Loknath Behera set to return as state police chief

The decision to appoint Loknath Behera was taken at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday The announcement has come with three days remaining for incumbent DGP TP Senkumar to end his tenure Behera, a 1985 batch IPS officer from Orissa, is currently serving as the Vigilance director

The Kerala government has decided to appoint Vigilance director Loknath Behera IPS as the new state police chief.

The decision to appoint Behera was taken at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. A screening committee headed by Kerala chief secretary Nalini Netto had recommended the Behera's name.

The announcement has come with just three days remaining for incumbent DGP TP Senkumar to end his tenure as the police chief. 

Behera, a 1985 batch Kerala cadre IPS officer from Orissa, is currently serving as the director of Vigilance and Anti­-Corruption Bureau. He had worked in the CBI and NIA and was the fire and rescue services chief before. The Cabinet meet did not decide who will succeed Behera as Vigilance chief.

Behera was originally appointed as the state police chief by the LDF government in May 2016 as a replacement to Senkumar who was shunted out to the police housing corporation. But after the reinstatement of Senkumar as DGP following a Supreme Court ruling, Behera was posted as Vigilance director.