CHENNAI: Former Director General of Police (DGP) Shankar Jiwal stepped down as the first chairman of the Tamil Nadu Fire Commission on Wednesday. His resignation came as part of a broader trend of retired senior police officers leaving key government positions in the state.
Mass Resignations in Fire Commission
Alongside Jiwal, three other members of the Tamil Nadu Fire Commission—Vikraman, Sathyamurthy, and Namachivayam—also submitted their resignations. All four officials had been appointed during the previous DMK government.
Another Former DGP Steps Down
In a separate development, former DGP Sunil Kumar resigned from his role as chairman of the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB). This move mirrors the departures seen in the Fire Commission.
Administrative Changes Under New Government
The resignations occurred amid administrative shifts following the formation of a new government led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. Sources indicated that the state government had initiated steps to relieve officials occupying certain high-ranking statutory and administrative positions, including the posts of Information Commissioner, TNUSRB board chairman, and Tamil Nadu Fire Commission chairman.
No Official Reasons Given
No official statement was immediately released explaining the reasons for the resignations. Government sources suggested that the process of appointing successors to the vacant positions would be undertaken in due course.
Stay updated with the latest Chennai news. Download the TOI App.
About the Author
A Selvaraj, widely known as Crime Selvaraj, is a veteran journalist with over 31 years of experience in crime reporting across leading Tamil and English newspapers. He has covered historic events, including the deaths of former Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi, the IPL betting scam, and the Kanchi Seer Sankararaman murder case. A familiar face in the digital space, he has given more than 500 interviews across 30 YouTube channels, with millions of views on social media. He has also featured in international documentaries on Netflix and Bloomberg, speaking on high-profile cases such as idol smuggler Subhash Kapoor and conman Sukesh Chandrasekar. Beyond journalism, he has acted in three films including the Tamil movie DNA, trained over 200 budding journalists, directed short films, and authored the English crime-poetry collection Chilled Love. His contributions have earned him the TOI Scribe Award and the Humanitarian Award from former Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan.
