The Tamil Nadu government has issued transfer orders for three IPS officers, and notably, two of them have not been assigned new postings, as a consequence of their involvement in the mismanagement of crowds during A.R. Rahman’s ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ concert. This event took place on Sunday, September 10, 2023, at the Adityaram Palace grounds on the East Coast Road (ECR) in Chennai. Numerous fans expressed dissatisfaction with the overcrowding at the concert, resulting in severe traffic congestion that even affected the Chief Minister’s convoy.
One of the affected officers is Ms. Deepa Sathyan (IPS:2015:TN), an IPS officer who previously served as the Deputy Commissioner of Police for Law and Order in Pallikaranai, within the Tambaram City Police Commissionerate’s jurisdiction, which includes the concert venue. Ms. Sathyan has now been placed on ‘compulsory wait’ status at the office of the Director General of Police (DGP) until further orders, as stated in an official notification.
In addition to Ms. Sathyan, IPS officer Disha Mittal has also been transferred from her role as Joint Commissioner of Police for Law and Order in Greater Chennai City Police. She too has been placed in the ‘compulsory wait’ category. Reports suggest that Ms. Mittal’s transfer is related to her alleged inefficiency in managing T.N. BJP leader K. Annamalai’s recent protest in Nungambakkam, which subsequently led to traffic disruptions in the area.
Furthermore, another transfer involved Adarsh Pachera (IPS:2017:TN), an IPS officer who was moved from his position as Superintendent of Police (SP) in the Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Cell in Chennai. He has been reassigned to the role of SP/Deputy Commissioner of Police in East Tirunelveli City.
