States » SouthPosted at: Oct 28 2026 1:58PM


Kerala HM breaks tradition by admitting police lapses, sets new precedent for reforms: MG Radhakrishnan

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 28 (UNI) Senior journalist M G Radhakrishnan has described Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala’s public admission of police lapses in the Cheranalloor road accident case as a significant departure from the traditional approach of successive Home Ministers, while stressing that the move must lead to comprehensive police reforms and accountability at all levels.
In a Facebook post titled “A bouquet for Chennithala: What next?”, Radhakrishnan said Chennithala’s acknowledgement of police mistakes and announcement of action against the erring personnel had sent a different message from the approach of previous governments, which had either defended police excesses or maintained silence over them.
He pointed out that a Home Minister personally acknowledging police failures and announcing action in the Legislative Assembly, with the proceedings telecast across the state, was fundamentally different from governments reluctantly admitting lapses in the name of the administration as an institution.
Referring to the case of a street-food vendor killed in Cheranalloor when a car driven by a judge’s minor son hit him, Radhakrishnan said the police had committed serious and indefensible lapses. The minister’s public admission and announcement of action came after a day-long protest by the deceased’s children and criticism from the media, he noted.
The seriousness of the issue was compounded by the fact that the minor sons of two influential individuals were involved in two similar offences in the same locality within a span of just a few days, he said.
Radhakrishnan observed that successive Home Ministers had generally rejected demands to curb the police’s excessive exercise of power, arguing that such measures would undermine the morale of the force. Political leaders who had strongly criticised police atrocities while in the Opposition often changed their positions after assuming power, sometimes retaining or appointing police chiefs whom they had previously criticised.
He cited the example of Oommen Chandy, who had criticised K Karunakaran over his alleged excessive attachment to police chief Raman Srivastava but appointed Srivastava as police chief after becoming Chief Minister. Srivastava was subsequently accepted as an adviser by Pinarayi Vijayan after his retirement, he pointed out.
Radhakrishnan also recalled the Chandanathope firing during the first EMS government in 1957, in which two workers were killed. He referred to CPI leader K Damodaran’s candid remarks about the inner conflict and guilt associated with the need to justify the firing.
He said he could not recall the then Home Minister K Karunakaran openly criticising the atrocities committed during the Emergency or any Congress leader who later opposed the Emergency speaking out unequivocally against them.
He further cited former DGP Jacob Punoose’s position that police personnel need not obey unlawful orders from their superiors and former DGP A Hemachandran’s detailed criticism of serious lapses committed by the police force and senior officers.
Radhakrishnan said Chennithala’s appointment of Hemachandran as an adviser to the Home Department had earlier raised hopes of a change in approach. However, doubts had also been expressed about how long Hemachandran would be allowed to continue in the position. The minister’s latest statement could be viewed as a continuation of the intent behind that appointment, he added.
While describing Chennithala’s stand as welcome, Radhakrishnan said its sincerity would have to be established through sustained follow-up action. He raised several questions about whether the government would order a detailed investigation into both similar incidents in the locality and examine the police response in each case.
He questioned whether accountability would be confined to junior-level personnel while senior officers escaped scrutiny. He also asked whether the officers against whom action had been taken would return to their previous postings after the suspension period, including the stipulated six-month period involving salary-related provisions.
The government should use the incident as an opportunity to introduce lasting reforms within the police force and enact legislation to prevent similar incidents, he said.
Radhakrishnan also called for structural changes to address what he described as the police force’s broader anti-democratic practices and tendency towards the excessive exercise of power.
Pointing out that several recommendations for police reforms, including those prepared by Justice K T Thomas and others, were already available, he asked whether the government would implement them rather than allow the proposals to remain on paper.
He also described the reported removal of the Kochi City Police Commissioner as welcome. However, he stressed that the larger test would be whether the recent actions translated into sustained police reforms, accountability at every level and effective safeguards against the recurrence of such lapses.
UNI DS
Tags: #Kerala HM breaks tradition by admitting police lapses# sets new precedent for reforms: MG Radhakrishnan
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