Overview
- Sandeep Rai Rathore, a 1992‑batch IPS officer, was named director general of police and head of the police force with immediate effect, replacing in‑charge G. Venkataraman.
- The Election Commission directed the state to implement the order at once and said officers it shifted cannot hold election-related posts until the polls conclude.
- A wider shake-up moved Sanjay Kumar to Tambaram police commissioner, Abhishek Dixit to Madurai police commissioner, and R. V. Ramya Bharati to inspector general for the West Zone.
- Additional postings reassigned district superintendents in Kancheepuram, Perambalur, Thanjavur, and Tenkasi to steady ground policing before the April 23 vote and May 4 counting.
- The intervention follows a postponed March 20 UPSC meeting to shortlist a regular police chief despite a Supreme Court timeline, leaving the top post without a full-term appointee since September 2025.