It’s official. Former Kerala DGP Raman Srivastava will now advise the state police on its strategic affairs, according to the Times of India.

A rare move, many see this decision by the government as a hint at what it thinks about the current top police brass in the state handling sensitive law and order situations. The former officer, who maintained close relations with former chief minister K Karunakaran, has been appointed to the post equaling a chief secretary’s rank.

The adviser won’t look into the day-to-day affairs of the police force, but would focus on strategic plans, according to reports.  At a time when the state police’s management of controversies has been attacked by the public, Srivastava’s role will also include strengthening the police relationships with the public. Strengthening the efficiency of the police will also come under his tasks.

Srivastava will have to work in association with the DGP, the home secretary and chief minister’s private secretary M V Jayarajan.TOI report quotes sources saying that Srivastava was nominated by the CPI (M), the party which heads the ruling coalition. The decision to appoint the former Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) was taken by the CPI (M) state committee. He is also said to be close to the party’s state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. When Balakrishnan was the home minister in the V S Achuthanandan government in 2006, he retained Srivastava even though he was an appointee of the UDF government. Srivastava worked with Kodiyeri for three years before he became the BSF director general.

A 1973 batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, he was also Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs. After retirement in 2011, he chose to live in Thiruvananthapuram. At present Harvard professor Gita Gopinath is the financial adviser to the CM, Kairali TV MD John Britas advises him on media affairs and former VSSC director M C Dathan on science.