ADGP row: CPI urges removal of officers deviating from Left policies

The controversy surrounding senior Kerala police officer M R Ajithkumar's 2023 meeting with two RSS leaders continues, as the CPI, a key constituent of Kerala's ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, expressed displeasure on Thursday over his continued tenure as ADGP of law and order.

In an article in the party mouthpiece Janayugam, senior CPI leader K Prakash Babu said that whether the meeting was official or personal, it is the responsibility of the ADGP to clarify.

At the very least, such matters should be formally communicated to the police chief or the home department, he added.

The CPI leader further said that if the ADGP is unwilling to do so, he should be removed from his position.

"An officer who does not understand the pro-people stance of a people's government will lead the government into a crisis. This is the situation the ADGP has created," Prakash Babu remarked in the article.

He said that there is no doubt among national left-wing political parties that fascism in India manifests in the form of majoritarian communalism.

"No one within the administrative system should deviate from the policies of such a Left Democratic Front or the government led by it. If a state cadre officer violates or works against those policies, they should be removed from positions that reflect the government's approach and principles," the CPI leader said.

The article further said that officials who fail to recognise that welfare of the people is the driving force behind the government's declared policies should be reassigned to responsibilities with relatively less public interaction.

"An officer who does not understand the pro-people stance of a people's government can often lead it into crises. This is exactly the situation created by the ADGP in charge of Kerala's law and order due to his meeting with RSS leaders," Prakash Babu wrote in the article.

Later, addressing reporters, he said through the article, he was reiterating his party's position on the matter.

His statement came a week after an LDF meeting threw its weight behind Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's decision not to take immediate action against Ajithkumar, who had come under fire from Left MLA P V Anvar. Anvar accused him of breaching the CM's trust and neglecting his responsibilities.

Anvar had also accused Ajithkumar of tapping the phones of ministers, political leaders, and journalists.

After the September 11 meeting, LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan had said that it was decided the allegations against the ADGP required a comprehensive investigation.

"The government has initiated the probe. Once the investigation report is available, if it is found that the ADGP committed any wrongdoing, he will not be protected under any circumstances, and strict action will be taken.

"This is the government's decision, and the LDF supports it," he had said during a press conference.