THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the appointment of an officer of the rank of DIG as Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner, the state government has virtually sent a message that it is dropping the plan to implement the commissionerate system.
Thomson Jose was appointed as the new Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner on Tuesday in the place of outgoing officer G Sparjan Kumar, an officer of the rank of IG.
The government had in September 2024 appointed Putta Vimaladitya, who is of the rank of DIG, as Kochi commissioner in place of IG S Syamsundar.
The state government began toying with the idea of introducing metropolitan police commissionerate system, which confers sweeping powers to the men in uniform, in 2019. If implemented, the system would have conferred magisterial powers, hitherto limited to the district collectors, on commissioners. Then state police chief Loknath Behera had strongly batted for the system and CM Pinarayi Vijayan held a favourable view regarding that.
Following this, the government began appointing officers of the rank of IG as commissioners of Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram cities. Till then it was officers of DIG rank who held the posts.
However, stiff opposition from LDF coalition partner CPI and the IAS lobby and the reservations of civil activists regarding potential misuse of powers prompted the state government to keep the proposal pending. Sources said by 2020 itself the government lost interest in the proposal, but decided to continue with IGs as commissioners of Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
“The government understood that it was futile appointing senior officers of the rank of IG to head city police.
Hence it was decided to reverse the decision and deploy the officers of IG rank in other big posts where their experience can be tapped. Another aspect that prompted the government to reverse the decision was that when the IGs helmed the city police, which had jurisdiction over a small area, police ranges, which comprise several districts, were headed by officers of the rank of DIG,” said a source.
Flawed plan
State government started the plan to introduce metropolitan police commissionerate system in 2019
If implemented, the system would have conferred magisterial powers on commissioners
Stiff opposition from LDF coalition partner CPI and the IAS lobby prompted government to keep the proposal pending