T P Senkumar retires; says criminal elements on rise in police

Senior IPS officer T P Senkumar, who won a historic legal battle with the CPI(M)-led Kerala government over his removal as state DGP, retired from service today.
Loknath Behra, director of Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau, assumed charge as the new DGP. He will although continue to hold the post of Vigilance director.
Speaking at the farewell parade, Senkumar said there is an 'unfortunate' trend of rising criminal elements in the police force.
"Criminal elements are less in constable-level and the number goes up in accordance with rank and it is more in IPS-level," Senkumar, a 1983 batch IPS officer said, adding he has taken all possible steps to control such elements.

He said the main challenge faced by the society was from "religious fundamentalists and Left extremists".
"These outfits make use of IT technology for their activities, so the police force should equip itself with most modern changes in these fields," he said.

The LDF government headed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had removed Senkumar from the post of DGP soon after it came to power in May 2016.
Senkumar had moved the Supreme Court against the orders of the Kerala High Court and the Central Administrative Tribunal, which had upheld the government's decision to transfer him.
The apex court, however, directed the state government to reinstate Senkumar as DGP on April 29, stating the officer was transferred by the government "unfairly" and "arbitrarily".