Ravada A Chandrasekhar, a 1991-batch IPS officer from Andhra Pradesh, who has been appointed as the new Kerala State Police Chief, was once at the centre of one of the most controversial episodes in the state’s policing history--the Koothuparamba police firing.

On November 25, 1994, barely two days after he was transferred from Hyderabad and posted as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Kerala, Chandrasekhar oversaw a police operation that escalated into one of the deadliest instances of political violence in modern Kerala.

The incident occurred near Thalassery Road in Kannur, where thousands of DYFI activists blocked the convoy of Cooperation and Ports Minister M V Raghavan, protesting the UDF government's self-financing education policy. Raghavan, popularly known as MVR, was once a senior CPM leader who had later broken away from the party.

When tear gas and lathi-charge failed to disperse the protesters, police—acting on orders from the Executive Magistrate and the DIG—opened fire in two rounds: first near the Koothuparamba Town Hall, and then again near the police station.

The outcome was tragic: five DYFI activists—KK Rajeevan, KV Roshan, Madhu, Shibulal, and Babu—were killed, and six others injured. Among the wounded was Pushpan, who was left paralysed from a spinal injury and remained bedridden until his death in late 2024.

A judicial inquiry conducted in 1997 found the firing “not justified,” calling it excessive and unwarranted. Subsequently, a magistrate court charged Chandrasekhar, along with then Sub-Divisional Magistrate Antony, DySP Abdul Hakkim Bathery, and constables P K Lukose, Sivadasan, and Balachandran, with murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy based on a private complaint. However, in June 2012, the Kerala High Court quashed all charges, citing lack of prosecution sanction from the government.

Hailing from Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari region, Chandrasekhar began his policing career in Kerala as ASP, Thalassery. He went on to serve as Superintendent of Police in Wayanad, Malappuram, Ernakulam Rural, and Palakkad, later holding senior positions as DIG of Thrissur and Kochi ranges, and as Commissioner of Police in Thiruvananthapuram. He has been on central deputation since 2008.

He was also in contention for the post of Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat, a position he was expected to take over in August 2025. However, his appointment as Kerala’s DGP makes him eligible for a one-year extension, in line with a Supreme Court directive that mandates a minimum two-year tenure for state police chiefs. With this appointment, Chandrasekhar becomes the 41st Director General of Police in Kerala.