Thiruvananthapuram, March 27 (IANS) With just three months left for the superannuation of state Police chief, the Kerala government is in the process of finalising a list of senior police officers to be sent to the Centre for consideration and pruning.
According to the rules prescribed by the Centre, the state government has to submit a list of eight officials, which will be pruned to three and sent back to the state to select any one.
This rule is, however, making Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan — who is also the Home Minister — uneasy as the list would include names of three senior IPS officials (reportedly not the CM’s choice) presently on central deputation. Earlier, the three officials had evinced no interest but now have expressed their desire to return to the state.
The new Police chief will take charge on July 1 as the incumbent Anil Kant retires on June 30.
It was smooth sailing for Vijayan till the three top IPS officers presently on central deputation expressed their desire to return to Kerala and gave their consent for their names to be sent to Centre for approval.
Nidhin Agarwal, Harinath Mishra and Revadha Chandrasekhar were understood to have hinted earlier that they do not want to return to Kerala. Moreover, for long, they have been posted outside the state.
The sudden change of their desire appears to have shocked Vijayan and his close aides who handle the Home department. All the three figure among the senior most IPS officials and will have to figure in the list of eight officials which Vijayan will send to the Centre.
Consequent to this, there is no guarantee of inclusion of Vijayan’s confidantes in the pruned list sent back by the Centre.
Among the others who are to figure in the list of eight include K. Padmakumar, Sheikh Darwais Sahib, Sanjeevkumar Pat Joshi, T.K.Vinod Kumar and Yogesh Gupta, and two others.
As the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are round the corner, the Centre would definitely like to have the top official of Kerala Police to be someone of its liking, as per sources.
–IANS
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