Tamil Nadu Government Reshuffles Senior Police Officers Ahead of Elections

Major Police Restructuring in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu government has announced significant promotions and transfers for 70 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, ranging from Deputy Inspector General (DIG) to Director General of Police (DGP), ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. An official disclosed late Tuesday that this reshuffle aims to enhance administrative efficiency and address evolving law and order priorities across the state.

Three Additional Directors General of Police (ADGP) have been elevated to the DGP position: Davidson Devasirvatham (Armed Police), Sandeep Mittal (Cyber Crime), and Balangadevi (Economic Offenses Wing, along with additional charge of Civil Supplies CID). Additionally, seven Inspectors General (IG) have been promoted to ADGP roles, with notable appointments including:

Prem Anand Sinha as ADGP and Police Commissioner, Avadi; Anisha Hussain as ADGP, Women and Child Crimes; Najmal Hoda as ADGP, Operations; and Mahesh Kumar Rathore as ADGP, Welfare.

Following their promotions, several senior officers will be assigned to central deputations or special departments. Significant changes have also occurred in various commissioner offices. Commissioner Shankar of Avadi has been transferred to the prison department as ADGP, while ADGP Amalaraj has taken over as Police Commissioner of Tambaram. Other key transfers include Abhin Dinesh Modak, Maheshwar Dayal, and Senthil Kumar, who have been appointed to senior ADGP positions.

Numerous Superintendents of Police (SP) have been promoted to DIG roles and reassigned to various regions, including Shashank Sai as DIG for Kanchipuram Range, Deshmukh Shekhar Sanjay as DIG for Ramanathapuram Range, Arul Arasu as DIG for Viluppuram Range, and Saravanan as DIG for Tirunelveli Range.

In Chennai and other areas, several Joint Commissioners and IG-ranked officers have also received new postings. This reshuffle encompasses district-level postings in cyber crime, economic offenses, administration, and central crime units. Key promoted officials include Adarsh Pachori, Sai Praneet, Selvakumar, Umayal, and Madan. Officials have described this extensive reshuffle as a strategic move to ensure effective policing and administrative readiness ahead of the state elections, impacting senior, mid-level, and district-level IPS officers.