Karan Singha out, AK Viswanathan is the new Chennai police commissioner

Chennai: Additional director general of police A. K. Viswanathan of the 1990 IPS batch has been appointed as the new Chennai police commissioner by the state government. He is expected to take charge on Monday.

Viswanathan, 53, currently serving as additional commandant general, Home Guards, will be 104th police chief of Chennai. The present CoP, ADGP Karan Singha, has been transferred and posted as member, Tamil Nadu Uniform Service Recruitment Board.

Karan Singha was posted as CoP on March 25 following an order from election commission to replace DGP S. George, the then city police commissioner, before the RK Nagar bypoll. George is currently heading fire and rescue services department.

Viswanathan’s wife Seema Agrawal is also a 1990 batch officer and is currently posted as additional director general of police, State Crime Records Bureau.
Both are expected to return to Chennai by Sunday from a visit to the US, where their son is working.

Before being posted to Home Guards, Viswanathan was posted as commissioner of police, Coimbatore city.

Hailing from Erode, native of chief minister Edappadi K. Palanisami, Viswanathan when he returned from central deputation had served in state intelligence and also with Chennai city police as additional commissioner of police in 2009, under commissioner K. Radhakrishnan.

Viswanathan has also worked as deputy resident commissioner of TN in Delhi.
He was one of the senior officers whose suspension was ordered by the Madras high court following the infamous police—advocate clash took place on high court premises on February 19, 2009. But action against officers was put on hold following a special leave petition filed in Supreme Court.

But the incident led to senior officers blaming each other for the chaos. The then commissioner Radhakrishnan blamed Viswanathan and claimed that he had nothing to do with it during a CBI inquiry. Viswanathan contested it saying that
commissioner Radhakrishnan was very much on the spot and force was taking orders from the commissioner and even submitted evidence to prove his claim.