THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Police Headquarters (PHQ) has returned to the state government the report of former State Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb on ADGP M R Ajith Kumar’s alleged lapses during the 2024 Thrissur Pooram, without adding any remarks.

The file was returned to the government last week as incumbent Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar took a stand that there was no ground for him to add any remarks on the report, which was prepared by his predecessor after a detailed inquiry. Earlier, the state government had forwarded Shaik’s report to the PHQ seeking remarks of the new head of the force.

The move of the state government had appeared outlandish as the report was prepared after a detailed probe by the former police chief, who is senior to Ravada.

Sources said the PHQ took a stand that it had no locus standi to give remarks on Shaik’s report as the current police chief was never part of any investigation conducted against Ajith.

The act of the state government referring the report to the PHQ had raised a few eyebrows. Many felt it was part of the ploy to delay acting on Shaik’s report, which reportedly carried critical remarks against Ajith. If Ravada had given remarks suggesting a mild action against the officer, it could have given the government an excuse to go soft on the officer, sources felt.

Shaik had filed his report with the government in the last week of June, just days before his retirement, where he reportedly stated that there were lapses from Ajith’s part during the pooram. Revenue Minister K Rajan had testified that when the pooram faced disruption, he tried to reach Ajith over phone and that he did not respond.