Tamil Nadu govt issues postings to two IPS officers on ECI’s compulsory wait

Chennai: State govt on Thursday issued postings to two senior IPS officers, who were placed on compulsory wait by ECI ahead of elections over allegations of proximity to the previous govt.DGP S Davidson Devasirvatham, a 1995 batch officer, has been posted as DGP and chief vigilance officer of Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (TMCMPF), replacing Rajeev Kumar, who has been transferred as DGP, training, Oonamancherry. IGP K A Senthil Velan, a 2003 batch officer, who was also placed on compulsory wait, has now been posted as additional director of Tamil Nadu Police Academy, after holding the intelligence post for nearly four years. Govt also transferred DGP (intelligence) B Bala Naga Devi to head the cyber crime wing. DIG, Vellore, G Dharmarajan, has been posted as DIG (intelligence), while Pakerla Cephas Kalyan, joint commissioner (south), as DIG (intelligence-internal security), and P Saravanan, DIG, Tirunelveli, as DIG, CID intelligence.Davidson was heading the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC) when he was removed from the post by the poll panel on April 8, after which he went on medical leave. The officer was posted as DGP/director, DVAC, on March 2, and was also holding full additional charge of DGP, armed police, Chennai. Under the previous DMK govt, he held a series of sensitive postings, including ADGP intelligence in May 2021, and ADGP law and order from July 2024. As ADGP (law and order), Davidson oversaw the police response to the 2025 stampede at a TVK rally in Karur that claimed 41 lives, and held the party's organisers responsible for the tragedy.During the election, TVK president C Joseph Vijay submitted a representation to the ECI seeking the transfer of top IPS officers, including then DGP (HoPF) Venkatraman and Davidson, alleging that they were biased over his party's campaign permission. Meanwhile, A Myilvaganan, SP, Tenkasi district, C Madhan, SP, Thoothukudi, K Shanmugham, SP, Q Branch CID, G S Madhavan, SP, Metro Zone, Crime Branch CID, and N Silambarasan, AIG (law and order), have been posted as SPs in the Security and Special Branch, CID, Chennai.