Thiruvananthapuram, 12 June (H.S.):

The V.D. Satheesan-led Kerala government on Friday carried out a major reshuffle in the state police leadership, appointing senior IPS officer P. Vijayan as the new Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) in charge of Law and Order.

P. Vijayan, who was serving as the Intelligence Chief, replaces H. Venkatesh, who has been transferred as the head of the Crime Branch. Senior officer Dinendra Kashyap has been appointed as the new Intelligence Chief.

As part of the reshuffle, S. Sreejith, who was serving as ADGP at the Police Headquarters, has been posted as the new Prisons Chief. Former Prisons Chief Balram Kumar Upadhyay has been shifted as ADGP, Battalions.

In a significant field-level appointment, A.P. Shoukath Ali, who investigated the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case and the alleged assault on Youth Congress workers during the Nava Kerala Yatra, has been appointed as the Kozhikode City Police Commissioner.

Several senior officers have also been transferred across key positions. G.H. Yatheesh Chandra has been moved from Kannur Range to Ernakulam Range as Deputy Inspector General (DIG), while Dr Arul R.B. Krishna has been appointed the new Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner. Former city commissioner K. Karthik has been posted as DIG, Thrissur Range, and T. Narayanan has been transferred to Kannur Range as DIG.

At the Police Headquarters, Harshita Attalluri has been appointed Inspector General (IG), replacing R. Nishanthini, who moves to the Intelligence Wing as IG. S. Shyamsundar has been posted as IG, Crime Branch.

Among district-level changes, Merin Joseph has been appointed Kozhikode Rural Police Chief, while K.M. Sabu Mathew becomes Kottayam District Police Chief. Dr A. Naseem takes charge in Idukki, T.K. Vishnu Pradeep in Alappuzha, Shaji Sugunan in Kollam Rural, and B.K. Prasanthan Kani in Thiruvananthapuram Rural.

The reshuffle also includes new district police chiefs in Palakkad, Wayanad, Kannur Rural, Thrissur Rural, Kasaragod and Kannur City, marking one of the most extensive police leadership changes undertaken by the new government.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman