North-Indian Officers Appointed To Top Positions In TN, Netizens Question “Dravidian Model”

In what appears to be ironic, the Tamil Nadu government announced several high-level appointments on 29 June 2023, raising eyebrows among netizens.

Shankar Jiwal, a 1990-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was appointed as the new Director General of Police/Head of Police Force, replacing C Sylendra Babu upon his retirement on 30 June 2023. Sandeep Rai Rathore, DGP (training) from the Police Traiing College, was named the new Commissioner of Police, Chennai, taking over from Shankar Jiwal.

Shankar Jiwal was appointed as the City Police Commissioner earlier this year as the DMK assumed power in Tamil Nadu. His tenure is said to last for two years. In addition to this, it was also announced that Shiv Das Meena will take over as the new chief secretary of the state.
However, what raises eyebrows further is that none of the newly appointed officials, including Shankar Jiwal, Sandeep Rai Rathore, and the state’s new chief secretary, Shiv Das Meena, hail from Tamil Nadu or are of Tamil origin.

Shiv Das Meena, a 1989 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, will assume the position of chief secretary. He is a native of the Tonk district in Rajasthan. Sandeep Rai Rathore, a native of New Delhi, who completed his studies at the prestigious Delhi School of Economics, is set to take on the role of Commissioner of Police, Chennai. Similarly, Shankar Jiwal, although originally from Uttarakhand, the only exception is that he belongs to the Tamil Nadu IPS cadre.

The appointment of these non-Tamil individuals to prominent positions has raised questions, particularly in light of the members of the DMK indulging in hate politics against the “north Indians.” It seems ironic that the DMK government which earlier accused the erstwhile AIADMK government of appointing north Indians in government jobs has now placed individuals from outside the Tamil community in the highest posts of the state government.

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