THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Drawing curtains on his 36-year-long career, Kerala’s seniormost IPS officer Tomin J Thachankary retired from service on Monday. Known for always being in the limelight for various reasons, Thachankary bid farewell to the uniform in his own unique style.
During the farewell organised by the police department at the SAP Ground, Thachankary drew inspiration from the fallen hero of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Karna, and shared the injustices that the mythical character had to endure.
He also composed and sang a song eulogising the police force, a departure from the usual police customs.
Thachankary, known for his close association with CM Pinarayi Vijayan and previously anticipated becoming the police chief after Loknath Behra, revealed a profound personal connection with Karna, whom he admired greatly.
He went on to say that despite facing ostracism from influential figures and humiliation from those less qualified, Karna remained steadfast in doing what he believed was right. “That’s an immortal history,” he said. Thachankary pointed out that despite being a prince, Karna had to part with his princely state. “Though being a Surya putra, all wanted to see him as Suta putra,” he added.
He further stated that Karna was even superior to Arjuna, who received all the laurels. These words seemed allegorical, as Thachankary had narrowly missed becoming the police chief himself. Thachankary’s name was initially part of the list forwarded by the state government to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after the retirement of Loknath Behera as police chief.
However, the UPSC did not include his name in the final shortlist, which dashed his hopes of heading the force. Allegations arose that the UPSC overlooked Thachankary due to a Vigilance case against him reported by the state government.