Kerala: Satheesan govt's first big police shake-up, 30 IPS officers shifted
Thiruvananthapuram, June 12
The first major reshuffle of the Kerala Police leadership after the Pinarayi Vijayan government was replaced by the V.D. Satheesan-led government has brought sweeping changes at the top, with several officers who had been kept away from crucial assignments during the previous regime returning to key positions.
This reshuffle was expected after Satheesan and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had met the other day.
In one of the biggest shake-ups in recent years, around 30 senior IPS officers from the level of district police chiefs and upwards have been transferred as part of a major restructuring of the force.
The most significant move is the appointment of P. Vijayan as the new ADGP in charge of Law and Order, the most critical operational post in the police hierarchy.
Vijayan, who was heading the Intelligence wing, has also been given additional charge of Cyber Operations.
The reshuffle also sees ADGP S. Sreejith moved out of Police Headquarters and appointed as the new ADGP (Prisons).
Balram Kumar Upadhyay, who was heading Prisons, has been shifted as ADGP, Armed Police Battalion.
H. Venkitesh has been given full charge as Crime Branch ADGP, while Dinendra Kashyap has been appointed as Intelligence ADGP after being moved from the Armed Police Battalion.
At the IG level, Harshitha Attalluri has been appointed as IG, Police Headquarters.
S. Shyam Sundar has been posted as IG of the newly created Crime Branch X-Cadre post, while R. Nishanthini has been moved from Headquarters IG to Intelligence IG.
The changes have also affected the key range and city policing posts. Yatish Chandra has been shifted from Kannur Range DIG to Ernakulam Range DIG.
Karthik, who was the Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner, has been appointed Thrissur Range DIG.
Narayanan T., who was Thrissur Range DIG, has been transferred as Kannur Range DIG.
Dr Arul R.B. Krishna, who was Ernakulam Range DIG, has been appointed the new Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner.
The reshuffle is also notable for bringing officers such as Shoukathali and Shaji Sugunan into significant law-and-order roles after years.
Shoukathali, who has now been appointed Kozhikode City Police Commissioner, had earlier handled the investigation into the murder case of T. P. Chandrasekharan.
The sweeping changes are being seen as the first major administrative imprint of the Satheesan government on the police force, signalling a shift in priorities at the top level of the state's law enforcement machinery.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally! Some officers who were sidelined during the previous regime are getting their due. P. Vijayan is a good choice for Law and Order ADGP. Hope this signals a cleaner, more efficient police force in Kerala. 🙏
Shifting 30 IPS officers at once - that's quite a statement by the new government. Let's see if this translates to better crime control, especially in cities like Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Crime rates have been concerning lately.
I'm cautiously optimistic. Shoukathali getting Kozhikode City Police Commissioner post is interesting - he handled the TP Chandrasekharan murder case well. But we need to see if these changes actually improve ground-level policing, especially for women's safety and cyber crime. 🤔
Big reshuffle. But is this about merit or political loyalty? Hope the new government focuses on professional policing rather than settling scores.
Good to see Dr Arul R.B. Krishna as new Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner. He has a solid track record in Ernakulam range. Hope he brings the same efficiency to the capital city. Also glad to see Harshitha Attalluri as IG Police HQ - representation matters! 👩✈️
Honestly, these top-level reshuffles rarely impact common people like
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