Former Kannur Superintendent of police and district police chief Yathish Chandra IPS has been relieved from the Kerala cadre by the state government. The top cop will now join the Karnataka IPS cadre on an inter cadre deputation.
The Kerala government issued an order stating that Yathish is getting transferred to the Karnataka cadre on an inter cadre deputation for an initial period of three years. The order was issued after the appointments committee of the Cabinet approved a proposal by the Ministry of Home Affairs to transfer the top coo to Karnataka. This was done on the ground of ‘personal hardship’ faced by the officer.
Yathish Chandra has now been relieved from the Kerala cadre KAP IV Battalion with immediate effect for joining the Karnataka cadre.
The order was issued based on the instructions of the Kerala Governor and undersigned by the Joint Secretary. It was also issued via the DGP and State Police Chief Loknath Behera and the Principal Accountant General.
In early January, Yatish Chandra handed over his charge as the last District Police Chief of the erstwhile unified Kannur district police. His charge has now been handed over the the SP Kannur Rural Navneet Sharma and Commissioner of Police Kannur city R Ilango IPS.
Chandra later took charge as commandant of the Kerala Armed Police 4th Battalion.
In March 2020, Yathish Chandra courted controversy by making four men who had come outside of their houses during the COVID-19 lockdown period do squats as punishment. The video of the men doing squats went viral and the top cop was rebuked by the Chief Minister himself. The officer also faced a probe by the state government for his actions.
In 2017, Yathish Chandra stirred a row after a child witness had told the state Human Rights Commission that Yathish who was then the Deputy Commissioner of Police Kochi city had lathi charged those who had gathered in protest in front of the Kerala High Court against the opening of an LPG plant in Puthuvype.
In 2018, when the women entry into Sabarimala temple was a burning topic, the Kerala BJP had written to the centre demanding action against the officer for telling Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan that his convoy cannot go in to the Sabarimala temple.