Kerala Govt’s DGP pick triggers political backlash over Koothuparamba firing past

The Kerala Cabinet’s decision to appoint Ravada Chandrashekhar as the new Director General of Police has drawn sharp criticism from both within the ruling CPM and the Opposition, with concerns centred around his controversial past role in the 1994 Koothuparamba police firing.

Senior CPM leader P Jayarajan voiced his opposition, citing the Koothuparamba incident in which five DYFI activists were killed. Many DYFI activists lost their lives in the firing, and those responsible for it must be held accountable, Jayarajan said, questioning the government’s move to elevate Chandrasekhar despite his alleged involvement.

The Koothuparamba firing occurred on November 25,1994, during a protest by DYFI activists against the then Minister for Cooperation M V Raghavan when police opened fire on the demonstrators. Ravada Chandrashekhar, who had just taken over as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Thalassery, was in charge during the incident. Though he was later exonerated in 2012, the case remains a sensitive issue within the Left ranks.

Jayarajan, while speaking to the media in Kannur, said that the government made its decision based on the recommendations placed before it, and it is the government that should explain the rationale behind the appointment.

However, he pointed out that although Chandrasekhar had faced allegations in connection with the 1994 Koothuparamba police firing, he was acquitted in 2012.

“The government has made the decision based on merit, considering who is competent to carry out the responsibilities,” he added.

Jayarajan also commented on CPM’s legal objections to Nitin Agarwal’s consideration for the DGP post. He referred to a case from the same period of the Koothuparamba firing, during an RSS-CPM clash, in which the current  Koothuparamba area secretary of the party, M Sukumaran, was allegedly brutally assaulted while in police custody. Nitin Agarwal was an accused in that case, and Sukumaran had lodged a formal complaint against him. 

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan also criticised the decision, demanding clarity on why Yogesh Gupta, the third candidate in the UPSC shortlist, was overlooked. Nitin Agarwal has a record of assaulting CPM workers, and Ravada Chandrashekhar is associated with the Koothuparamba firing. Then why was Yogesh Gupta left out? Satheesan sought to know.

The backlash puts the state government in a tight spot, with criticism emerging from both ideological rivals and party insiders, raising questions over the political and moral implications of the high-profile appointment.