CHENNAI: With just five days left for assembly polls in TN the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a directive to the state government to transfer KA Senthil Velan, Inspector general of police, intelligence and post Avinash Kumar as the new IG, intelligence.

In an order signed by Secretary Madhusudan Gupta on Sunday the Commission said Avinash Kumar, IPS (2004 batch), be posted as IG of Police (Intelligence) with immediate effect.

The state government has been instructed to send a compliance report confirming the officer’s joining by 5:00 PM on Sunday.

Furthermore, the Commission explicitly ordered that the officer who has been transferred out shall not be assigned any election-related duties until the completion of the electoral process.

The directive was sent to the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, with a copy marked to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer.

The move is part of the ECI’s ongoing review of preparedness for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, ensuring the smooth and impartial conduct of the polls.