The backwash of the accusations raised by Left Democratic Front (LDF) independent legislator P.V. Anvar against Kerala’s Additional Director of General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, M.R. Ajith Kumar, seemingly rocked the Kerala government on Monday (September 2, 2024) and prompted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to announce a top-level investigation.
Inaugurating the Kerala Police Association (KPA) conference in Kottayam, Mr. Vijayan said the government would investigate the “issues dominating the public conversation with due seriousness”.
Mr. Vijayan did not name Mr. Anvar or Mr. Kumar. Also, he avoided dwelling on the LDF independent legislator’s controversial statements against the ADGP at a press conference in Malappuram on Sunday.
Mr. Vijayan noted that approaching issues without sitting on judgment on the subject priorly was the LDF government’s hallmark. “A top police officer will investigate the matter”, he said.
In his speech, Mr. Vijayan also appeared to clarify the government’s stance on the “disparaging comments” made against Mr. Kumar allegedly by Sujith Das, District Police Chief, Pathanamthitta, during a private conversation with Mr. Anvar.
The MLA secretly recorded and broadcasted the exchange, precipitating a controversy that drew the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) into its centre. Again, Mr. Vijayan did not name Mr. Das.
(The officer got into trouble after he imputed that Mr. Kumar drew his power from the Chief Minister’s political secretary and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State committee member P. Sasi. Mr. Das had also allegedly disparaged fellow officers in his conversation with Mr. Anvar, drawing condemnation from the Kerala chapter of the IPS Officers’ Association.)
‘Won’t brook indiscipline’
Mr. Vijayan said the government would not brook indiscipline in the rank and file. “If anyone thinks they can act with impunity and disregard discipline, the outcome will be dire,” he cautioned.
Mr. Vijayan also acknowledged that only a tiny fraction of officers have tarnished the government’s efforts to make the police force more people-friendly. “These individuals are a disgrace to the force, and we have no place for them,” he said, noting that 108 officers had been expelled over the past eight years.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister met with State Police Chief Sheikh Darvesh Sahib at the Nattakom guest house in Kottayam to discuss the issue. An hour later, the Home department suspended Mr. Das pending an enquiry.
Mr. Kumar told reporters at the venue that he had petitioned Mr. Vijayan and the State Police Chief for an investigation into Mr. Anvar’s accusations. He said his office precluded him from responding to the allegations publicly.
In his speech, Mr. Kumar sought to avoid controversy and highlighted the positive changes brought about by the Pinarayi Vijayan government within the Kerala Police. He also praised the Chief Minister for increased recruitment within the force and proposed various measures to reduce the workload of police officers.
DGP to probe
A senior official said the government will likely appoint an officer in the rank of Director General of Police (DGP) to investigate the accusations against the ADGP. The task might fall on the State Police Chief, Mr. Sahib, or a team under his direct supervision.
The government might also ask Mr. Kumar to take a sabbatical until the team completes the probe. For now, it will likely nominate another ranking officer as ADGP, Law and Order, in Mr. Kumar’s stead.
Anvar applies for gun licence
Meanwhile, Mr. Anvar submitted an application to the District Collector, Malappuram, for a gun licence. When accosted by reporters, he said he could “manage” with a licensed firearm and required no armed police escort.
Mr. Anvar also demanded that the government tally Mr. Kumar’s wealth, including a house under construction at Kowdiar in Thiruvananthapuram, with the ADGP’s known legitimate income sources. He further accused the ranking officer of attempting to implicate a CPI(M) worker and former Municipal Counsellor in Thiruvananthapuram, I.P. Binu, in the 2022 AKG Centre country bomb attack case. Two years later, the police arrested a few Congress workers in connection with the crime.
On Sunday, he stirred the police by claiming, among other things, that Mr. Kumar had wiretapped Ministers and other political figures. He also accused the officer of benefitting from gold smuggling and other “criminal activities”.
A cover-up: Opposition
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan termed the impending departmental probe against Mr. Kumar a “cover-up and an attempt to lay a smokescreen”.
BJP State president K. Surendran said a department probe was not sufficient, and Mr. Vijayan owed the public an explanation, including the illegal wiretapping accusations against the ranking officer.
