the Union Territory that has to be held before September 30, a deadline set by the Supreme Court.

The Election Commission will announce the schedule for assembly elections on Friday afternoon. However, it is still not clear for which states the election schedule will be announced.

An order issued by the government said, "In the interest of administration, it is hereby ordered that Nitish Kumar, IPS (AGMUT: 1999) ADGP CID is posted as Head of CID, relieving R R Swain, IPS (AGMUT: 1991) DGP, J&K of the additional charge of the post."

In a separate document, the government ordered the transfer of 12 senior police officers including Inspectors General of Police (IGPs) and Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs).

Bhim Sen Tuti, IGP (Hqrs) PHQ, with additional charge of IGP (POS) and IGP Traffic, has been posted as IGP (POS) with additional charge of IGP (Hqrs) PHQ, IGP (Technical Services) and IGP (Telecom).

Sunil Gupta, DIG, Jammu-Samba-Kathua Range, has been posted as Incharge IGP Crime, while Sujit Kumar, DIG CID, has been posted as Incharge IGP Security. Shiv Kumar has been posted as the new DIG Jammu-Samba-Kathua Range.

Vivek Gupta, DIG, north Kashmir range, has been posted as Incharge IGP Railways J&K, and M Suleman Choudhary, DIG Personnel (PHQ), has been posted as Incharge IGP traffic, the order said.

The government also shifted the DIG of the Police's State Investigation Agency (SIA), Ajeet Singh, who has been posted as DIG Traffic Kashmir.

The order said Vinod Kumar has been posted as incharge DIG Armed Jammu, while as Maqsood-ul-Zaman has been posted as incharge DIG North Kashmir.

Mubassir Latifi Ameer has been posted as incharge DIR(Pers) PHQ, while Rashmi Wazir has been posted as DIG security, J&K, and Rajeshwar Singh has been posted as incharge DIG SIA.

In another order, the J-K administration shifted the police chiefs of several districts including those from the Jammu region that has witnessed an upsurge in terror attacks in recent months.

The districts of Jammu, Ramban, Kathua, Reasi, Udhampur, Doda and Poonch have got new police chiefs.

Gurinderpal Singh has been posted as SSP Baramulla, Nagpure Amod Ashok as SSP Udhampur, Mumtaz Ahmed as SSP Poonch, Mohammad Aslam as SSP Doda, Deepika as SSP Kathua, Gaurav Sikawar as SSP Reasi, Kulbir Singh as SSP Ramban, and Joginder Singh as the new SSP Jammu, the order said.

The districts in the Kashmir Valley that also got new police chiefs include Shopian and Ganderbal. While Ananyat Ali Choudhary has been posted as the SSP of Shopian, Wasim Qadri is the new SSP of Ganderbal.

Similarly, Amritpal Singh has been posted as SSP (Tech) CID Hqrs, Sandeep Gupta as AIG (Tech) PHQ, Anuj Kumar as CO IR-11, Tunushree as SP SIA Kashmir, Mohita Sharma as AIG (Prov) PHQ, Ashok Kumar Sharma as CO 1 Border Batallion Jammu, Yougal Kumar Manhas as SSP SIA Jammu, Al-Tahir Geelani as AIG (procurement) PHQ, Shaheen Wahid as SSP Telecom Jammu, Sandeep Bhat as Additional SP Udhampur, and Baljeet Singh as Additional SP Nowshera.