IPS association Kerala chapter elects two women officers as the president and the secretary

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The

IPS association

on Tuesday elected DGP and commandant general of fire force R Sreelekha as the president and IG (south zone) Harshitha Attalluri as the secretary of the association. It is for the first time that the key office bearers of the association that has been male-dominated for years, are making way to women power.

The office bearers are being elected formally for the first time, after framing the by-law. As per the by-law, the senior-most DGP (barring the state police chief), who is willing, would be the president of the association. Even though DGP (prisons and correctional services) Rishiraj Singh was the first choice for the post of president as per the by-law, it is learnt that he expressed unwillingness to be the president of the association. Following this, the next senior-most member R Sreelekha was chosen for the post.

Though the by-law allows the secretary to be elected, no one except Harshitha Attalluri had filed the nomination, following which she was elected unopposed. The association also elected ADGP (armed police battalion)

K Padmakumar

as the member representing ADGPs in the executive committee, IG (headquarters) P Vijayan as the representative of the IGs, DIG (armed police battalion)

K Prakash

as the representative of the DIGs and SPs Rahul R Nair and R Adithya as the representative of the SPs. The meeting also chose SP (vigilance) Harishankar as the joint secretary of the association.

The association was given a formal shape and a fresh by-law was drafted as there were repeated demands from among the officers that several issues relating to IPS officers should be aggressively taken up with the government. Earlier, the senior-most officer taking part in the association meeting on the day used to preside over it while the city police commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram used to be the secretary of the association.