CHENNAI:Davidson Devasirvatham on Friday took charge as Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) in place of P Kannappan who retired from the service.
Kannappan, who served in various capacities in his 39 years of service, was known for his active role in temple entry of Dalits in Pandhapulli temple in Sankarankoil in 2009 and Pillaiyarkulam temple, also in Sankarankoil, in 2010, when he was DIG in Tirunelveli.
He was in the Intelligence for 10 months, before his retirement.
Kannappan was the IG South zone(in-charge) and was in command when the then Madurai SP Asra Garg opened fire on the mob of several hundred Caste Hindus attempting to burn down the Villoor police station in Madurai district, besides attacking the house of Dalit who became the first post-graduate from that village on May 1, 2011. This was the only police firing which was welcomed by civil society and the one that was opened on the oppressive class decades after former Congress leader Kamaraj’s era.
Also, he was lauded for his efforts by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for conducting the elections in Madurai in a free and fair manner in 2011.
Kannappan was the city Police Commissioner then.