THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With four days remaining for DGP T P Senkumar to end his eventful tenure as the State Police Chief (SPC), the state government is likely to announce the new police chief at the Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday. The meeting will decide the next chief following a recommendation from Chief Secretary(CS) Nalini Netto. The CS has already constituted a special panel comprising Home Secretary Subrata Biswas and Law Secretary B G Harindranath in this regard.
The CS is also likely to convene a meeting with the panel members on Tuesday to shortlist the probable. Government sources say there will be a major reshuffle soon in the top police brass along with the chief appointment. Though the Institute of Management in Government (IMG) managing director Jacob Thomas is the seniormost officer after Senkumar, the government is unlikely to recommend him.
Thomas was given charge of director on June 19 and he has been appointed to the post for a year. However, government sources say Vigilance Director Loknath Behera is likely to be reinstated the new police chief.
Behera, former SPC, was replaced by Senkumar in early May when the latter won the legal battle with the government. Behera has been serving as the director of the anti-corruption agency for the past three months after the government told former Director Jacob Thomas to go on leave.
Though Behera was given additional charge as Vigilance head till May 7 on the day Senkumar got reinstated, he was later given full charge.
If Behera becomes the police chief, A Hemachandran is the strong contender for the post of Vigilance director. If Hemachandran’s name is listed, he will also get promoted to the cadre post. At present he serves as the Director General of Fire and Rescue Services Department. Meanwhile, some officers, including Tomin Thachankary, are also likely to be transferred as his is a temporary posting by the government as the ADGP (police headquarters), the sources say.
Ever since his reinstatement, Senkumar had eventful days. He was in the midst of controversy for the stand-off with the government and the war of words with Tomin Thachankary. Senkumar was reinstated following a Supreme Court order. He was removed when the government came to power last year citing his failure in overseeing the Jisha murder case and the Puttingal temple tragedy case.