Why Kerala govt suspended senior IPS officer MR Ajithkumar

Additional DGP Ajithkumar allegedly pressured investigators in a case of assault on Youth Congress workers protesting in 2023 against then CM Pinarayi VijayanSenior IPS officer and Kerala additional director general of police (ADGP) M.R. Ajithkumar has been suspended by the Congress-led government for allegedly pressuring investigators in a case of assault on Youth Congress workers in Alappuzha in 2023 while they were protesting against then chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.The action is based on the findings of a special investigation team (SIT) probing the assault by members of the chief minister’s security team. The Youth Congress workers were demonstrating during the Left Front government’s Nava Kerala Sadas outreach that had the chief minister touring the entire state in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections of 2024.Ajithkumar has had a three-decades-long stint through successive governments in Kerala. In Vijayan’s second innings as chief minister, he was appointed ADGP (law and order) in October 2022. This turned out to be a posting marred by controversies. His alleged disproportionate assets attracted a vigilance probe. Then, he found himself in the eye of the storm for purported secret meetings with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders.The V.D. Satheesan government, after assuming office in May this year, constituted the SIT, led by crime branch superintendent of police A.P. Shoukathali. Youth Congress activists had been protesting throughout the Nava Kerala Sadas programme, waving black flags at Vijayan’s convoy. In Alappuzha, matters got out of hand between them and the chief minister’s security personnel. The Left Front had termed the assault as an intervention to protect the chief minister.Youth Congress leaders petitioned in the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Alappuzha after the local police allegedly did not register a case against the security officers.The SIT submitted its report to DGP Ravada A. Chandrasekhar, who scrutinised and submitted it to the Satheesan government on July 15, endorsing the findings against Ajithkumar. The DGP confirmed that the course of the investigation by previous investigating officers had allegedly been altered under undue influence from the office of Ajithkumar as ADGP (law and order).When an explanation was sought, Ajithkumar reportedly denied the charges and maintained that he was in Wayanad at the time. The DGP recommended action against Ajithkumar as his explanations were thought to be unsatisfactory. The suspension followed.“Ajithkumar committed a serious offence by sacrificing professional standards to please political bosses and is now paying a heavy price for it,” remarked a former DGP, speaking anonymously to INDIA TODAY.Ajithkumar is planning to move a petition against the suspension before the Central Administrative Tribunal as the suspension derails his elevation to the rank of DGP. As the seniormost ADGP of Kerala, he would have otherwise had a fair shot at the DGP’s post. The screening committee will be finalising the choice for DGP on July 30.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsPublished By: Shyam BalasubramanianPublished On: Jul 28, 2026 18:42 IST