ADGP P. Vijayan has been appointed as the new intelligence chief of Kerala Police, succeeding ADGP Manoj Abraham.
Abraham has been assigned the law and order portfolio following the government’s decision to transfer ADGP M.R. Ajithkumar from that role.
Ajithkumar, currently facing multiple allegations, will now oversee only the armed battalions.
Abraham had earlier informed the government that managing both law and order and intelligence would be unfeasible. This prompted the decision to bring in P. Vijayan to lead the intelligence wing.
Vijayan, a 1999 batch IPS officer, is popular for his leadership in transformative initiatives, including the Student Police Cadet Project and the Punyam Poonkavanam Project, which aimed to improve the behavioural practices among Sabarimala pilgrims.
However, last year Vijayan faced a six-month suspension based on a report by Ajithkumar, which accused him of leaking travel details of the accused in the Elathur train arson case to the media. Vijayan challenged the allegations, and two months later, a committee led by the then chief secretary K. Venu gave him a clean chit.
Despite two recommendations from the chief secretary to reinstate him, the government delayed its decision. It wasn’t until the third recommendation that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lifted the suspension on November 13, 2023.
There were allegations that Vijayan's suspension was a deliberate attempt to delay his promotion, which was due in January 2024. However, he was eventually promoted to the rank of Additional Director General of Police in May 2024. Now, following a chain of transfers triggered by Ajithkumar's removal from the law and order post, Vijayan is stepping in to lead the intelligence wing.