Bhubaneswar: June 01: Odisha-born IPS officer Loknath Behera was appointed Director General of Police (DGP) of Kerala on Tuesday. Behera, a Kerala cadre IPS, was earlier working as DG (Prisons) in the southern Indian state. The newly formed Left Democratic Front (LDF) government on Monday night removed State Police Chief (SPF) and director General of Police (DGP) T.P. Senkumar and posted Loknath Behera to the top job in the State Police force.
Holding the post of a DIG in Central Bureau of Investigation he was involved in the investigation of sensitive high profile cases such as the ‘The Graham Stains murder case’ in Odisha in 1999.
He joined the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2009. Prior to being appointed as the DGP of Kerala, he served as Director of Kerala Fire and Rescue Services. He was a part of the team that travelled to the US to question David Headley in 2010. While on deputation at the NIA, Behera was awarded the Presidents Medal for Distinguished Services in 2009. Sources say, he is the first and the only officer from the NIA to have been named in the list of Independence Day medals.
Senkumar has been moved to the position of police housing construction corporation MD.
Loknath Behera belongs to Puri District of Odisha.
