THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has set in motion the process of finding a replacement for incumbent state police chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb, who is set to retire on June 30. As the first step, it has sent a communique to six IPS officers, who have completed 30 years of service, seeking their willingness and resume to be considered for inclusion in the list of probables that will be forwarded to the UPSC.
The officers who have been approached are DGPs Nitin Agrawal, Ravada A Chandrasekhar, and Yogesh Gupta, and ADGPs Manoj Abraham, S Suresh, and M R Ajith Kumar.
A 1990-batch officer, Nitin is the seniormost of the probables. He had worked as BSF director general before being repatriated to the state. On his return, Nitin was appointed Kerala Road Safety Commissioner. He is set to retire by June 2026.
Ravada belong to 1991 IPS batch and is currently working as a special director with the Intelligence Bureau (IB). He will also retire by June next year.
Yogesh, of the 1993 batch, is the current director of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau and his tenure will run till 2030. Manoj is the current ADGP law and order. The 1994 batch officer’s service will run till 2031.
Suresh, of 1995 batch, is currently an additional director with the Special Protection Group (SPG), which provides security to the prime minister.
Also of the 1995 batch, Ajith Kumar is currently ADGP of the Armed Police Battalion. He will retire on December 31, 2028.
Of the six, Ravada and Suresh are currently working in prominent organisations and have the chance of becoming directors of the IB and the SPG, respectively. Hence, it’s not known whether they will be willing to throw their hats in the ring for the top post.
The state government, sources said, will forward the list of probables to the UPSC by April. The UPSC will pick three from among the six names and pass it on to the state government, which can then pick a candidate from the short list.
