TN IG Intelligence Davidson shunted out 10 days after posting

This is the first police shuffle carried out by Edappadi Palaniswami since he was sworn in as Chief Minister last week.
TN IG Intelligence Davidson shunted out 10 days after posting
TN IG Intelligence Davidson shunted out 10 days after posting
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Exactly ten days after S Davidson Devasirvatham was appointed as the Inspector General Police (Intelligence), the Edappadi K Palaniswamy-led Tamil Nadu government shunted out the senior officer from the intelligence department.

A press release issued by Principal Secretary Apurva Varma stated that Davidson has been transferred and posted as IG Welfare.

Prior to his appointment as IG Intelligence on February 13, Davidson was serving as the IG Welfare.

Davidson is a 1995 batch IPS officer, who had served as IG Intelligence until December 2015 when he was transferred to the Welfare Department. He has also served as IG (Administration) and IGP (West Zone) among other roles in his career.

Davidson returned to the post of the IG Intelligence on February 13, in an appointment made by then Chief Minister O Panneerselvam. He replaced KN Sathiyamurthy, who had reportedly gone on leave prior to being transferred.   

OPS had appointed Davidson to the post of IG Intelligence a day before the Supreme Court upheld the lower court judgement convicting VK Sasikala in the DA case.

Thursday’s transfer is the first police shuffle carried out by Edappadi K Palaniswami, since he was won the trust vote on February 18.

 “It is unfortunate that officers are transferred within days or even with two-three months. It is presumed that they have been posted after due consideration, which means you give them time to deliver,” Letika Saran, former DGP Tamil Nadu told The News Minute.

“Davidson is a good officer and we feel bad because in a short span he has been transferred. But the prerogative lies with the chief minister. There has to be a reason for this. Power to transfer rests with the government,” Saran added.

A senior leader in O Panneerselvam’s camp refused to comment on the transfer.

Days before OPS’ resignation, there were some high-profile changes in the higher rungs of TN bureaucracy, allegedly at the behest of AIADMK interim General Secretary VK Sasikala.

Three officers close to late CM Jayalalithaa were asked to step down. Special Advisors Sheela Balakrishnan, KN Venkataramanan put in their papers, while CM’s Secretary Ramalingam was shown the door on February 3.  

Days later, retired IAS officer Santha Sheela Nair, who had been the Officer on Special Duty at the Chief Minister’s Office resigned on February 6.

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