Ravada A Chandrasekhar Appointed as Kerala Police Chief Amidst Past Controversy

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 30 (PTI): The Kerala government has appointed senior IPS officer Ravada A Chandrasekhar as the new police chief of the state, according to a government order issued on Monday. Chandrasekhar, who is currently serving as Special Director at the Intelligence Bureau on central deputation, will assume the role of Director General of Police-cum-State Police Chief of Kerala, the order stated.

This appointment was decided during a special cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Chandrasekhar will replace Shaik Darvesh Saheb, who is set to retire on Monday. The selection was made from a shortlist of senior officers recommended by the Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC) empanelment committee, as noted in a statement from the Chief Minister's Office.

Chandrasekhar, a 1991-batch IPS officer from Andhra Pradesh, expressed his excitement about returning to Kerala to take on this new role. He believes that his previous experience working in the state will be beneficial for his upcoming responsibilities, according to his remarks on a TV channel.

Until Chandrasekhar assumes office, the additional charge of the DGP will be held by Law and Order ADGP H Venkatesh IPS. This transition, however, has sparked some discontent among certain leaders of the ruling CPI(M). Chandrasekhar was one of the officials involved in a controversial police firing in Koothuparamba, Kannur, which resulted in the deaths of five DYFI activists decades ago, although the Kerala High Court quashed murder charges against him and other officials in 2012.

DYFI is the youth wing of the CPI(M). Senior CPI(M) leader from Kannur, P Jayarajan, commented on the incident, recalling Chandrasekhar's involvement as an officer on duty during the 1994 confrontation. Jayarajan emphasized that the appointment is an administrative decision, not a political one, stressing that it was made based on procedural directives.

He also mentioned DGP Nitin Agarwal, another shortlisted candidate, who had faced allegations of assaulting a CPI(M) leader. According to Jayarajan, the final decision to appoint Chandrasekhar was based on merit, and he confirmed that the CPI(M) only takes policy decisions while administrative ones lie with the government and cabinet.

Opposition Leader V D Satheesan commented on the appointment, suggesting that police decisions depend on the circumstances at the time. Regarding the Koothuparamba incident, he defended the police's actions, stating they were carried out under the provisions of the Police Act to protect a minister's life, amidst a protest against the then Cooperation Minister M V Raghavan over self-financing educational institutions.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)