IPS Officer Anurag Sujaniya Sends Resignation Four Days After Sagar SP Removal

A 2014-batch IPS officer, Anurag Sujaniya, has sent his resignation from the Indian Police Service to the Madhya Pradesh government. He sent the resignation on Monday and cited personal reasons for his decision.

The resignation comes only four days after Sujaniya was removed as Superintendent of Police, or SP, of Sagar and posted as Assistant Inspector General, or AIG, at the police headquarters in Bhopal.

Although the resignation letter mentions personal reasons, discussions have intensified over whether his removal from the Sagar SP post after the spurious liquor case also influenced the decision. Sujaniya had been in charge of the police administration in both Morena and Sagar when major spurious liquor incidents took place.

The development has triggered discussion in police and administrative circles across Madhya Pradesh. Attention is also focused on the meeting scheduled to be held by Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav this evening.

Two spurious liquor cases during his tenure

The sequence of controversies linked to Sujaniya’s police career began in Morena and was later repeated in Sagar.

In 2021, 24 people died after consuming spurious liquor in Morena. At the time, Sujaniya was the SP of Morena. Following the incident, he was removed from the command of the district.

Sujaniya was later posted to Sagar. A spurious liquor case then emerged in the Banda area of the district. According to government figures, 15 people died in the incident that took place in September 2026.

The Sagar incident created turmoil from state politics to the administrative establishment. Questions were raised over the functioning of the police and the issue of administrative accountability.

After the deaths in the Banda area, then-SP Anurag Sujaniya took action against police personnel connected with the Banda police station and the Googara police outpost. Around 40 police personnel were attached to the police lines.

Despite that action, questions continued to be raised over administrative accountability in the case. The incident remained a major issue within the police department and the state administration.

Removed as Sagar SP on 27 October

On 27 October, the state government carried out a major administrative reshuffle and removed Anurag Sujaniya from the post of Sagar SP.

The government appointed 2016-batch IPS officer Sanjeev Kumar Sinha as the new SP of Sagar. Sujaniya was transferred to the Bhopal police headquarters and given the responsibility of AIG.

His resignation has now come only four days after that change. In his resignation letter, he has referred to personal reasons for leaving the Indian Police Service.

The timing has made the decision a subject of discussion because Sujaniya had headed the police administration in two districts where major spurious liquor cases occurred. He was also removed from the district command after both incidents.

The resignation follows the removal from the Sagar SP post and the subsequent posting at the Bhopal police headquarters. However, the stated reason in the resignation letter is personal.

Attention on Chief Minister’s meeting

Deaths caused by spurious liquor and the question of administrative accountability had already raised questions in the state. Against this backdrop, the Chief Minister’s meeting scheduled for this evening is being closely watched.

It remains to be seen which issues are discussed at the meeting and what position the government takes on the resignation of the IPS officer.

The key question now is whether Anurag Sujaniya’s resignation was taken only for personal reasons, or whether the events surrounding his removal from the district command after two major spurious liquor cases also influenced his decision.

The answer will become clear from his official statement and the government’s position.