Kerala police reshuffle: Politics, niceties behind postings

Thiruvananthapuram: Political pressures and humanitarian  considerations, apart from competency,  seemed to have worked in the  major shuffle of IPS officers by the LDF government. While many young officers with good track record  could make a comeback to the law and order stream, many competent officers were kept off key portfolios.

DGP Intelligence A. Hemachandran, an officer with integrity, was shifted from the post owing to political compulsions as he worked closely with the previous UDF government. He had even served as ADGP (Intelligence) under the previous LDF government.

Though the LDF government’s first choice as Intelligence chief  was ADGP Crimes A. Aananthakrishnan, he had declined the post and subsequently it  decided to post R. Sreelekha, overlooking the  desire of Rishiraj Singh for the key post, it is learnt. Sreelekha,  belonging to the 1987 batch,   is the first woman IPS officer in the state.

Mr N. Shanker Reddy was shifted from Vigilance director post as he headed the probe into the conspiracy behind the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder, which reportedly pointed fingers at some CPM top leaders. The removal of Mr T.P. Senkumar as state police chief was also said to be the outcome of the TPC case, as he played a crucial role in the TPC murder probe while heading  Intelligence.

Even as the government is now planning to post Mr. Hemachandran as Fire and Rescue Services head and Mr. Reddy as SCRB head, both may be brought back to the mainstream in  due course considering their competence. Both of them have  service till 2020.  

There were also whispers in the corridors that those who had served in Kannur earlier could get key posts. Mr Sudheesh Kumar, who got the key post of ADGP north-zone, and Mr S. Sreejith, who got the crucial post of IG Ernakulam-range, had earlier served in Kannur.

Humanitarian considerations were also given by shifting Mr Debesh Kumar Behera from Palakkad to Malappuram as his wife Uma Behera is serving in  neighbouring Kozhikode as city police commissioner. Similarly, the posting of Kottayam SP Sateesh Bino as Kollam city police commissioner is also learnt to be considering that his wife Ajeetha Beegum is serving as Kollam rural SP.