Tamil Nadu Places Two Senior IPS Officers on Compulsory Wait Amid Scrutiny of Veeramani POCSO Case
The Tamil Nadu government has placed 1998-batch IPS officer A. Arun and 2002-batch IPS officer N. Kannan on compulsory wait, amid questions surrounding the handling and timeline of a POCSO case involving Gem Granites owner R. Veeramani.
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has moved two senior IPS officers out of their current assignments and placed them on compulsory wait amid growing scrutiny over the handling of a POCSO case involving Gem Granites owner R. Veeramani.
The officers affected are A. Arun, IPS (1998 batch, Tamil Nadu cadre), who was serving as Additional Director General of Police and Director of the Tamil Nadu Police Academy, and N. Kannan, IPS (2002 batch, Tamil Nadu cadre), who was serving as Inspector General of Police and Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City.
According to the government order issued on Thursday by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) K. Manivasan, IAS (1993 batch, Tamil Nadu cadre), both officers have been transferred from their respective posts with immediate effect and placed on compulsory wait. The order, however, does not spell out the reasons for the transfers or specifically link the administrative action to the ongoing POCSO case.
Earlier Chennai Postings of Both Officers Under Scrutiny
The development assumes significance because both Arun and Kannan had previously served in important positions in the Chennai Police hierarchy. A. Arun had served as Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, while N. Kannan had served as Additional Commissioner of Police, South Chennai.
The issue now attracting attention is the timeline of when Chennai Police were first informed about allegations concerning Veeramani and an associate, and what action followed the information allegedly provided to the police.
The question of whether authorities had received information about the allegations considerably earlier than the date on which the case formally came to their attention has become an important part of the scrutiny surrounding the matter.
Complaint Allegedly Made in November 2024
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee Scheduled Caste Department president Ranjan Kumar has said that he approached N. Kannan in November 2024 with a complaint concerning allegations against Veeramani and an associate.
Kannan subsequently told The News Minute that he had received the complaint and had escalated the matter to the then Chennai Police Commissioner, A. Arun. This account has become significant because it places an alleged communication to senior police officers nearly a year before authorities were said to have formally become aware of the allegations through another source.
The exact sequence of events and the action taken after the alleged complaint are now part of the wider scrutiny.
Timeline of Police Awareness Becomes Key Issue
The chronology surrounding the allegations has emerged as one of the central questions in the case. According to sources cited in reports, authorities formally became aware of the allegations in October 2025, after an activist approached them with a pen drive that reportedly contained purported visuals involving a minor girl.
Ranjan Kumar, however, has given an earlier timeline. He has maintained that he approached the police in November 2024 and subsequently handed over video material in December 2024.
The difference between these accounts has raised questions about when the police first received information, what material was available at different stages and how the allegations were handled after they were brought to the attention of senior officers.
At this stage, the differing timelines remain an important part of the scrutiny, while the investigation into the underlying POCSO case continues.
New Officers Given Additional Responsibilities
Following the government order, arrangements have been made to ensure that the senior positions vacated by the two officers continue to function without interruption. Rajeev Kumar, IPS (1992 batch, Bihar cadre), DGP (Training), has been assigned additional charge of the Tamil Nadu Police Academy.
At the same time, R.V. Ramya Bharathi, IPS (2008 batch, Tamil Nadu cadre), IGP, West Zone, has been given additional charge as Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City. The additional-charge arrangements come into effect following the removal of Arun and Kannan from their previous assignments.
Veeramani POCSO Case Under Investigation
The administrative action comes against the backdrop of the continuing investigation into the POCSO case involving R. Veeramani. Reports state that Veeramani and two associates were arrested on August 29 in connection with the case.
The case has attracted attention not only because of the allegations themselves but also because of questions surrounding the chronology of the information allegedly available to the police and the manner in which it was dealt with.
The placement of the two senior IPS officers on compulsory wait is therefore being viewed in the context of the wider scrutiny, although the government order itself does not provide a reason for the action.
Who Is A. Arun?
A. Arun is a 1998-batch IPS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre. He holds a B.E. degree and an MDPM and has held several important policing assignments during his career.
Among his prominent postings was the position of Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, one of the most significant operational policing assignments in the state.
Before being placed on compulsory wait, Arun was serving as Additional Director General of Police and Director of the Tamil Nadu Police Academy, where he was responsible for the state’s police training establishment.
His earlier tenure in Chennai has brought his role into focus following the questions surrounding when the police were allegedly informed about the Veeramani case.
Who Is N. Kannan?
N. Kannan is a 2002-batch IPS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre. He holds an MVSc and Ph.D. and has served in a number of policing positions in the state.
Among his earlier assignments was Additional Commissioner of Police, Law & Order, South Greater Chennai.
Kannan later moved to Coimbatore and took charge as Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City, in January 2026. He remained in that position until the latest government order transferred him from the post and placed him on compulsory wait.
His earlier role in Chennai has become relevant because of the allegation by Ranjan Kumar that he had approached Kannan in November 2024 regarding allegations involving Veeramani and an associate.
Administrative Action Amid Continuing Scrutiny
For now, the government order establishes the administrative position of the two officers but does not state the reasons for placing them on compulsory wait.
The key questions surrounding the case relate to the chronology of complaints, the alleged submission of digital material and the response of the police authorities at different stages.
With the investigation continuing and the circumstances surrounding the handling of the allegations under scrutiny, the movement of two senior IPS officers has added another significant administrative development to the case.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Police has put alternative arrangements in place for both the Police Academy and Coimbatore City Police, ensuring that the two organisations continue to function under officers holding additional charge.
