The Election Commission of India has appointed senior IPS officer Sandeep Rai Rathore as the new Director General of Police (DGP) and Head of Police Force (HoPF) of Tamil Nadu ahead of the crucial Assembly elections scheduled for April 23.
Rathore, a 1992-batch IPS officer, replaces G Venkataraman, who had been serving as the in-charge DGP since September 2025 following the retirement of Shankar Jiwal. Prior to this appointment, Rathore was serving as DGP (Training) in Chennai and brings with him extensive administrative and policing experience.
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The move is seen as part of the Election Commission’s standard procedure to ensure neutrality and smooth conduct of polls by reshuffling key administrative positions. With elections approaching, such changes are aimed at maintaining law and order and ensuring a fair electoral process across the state.
Alongside Rathore’s appointment, the poll body also ordered several other key transfers. Senior officers including Sanjay Kumar, Abhishek Dixit, and R V Ramya Bharati have been reassigned to important roles. Sanjay Kumar has been posted as Commissioner of Tambaram, Abhishek Dixit as Commissioner of Madurai, and R V Ramya Bharati as Inspector General of Police (West Zone) in Coimbatore.
