Seven people in race to become police chief; Padmakumar, Shaik Darvesh and Vinodkumar in front, Nitin Agarwal appointed as BSF chief

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the appointment of Nitin Agarwal as the chief of the Border Security Force (BSF), the number of candidates being considered for the state's new police chief has come down to 7. Nitin was the most senior in the list sent to the Centre. Jail chief K Padmakumar is the next senior. The UPSC high-level meeting to select the police chief will be held this week. The state has sent the list of 8 IPS officers with 30 years of service to the Centre.

Apart from Nitin Aggrwal, DGPs K Padmakumar, Sheikh Darvesh Sahib, Intelligence Chief TK Vinodkumar, ADGPs Sanjeeb Kumar Patjoshi and Yogesh Gupta, Central Intelligence Bureau Assistant Directors Harinath Mishra and Ravada Chandrasekhar are on the list.

A committee consisting of the UPSC Chairman, Union Home Secretary, Chief of one of the Central Forces, State Chief Secretary and Police Chief will prepare a three-member final panel and hand it over to the state government. The state government should appoint the police chief from this.

The current chief, Anil Kant, will retire on June 30. Padmakumar, whose tenure is up to April 2025, and Sheikh Darvesh, whose tenure is up to July 2024, are the top contenders for the post of the new police chief. There is a Supreme Court order which that the appointees should not be removed for two years. The state also has the power to extend the term up to two years. Intelligence chief TK Vinodkumar will also be a strong contender if he makes it to the final panel. His tenure is till August 2025. Both Harinath and Ravada in IB had expressed their willingness to return to Kerala.