Bhubaneswar :  The Odisha government Tuesday appointed senior police officer Prakash Mishra as the state s new Director General of Police, shifting incumbent Manmohan Praharaj to the department of home guards and fire services, officials said.

The 56-year-old Mishra, at present Director General of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Delhi, is a 1977 batch Indian Police Service officer.

The state government had recently formally requested the union home ministry for his return and appointed him after the union ministry s nod, a senior official in the office of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here told IANS.

It was not clear when Mishra will assume charge of his new job. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was reportedly unhappy with Praharaj after a rebel leader of ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) attempted a leadership change in May to dislodge the Patnaik government and the police department failed to get the clue. Praharaj has been state police chief since 2008.