THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major reshuffle in the top echelons of the police department, two senior-most ADGPs have been promoted to DGP grade and appointed as heads of the Prisons and the Fire and Rescue Service departments, respectively.
K Padmakumar, who has been holding the post of ADGP Headquarters, was promoted as Director General of the prisons department. Incumbent Crime Branch ADGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb has been appointed as Director General of the Fire and Rescue Services. Padmakumar is a 1989 batch IPS officer, while Shaik belongs to the 1990 batch. The promotions of the ADGPs came close on the heels of the retirement of senior IPS officers Aananthakrishnan S and B Sandhya from service on Wednesday.
Aananthakrishnan retired as excise commissioner, while Sandhya hung her boots as director general of the Fire and Rescue Services. Meanwhile, incumbent prisons ADGP Balram Kumar Upadhyay has been posted as Headquarters ADGP. Armed Police Battalion ADGP H Venkatesh has been appointed as the new Crime Branch ADGP.
Two more senior IPS officers are set to retire in two months. While Kant will retire on June 30, Human Rights Commission (Investigation) DGP Tomin J Thachankary, the senior-most IPS officer, will retire on July 31. On Kant’s retirement, Civil Supplies Corporation Chairman Sanjeeb Kumar Patjoshi, who is of ADGP rank and belongs to the 1991 batch, will be elevated to the DGP grade.
Thachankary’s retirement will be followed by the promotion of Intelligence ADGP T K Vinod Kumar (1992 batch) to the DGP grade.
Arunkumar Sinha, the second senior-most IPS officer who is the Special Protection Group (SPG) director on central deputation and was set to retire on Wednesday, has been given a reappointment of one year on a contract basis. Sinha heads the SPG that handles the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and belongs to the Kerala cadre.