All steps taken for peaceful polls: Shukla

Interacting with reporters after assuming charge, Shukla said that all necessary steps were being taken to ensure that people cast their votes without fear.

He noted that he had earlier handled such assignments as Chennai Police Commissioner during the 2016 Assembly elections and that required security arrangements were being made in all the polling booths.

Senior officials, including Special DGP (law and order) Vijaykumar, inspector generals SN Sheshsai (welfare), KN Sathyamoorthy (intelligence), C Eswaramoorthy, (internal security) and HM Jayaram (administration) briefed the DGP – elections immediately after he took charge at the state police headquarters on Thursday.

A day after the Election Commission appointed Ashutosh Shukla as Director General of Police (Elections), the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday asked R Kanagaraj, DIG (Prisons), to head the prison administration.

Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan in an order issued on Thursday said, “Shukla has to take charge of the new assignment immediately, after handing over charge of the post of IG Prisons to Deputy Inspector General of Prisons R Kanagaraj, Headquarters Chennai.”

The EC on Wednesday appointed Shukla as DGP (Elections), Tamil Nadu and said he would supervise all election related work involving the police.