Meet B Sandhya, the officer in running for post of Kerala's first woman police chief

A woman has been shortlisted for the position of Kerala Police Chief for the first time. On Thursday, June 24, a committee of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) compiled a final list of three candidates for the position of director-general of police in charge of law and order. Kerala Fire Chief B Sandhya is one of the three people recommended, said reports. Sudesh Kumar, director of the vigilance and anti-corruption department, and safety commissioner Anil Kant are the other two names on the list. 

Kerala Police chief post

B Sandhya and Sudesh Kumar are the two who currently hold the rank of director general of police (DGP). Kumar has the upper hand over Sandhya in terms of seniority. Meanwhile, Anil Kant is now serving as an additional director general of police.

As per reports, despite being a significant name on the Kerala government's shortlist for the new police chief position, the UPSC committee has eliminated DGP Tomin J Thachankary from its list. Due to a continuing vigilance investigation, he may not be considered for the position, it added. VP Joy, Kerala's chief secretary, and Loknath Behera, the current state police chief, both attended the UPSC committee meeting in Delhi. 

Kerala government's list

Arun Kumar Sinha, a senior police officer, was also on the Kerala government's list of 12 names. Sinha, on the other hand, told the UPSC committee that he was not interested in the job. He is currently the director of the special protection group that protects the Prime Minister. All of the officials on the state government's list of 12 were DGP and ADGP rank officers from the 1987 to 1991 batches of the Indian Police Service. They've all put in thirty years' worth of service.

Who is B Sandhya?

Dr B Sandhya, an Indian Police Service officer, is the Director-General of Kerala Fire and Rescue Services, Home Guard & Civil Defence at the moment. Dr Sandhya has an MSc in Zoology and has studied Human Resources Management at Wollongong University in Australia. As per reports, she received her PGDBA (Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics) from Pondicherry University and her PhD from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani. 

She entered the Indian Police Service after clearing the Indian Civil Services Examination in 1988, and has held positions such as Assistant Superintendent of Police, Joint Superintendent of Police, Superintendent of Police, District Superintendent of Police, Inspector General of Police, and others. Dr. Sandhya has been the Additional Director General of Police since 2013, and she previously worked for the CBCID (Crime-Branch Crime Investigation Department).

Picture Credit: Police Officers-Kerala/Facebook/PTI