Thiruvananthapuram: Senior IPS officer Ravada A Chandrasekhar has been appointed as the new police chief of Kerala, according to an announcement from the Chief Minister’s Office on Monday. The decision was made during a special cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Chandrasekhar succeeds Sheikh Darvesh Saheb, who retires today.
The appointment followed recommendations from the empanelment committee of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which had shortlisted eligible candidates. Chandrasekhar, a 1991 batch officer originally from Andhra Pradesh, has spent the past 15 years on central deputation, currently serving in a senior role at the Intelligence Bureau in New Delhi.
Speculation about his return to the state gained traction earlier this month after he met with Chief Minister Vijayan.
Once aspiring to become a doctor, he eventually followed his agriculturist father’s advice and opted for a career in public service. After completing his studies in agriculture, he cleared the civil services examination and began his police career as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Thalassery, located in Kerala's Kannur district.
In 1994, while posted in Kannur, he led a police operation in Kuthuparambu to disperse a protest organised by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M)—an operation that stirred controversy.
Now, with just a year left before retirement, Chandrasekhar takes the helm of Kerala Police, overtaking Nithin Agarwal, the senior-most IPS officer in the state. On assuming charge, Chandrasekhar expressed his appreciation and said he was honoured to lead the state’s police force.
(with agency inputs)