The mountain ahead: Annamalai to crest new peak
After a very brief stint in Ramanagara as SP, Mr Annamalai took charge as the DCP (Bengaluru South) in October last year.
Bengaluru: The resignation of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru South), K Anna malai, popularly known as the 'Singham' of the Karnataka police, may seem like a bolt from the blue. However, the state's braveheart cop has been considering the move for about six months, finally resigning from the Indian Police Service (IPS) on Tuesday.
In a carefully-worded letter, addressed to his friends and well-wishers, the DCP, said he wanted to spend time with his family and friends, be a good father to his son and do farming. However, sources say the officer plans to join politics in Tamil Nadu and is likely to contest the upcoming Assembly poll in that state. The Director-General of Police Railways, D. Roopa Moudgil, who is Anna-malai's colleague said as much on Twitter, lending credence to whispers through the grape vine. "Spoke to Annamalai, IPS .@DCPSouthBCP. He has tendered resignation today. He is plunging into politics. It requires guts, boldness to leave cushy, secure , hard earned IPS job. Its heartening to see such achievers n youngsters diving into politics. Wishing him all the best.” In his own letter, Mr Annamalai did hint that he wanted a platform from where he could “speak freely about public issues” and admitted that his nine years in the IPS didn’t allow him to be as outspoken as he would have liked, at certain times.
"Last year, my visit to Kailash Mansarovar was an eye-opener, as it helped me see my priorities in life better. All good things have to come to an end and I have decided my time in kakhi is done. I wanted to leave post the Lok Sabha elections as I didn't want to inconvenience the government by resigning before the polls. If my resignation has caused you any anguish, my sincere apologies. I honestly believe I have to do this now," he wrote.
A graduate of the PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore and Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, the officer began his career as Asistant Superintendent of Police of Karkala sub-division in Dakshina Kannada in 2013 and was later promoted as Superintendent of Police of Udupi district on January 1, 2015.
He was transferred and posted as Superintendent of Police of Chikkamagaluru district in July 2016 and deftly handled the communal riots at Bababudangiri in 2017. There, he organised a peace meet between Hindus and Muslims following incidents of vandalism at the communally-disputed Sufi shrine. He even took on ISIS at Kundapur, studying the Quran to find a deeper connect with the Muslims there, even giving talks on Islam at mosques in the area.
After a very brief stint in Ramanagara as SP, Mr Annamalai took charge as the DCP (Bengaluru South) in October last year.