Here is my code for creating the jqGrid
$(\"#ptDataGrid\").jqGrid({ datatype: \'local\', data: arrSpecData,
You can first set new data with respect of setGridParam and then call refreshIndex method (see the answer) to update the internally used _index parameter.
data
setGridParam
refreshIndex
_index
UPDATED: Click on the button "Change data" on the demo to verify that the approach work.