The Kerala government has decided to promote senior IPS officer Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) MR Ajithkumar to the rank of Director General of Police (DGP), a move that has sparked controversy due to allegations and political disputes surrounding the officer.

The decision was made during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday, which also approved recommendations submitted by a scrutiny committee.

Ajithkumar, a 1995-batch IPS officer and a close confidant of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had recently been embroiled in a political row over his alleged meetings with RSS leaders. Following these controversies, he was removed from his role overseeing state law and order in October and reassigned to the Armed Police Battalion. Despite the backlash, the cabinet cleared his elevation to the DGP rank, along with S Suresh, another officer from the 1995 batch.

A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) confirmed the promotions, adding that the final list for the DGP rank will be finalised after the appointment of 1994-batch officer Manoj Abraham. The CMO also announced the promotion of Tarun Kumar, a 2000-batch officer, to the rank of ADGP, and four officers from the 2007 batch to the rank of Inspector General (IG).

Ajithkumar has faced criticism from the Opposition and even the CPI, a constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), for his alleged meetings with RSS leaders and his purported role in the disruption of the Thrissur Pooram festival. The Congress accused the police of disrupting the iconic festival to aid the BJP in winning a Lok Sabha seat in central Kerala. Independent MLA PV Anvar, who recently distanced himself from the LDF, also leveled serious allegations against Ajithkumar, though the officer denied them.

Opposition leaders, particularly from the Congress, have strongly condemned Ajithkumar’s promotion. KPCC Chief K. Sudhakaran alleged that the decision was a result of “Chief Minister Vijayan surrendering to the RSS”. He claimed that the officer’s promotion was granted despite allegations of illegal wealth accumulation, connections to gold smuggling rackets, and involvement in the Thrissur Pooram disruption.

Sudhakaran also suggested that all ongoing cases against Ajithkumar would now be dismissed. “If proper disciplinary action had been taken earlier, this promotion could have been avoided,” he said, questioning the LDF government’s decision.

Despite these controversies, the Kerala government has stood by its decision, citing procedural recommendations for Ajithkumar’s elevation to the top rank.