Kerala govt. approves suspension of ADGP M.R. Ajith Kumar over alleged interference in case of assault on YC workers in Alappuzha
The State government on Thursday decided to suspend Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) M.R. Ajith Kumar over allegations that he interfered in the investigation
The State government on Thursday decided to suspend Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) M.R. Ajith Kumar over allegations that he interfered in the investigation into the assault on Youth Congress workers by former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s security detail in Alappuzha in 2023. The move follows the submission of a detailed inquiry report by State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar a day ago to the Home department, which indicates Mr. Kumar’s involvement in attempts to influence the course of the investigation, according to sources in the Home department. The incident pertaining to the case had taken place during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s Nava Kerala Yatra outreach programme, when Youth Congress activists, including A.D. Thomas, MLA, and Ajay Jewel Kuriakose, were allegedly assaulted after displaying black flags in protest against the Chief Minister’s convoy.
The assault, purportedly carried out by members of the Chief Minister’s security team, resulted in considerable injuries to the activists. The subsequent handling of the investigation later became the subject of controversy, with allegations that senior police officers attempted to derail the case. After the United Democratic Front (UDF) came to power, one of its earliest decisions was to order a fresh investigation into the allegations of interference. A special investigation team, led by A.P. Shoukathali, Superintendent of Police, who is at present the District Police Chief (Kozhikode City), was entrusted with the probe. The inquiry found Mr. Kumar, who was serving as ADGP in charge of Law and Order at the time of the incident, to have allegedly used subordinate officers to influence the probe and prevent effective legal action against those accused in the assault case.
Prior to recommending disciplinary action, the SPC sought Mr. Kumar’s explanation, in which he denied any wrongdoing in the case. After examining the inquiry report, obtaining legal opinion, and considering Mr. Kumar’s explanation, the SPC forwarded the findings to the Home department. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala approved the suspension pending further inquiry reportedly after consultations with Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan. The disciplinary action has dealt a severe blow to Mr. Kumar’s chances of promotion as Director General of Police (DGP) to the vacancy expected after the retirement of Director General of the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services Nitin Agrawal on July 31. As the senior-most eligible officer on the promotion list, he was considered the frontrunner for the vacancy.
The BriefWire