Soon after the Election Commission of India (EC) on Saturday stripped Director-General of Police (DGP) Sandeep Mittal of the post of Director, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (V&AC), the Tamil Nadu Head of Police Force (HoPF) and DGP Sandeep Rai Rathore issued an order asking Mr. Mittal to hold “full additional charge as Director, V&AC, until further orders”.

However, the order was reversed by Additional Chief Secretary K. Manivasan, who had earlier in the day taken charge as Tamil Nadu Home Secretary, after the EC transferred incumbent Dheeraj Kumar. The Home Secretary, instead, ordered the appointment of IPS officer A.T. Durai Kumar as Director in-charge, V&AC, till a regular posting order is issued.

Originally, on April 8, the EC had appointed Mr. Mittal as DGP (Armed Police and Director, V&AC). But DMK treasurer T.R. Baalu had written to the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar objecting to Mr. Mittal’s appointment.

Citing the officer’s past social media posts hailing the RSS and criticising the Left, and certain accusations of corruption against him, Mr. Baalu had sought reconsideration of the EC’s direction to appoint Mr. Mittal to the sensitive post.

Order modified

On Saturday, the EC, in an order, informed the Chief Secretary that its April 8 order in respect of Mr. Mittal’s appointment was being modified, as per which he would be posted only as DGP (Armed Police) and would not hold the charge of Director, V&AC. The EC had sought a compliance report by 5 p.m.

However, Mr. Rathore, who too was recently appointed by the EC as HoPF, had issued an order to Mr. Mittal requesting him to immediately assume charge as DGP (Armed Reserve) and hold “full additional charge as Director, V&AC, until further orders”.

Mr. Rathore had directed Mr. Mittal to assume charge in the new post before 4.30 p.m. on Saturday and “send a compliance report to the Chief Office immediately”, sources said.

Sources said upon learning about the procedural infirmities in the order issued by Mr. Rathore, the Home Secretary wrote to him directing that Mr. Durai Kumar, Inspector-General of Police, SIC-I, DVAC, should be posted as Director in-charge, V&AC, “till a regular posting is issued.”