VIJAYAWADA: Hours after taking over the reins of the State, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday night shunted out Director General of Police RP Thakur and on expected lines, replaced him with 1986-batch IPS officer Gautam Sawang as the new DGP. Another officer AB Venkateswara Rao, who was shunted out from the intelligence chief post by the Election Commission of India during the polls, was relieved from the post of DG, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), and asked to report to the General Administration Department (GAD) for further posting.
Sawang, currently working as the DG of the Vigilance Department, will also hold the Full Additional Charge (FAC) of the DGP. Sawang had held several key positions in his career, including SP of Warangal district. As a DIG rank officer, he headed Home Guards, Warangal Range, Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), AP Special Police, Kurnool. He also headed the UN Police as part of the UN Mission in Liberia.
Before being posted in his current post of DG, Vigilance Department, he was the Commissioner of Police of Vijayawada city.
The two officers — RP Thakur and AB Venkateswara Rao — who came under sharp criticism from the YSRC leaders before the elections for allegedly acting at the behest of the previous TDP regime, were given inconsequential posts. Thakur has been appointed Commissioner, Printing and Stationery and Stores Purchase, in place of 1987-batch officer TA Tripathi. Tripathi is directed to report to GAD for further posting.
AB Venkateswara Rao, who was shunted out of DG, ACB post, was also asked to report to the GAD for further posting. Additional DG, Intelligence 1994-batch Kumar Vishwajeet, who replaced Venkateswara Rao as intelligence chief, was given FAC for the post of DG, ACB.
Meanwhile, Telangana cadre 1999-batch IPS officer Stephen Ravindra, whose inter-State deputation is in the process, will join the State police force soon. He will head the key Intelligence department.
Sources said that after Stephen Ravindra joins the State cadre and takes charge as Intelligence chief, the State government will go for a total rejig by transferring officers right from superintendents of police of various districts.