Suspended MR Ajith Kumar assigned station charge; police chief withdraws list

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Police Chief has withdrawn a list assigning senior police officers of the rank of SP and above charge of various police stations after the inclusion of suspended ADGP M R Ajith Kumar triggered controversy. Ajith Kumar had been assigned charge of the Varkala police station under the order.

The order was issued as part of a move to upgrade 59 police stations in the state as model police stations based on directions from the Prime Minister. Officers ranging from DGP to SP rank were assigned charge of the stations as part of the initiative.
The inclusion of officers on central deputation and those with only a few months left before retirement in the list also drew criticism. Against this backdrop, a decision has been taken to revise the existing list and assign the responsibility to new officers.

The inclusion of M R Ajith Kumar in the list is learnt to have caused strong displeasure, including among the Home Minister. The controversial list was issued on Monday.
DGPs Yogesh Gupta, Manoj Abraham, Suresh Raj Purohit and S Sreejith were assigned charge of Thampanoor, Vattiyoorkavu, Kilimanoor and Thumba police stations respectively. Officers in the ranks of ADGP, IG, DIG and SP were assigned charge of individual police stations.

The officers have been tasked with implementing the directions issued at the Prime Minister's meeting at these stations. They are required to assess the progress of the initiative and develop the stations into model police stations.
The order issued by the police chief also states that the officers must submit progress reports to the police headquarters whenever required.