The government on Monday engineered a reshuffle of officers responsible for law and order in districts which had witnessed a spate of violence following Thursday’s hartal.
The Home Department removed P. Prakash, District Police Chief, Thiruvananthapuram City, and replaced him with S. Surendran, District Police Chief, Alappuzha.
A senior officer said the change in Thiruvananthapuram City did not appear to be routine and could be linked to the government’s reported perception that the police here had failed to round-up rioters. Perhaps, Thiruvananthapuram Rural (police district) witnessed the worst of the violence and officers said there could be a change of guard at the District Police Headquarters level.
The government has also transferred Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar, District Police Chief, Kozhikode City. The ruling front had been openly critical of the actions of the Kozhikode City police on the hartal day, including their alleged failure to prevent Bharatiya Janata Party workers from storming S.M. Street. Kori Sanjay Kumar Gurudin, currently Deputy Inspector General of Police, Police Headquarters, will replace him. The government may restructure the police hierarchy in Kannur and Palakkad districts as well.
