Pinarayi Vijayan flays ‘move to politicise’ police in Kerala

Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) criticised the State government’s move to “unilaterally” revamp police organisations in Kerala “with the objective of bringing the police force fully under the control of the political interests of the ruling administration.”

Terming the move “extremely undemocratic”, Mr. Vijayan said in a Facebook post that police organisations have been operating in the State since 1979, and that the current government has “dictatorially revamped” that organisational system without holding any discussions with the parties concerned. While democratically elected committees exist, the establishment of ad-hoc committees as a substitute for them is “a blatant encroachment on organisational freedom, which is unacceptable”, he said.

Mr. Vijayan also said it was “undemocratic” to demote officers who have received grade promotions, adding that this would seriously affect the unity and morale of the police force. “It is crystal-clear that the ulterior motive behind this move is to politicise the police and turn them into a force that bends to the government’s whims,” he said.

“We strongly protest against measures that interfere with the freedom of association of police officers. Such decisions should be taken only after consultation with all relevant stakeholders. The government should immediately withdraw from this move, which deprives police organisations of their democratic rights,” Mr. Vijayan said.