Kerala: Satheesan govt’s first big police shake-up, 30 IPS officers shifted

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: 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.