Thiruvananthapuram: DGP Ravada A. Chandrasekhar took charge as the Kerala State Police Chief on Tuesday. He arrived in the state capital from Delhi early in the morning and assumed office at around 7 a.m. He was received by officers at the police headquarters, including ADGPs. The handover ceremony took place at the office of the Police Chief.

When former State Police Chief Sheikh Darvesh Sahib stepped down from the post on Monday, he temporarily handed over the reins to ADGP H. Venkatesh. Ravada A. Chandrasekhar formally took over from him. After completing the formalities at the police headquarters, he laid a wreath at the memorial on the headquarters premises. He is scheduled to fly to Kannur at 10.30 a.m. to attend a review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister.

Ravada, who came second in the UPSC shortlist for the appointment as Kerala DGP, is a 1991 batch IPS officer. He hails from Andhra Pradesh and previously served as Special Director in the Central Intelligence Bureau.

The government appointed Ravada by superseding Nitin Agarwal, who was ranked first on the UPSC list. Ravada, who was due to retire in July next year, will receive a one-year extension in service following his appointment as police chief, backed by a Supreme Court order.