In a significant development, 1996-batch IPS officer Rajkumar Pandian, serving as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) for CID (Crime and Railways), has been transferred as the ADGP (Law and Order) in Gandhinagar. This late-night decision on Monday, announced by the Gujarat Home Department, is part of a larger reshuffle involving 19 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and six State Police Service (SPS) officers.
Pandian’s transfer comes amid heightened scrutiny of his conduct following a dispute with Congress leader and Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani.
On the transfer order, Mevani said, “Due to Pandian’s inappropriate behaviour towards me and Dalits in the state, he was transferred. This is a success for us and our movement.”
The incident occurred on October 15 when Mevani and Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee SC Department head Hitendra Pithadia visited Pandian’s office to discuss encroachments on land owned by Dalits in the state.
Mevani alleged that Pandian displayed inappropriate behaviour during the meeting, including ordering them to leave their mobile phones outside and asking irrelevant questions such as “why Mevani was wearing a T-shirt”.
The MLA further claimed that Pandian ended the meeting abruptly, stating he would not engage with them again. Mevani criticised the officer’s conduct as a breach of protocol and an affront to his position as an elected representative.
Pandian, now tasked with overseeing law and order across Gujarat, takes on a crucial role at a time when the state is grappling with the rising number of crimes. Shamsher Singh, who is DGP (law and order), will continue to hold the additional charge of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director.
The Rajkot TRP Gamezone Link
Officers Vidhi Choudhary and Sudhir Desai, whose earlier roles came under scrutiny following the TRP Gamezone fire tragedy in Rajkot that claimed 27 lives in May this year, have also been reassigned to significant posts. They were awaiting postings after removal from their posts as Joint Additional Commissioner of Police Vidhi Choudhary and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-2) in Rajkot.
Choudhary, a 2009-batch officer, is now Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Branch) in Ahmedabad, with added administrative duties, while Desai has been posted as Superintendent of Police (Intelligence) in Gandhinagar.
The move follows the transfer of Additional DGP Brijesh Kumar Jha to Rajkot as Police Commissioner in the wake of the tragedy.
The reshuffle addresses leadership gaps and vacancies persisting for months, including the critical post of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) for Sector-2, Ahmedabad. This position, vacant since May 2023, has been filled by 2010-batch IPS officer Jaipalsingh Rathore, who now oversees an area grappling with growing law-and-order challenges, particularly in its eastern zones.
Other Transfers
Further notable appointments include Leena Patil, who has been promoted from DCP Zone-3 in Vadodara to Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime, Law and Order) in Vadodara City. Abhishek Gupta succeeds her as DCP Zone-3. In Ahmedabad, Bharatkumar Rathod has taken over as DCP Zone-2, replacing Shreepal Shesma, who is awaiting a new posting.
Other key changes include the posting of Vikas Sunda as SP for Kutch (West), Ravindra Patel as Executive Director of the Police Housing Corporation and Himkar Singh as SP Rajkot Rural.
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