Annamalai replaces Santosh Babu as Ckm SP; Balakrishna is new Udupi SP

Udupi, Jul 26: In a mini police reshuffle effected by the state government, K Annamalai, the superintendent of police of Udupi district, who was known as Udupi's Singham, has been transferred and posted as Chikkamagaluru SP.

K T Balakrishna, a 2006 batch IPS officer, who is currently serving as the SP of Gadag will soon be replacing the outgoing IPS officer in Udupi. Mr Annamailai's batch mate (2011) K Santosh Babu will replace Balakrishna in Gadag.

Incidentally, the current posting for Annamalai to Chikkamagaluru means he has served his formative years in the Indian Police Service in Western Range of Karnataka State Police.

Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Chikkamagaluru form part of Western Range, and Annamalai was assistant superintendent of police in Karkala sub-division of Udupi district police before assuming the mantle of district police chief in the very same district.

Reacting to the transfer order Mr Annamalai said that he is happy to have served in Udupi district and win the affection people and all stakeholders. "It is a shift to a neighbouring district," Annamalai said about his latest posting. When pointed he was still in the Western Range even with this transfer, Annamalai laughed it off. Annamalai had come across as a no nonsense officer who did not hesitate to lay down the law, while dealing with toughest of situations.

The transfer of Santosh Babu, who earlier served as deputy commissioner of police (law and order) in Mangaluru City Police is largely seen as a fall out of the controversy surrounding the recent death of Chikkamgaluru deputy superintendent of police Kallappa Handibag.

In fact, it was the first of the deaths of an officer at the DSP level the other being that of M K Ganapathi that put the Siddaramaiah government under a spotlight over morale of state police.