Thiruvananthapuram: Senior IPS officer M R Ajith Kumar was on Wednesday placed under suspension pending disciplinary proceedings after the state govt acted on the inquiry report submitted against him, a move that has temporarily stalled his elevation to the rank of director general of police (DGP).The suspension order was issued after the govt received the inquiry report from the state police chief. The report was subsequently examined and placed before home minister Ramesh Chennithala. Acting on his recommendation, chief minister V D Satheesan approved the suspension pending disciplinary action.Kumar’s promotion to the rank of DGP is kept in abeyance until further orders.The action came a day after the chief minister dismissed allegations that the govt was deliberately delaying a decision on the inquiry to facilitate Kumar’s promotion.Addressing the post-cabinet news conference on Wednesday, Satheesan had said there was no delay in processing the inquiry report and rejected suggestions that the govt was attempting to shield the officer.The inquiry report had reached the state police chief last week before being forwarded to the home department for examination. Following scrutiny by additional chief secretary (home and vigilance) Minhaj Alam, the report was placed before Chennithala, paving the way for the govt’s decision to suspend the officer and initiate disciplinary proceedings. The probe against Kumar was in connection with the assault on Youth Congress activists in Alappuzha by the security personnel of then chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
