C. K. Gandhirajan Explained

Dr. C. K. Gandhirajan is a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer^[1] of the 1985 batch belonging to the Tamil Nadu cadre. Hailing from Thiruvallur District, he served as the Director General of Police,^[2] Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services^[3] in Tamil Nadu. He obtained a PhD.^[4] in criminology from the University of Madras. He is the author of two books, Organized Crime and Inside Prisons.

Early life and education

C.K. Gandhirajan did his schooling in the Thiruvallur District of Tamil Nadu. He majored in chemistry at the University of Madras. He holds a doctorate for his thesis on "organized crime" from the University of Madras. He is interested in subjects like Community policing, organized crime, juvenile delinquency, and police training.

Career

C.K. Gandhirajan joined the IPS as a member of the 1985 batch. He did his training at the National Police Academy, Hyderabad. After serving as Assistant Superintendent of Police, he was promoted to Superintendent of Police in 1989 and served in the Dharmapuri, Erode, and Chengalpattu East Districts. He was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Washermanpet area of Chennai. In 1999, he was promoted to Deputy Inspector General of Police and served in the Chennai Range, armed police, training, and railways. He was promoted to the rank of Inspector General of Police on October 22, 2005, and served in Operations^[5] and Intelligence^[6] before being posted as The Commissioner of Police,^[7] Coimbatore City. He was promoted to Additional Director General of Police on 1 November 2010,^[8] where he headed the Enforcement and Tamil Nadu Police Transport Corporation.

Asaithambi Encounter, 1996

Asaithambi^[9] was a notorious gangster in the 1990s, prominent in the underworld of North Chennai. He was involved in kidnapping, extortion and contract killing.

When he extended his criminal activities throughout the city, the government of Tamil Nadu commissioned a special team, Operation Asai, headed by then Chennai Superintendent of Police C.K. Gandhirajan.

On July 30, 1996, Gandhirajan and his team gunned down Asaithambi and his gang in front of Loyola College, Chennai. Gandhirajan was awarded the President's Police Medal for Gallantry for his actions.

The year 1996 is considered the first encounter in Chennai city limits.^[10]

Ranks held

Indian Police Service! Insignia !! Rank !! Date Acquired

Director-General of Police – DGP	February 2017
	Additional Director-General of Police – ADGP	2010[11]
	Inspector-General – IG	2005[12]
	Deputy Inspector-General – DIG	2000
	Superintendent of Police – SP	1990
	Assistant Superintendent of Police – ASP	1988

Awards and honours

• As Superintendent of Police, Gandhirajan was awarded the President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG)for an encounter with a criminal in Chennai in 2000.^[13] The medal is equivalent to the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) which is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations.
• As Additional Director General of Police, Gandhirajan was awarded the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service (PPM) on 28 August 2013^[14]

Teaching and training experience

1. He has organized training programs and delivered several lectures on Organized Crime, Community Policing, Computer Crimes and Juvenile Delinquency at the Police Training College in Chennai to Police Officers across various levels.
2. He is also a guest faculty for M.A. Criminology at the Madras University.
3. A detailed study has been conducted on criminal gangs in Chennai City for thesis research in the Department of Criminology University of Madras. The study deals with notorious organized criminal gangs. This study concentrated on the gang's organizational structure,^[15] their modus operandi and the socio-economic condition of the members of these gangs.

Thesis submitted

1. In the 26th All India Criminology Conference held at the University of Madras in December 2002, he participated and presented a paper on the Empirical Study on Organized Crime.
2. Participated and presented a paper on Crime Risk Reduction: Multi-Dimensional Approach at a National Seminar on Crime Prevention organized by the Indian Society of Criminology at Madras University on 10 September 2002.
3. Participated and presented a paper on Crime Prevention^[16] at a seminar organized by the Institute of Criminological Research Education and Services on 30 October 1999 at Jaya College of Arts and Science at Chennai.
4. As a member of the Organizing Committee, he organized an All India Criminology Conference at the Madras University in collaboration with the Indian Society of Criminology from 26 to 28 December 2002

Bibliography

He is the author of two books, Organized Crime and Inside Prisons.

1. Organized Crime was published by A.P.H. Publishing Corporation, New Delhi, in 2003. The book has a foreword written by the Retired Director General of Police, V. R. Lakshmi Narayanan. The book was reviewed in The Hindu on 23 December 2003.^[17]
2. Inside Prisons^[18] was published by Manimekhalai Prasuram, T.Nagar, Chennai in 2007. The book has a foreword by Former Supreme Court Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, who writes that the book "has made a substantial contribution to penalogical practice and literature."

Publications

• Mapping Criminal Gangs in Chennai City: Indian Journal of Criminology, Volume 30, January and July 2002 Nos. 1 & 2.
• Literature on Organized Crime in the CID Review, Vol. II, June 2002 Issue 6.
• Public Participation in Crime Prevention in the CID, Review Vol. II October 2002 Issue 10.
• Journey to Crime: Spatial Behaviors of Criminal Gangs in Chennai City – 'Indian Police Journal', Volume. 3 July to September 2003 Edition.

Notes and References

1. Web site: About TNpolice. tnpolice.gov.in. 13 August 2015.
2. News: Gandhirajan elevated to DGP Rank . https://web.archive.org/web/20060112185250/http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/23/stories/2005102313410800.htm . dead . 12 January 2006 . 22 April 2012 . PTI . . 9 March 2017.
3. News: Gandhirajan appointed as Fire Chief . 28 February 2019. Times of India . 2018-03-05. en.
4. News: Chennai cops hit the books. The Times of India. 27 January 2014. 6 April 2014.
5. News: Gandhirajan new IGP. https://web.archive.org/web/20060112185250/http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/23/stories/2005102313410800.htm. dead. 12 January 2006. 23 October 2005. The Hindu. 6 April 2014.
6. News: Intelligence chief inspects Mandapam. The Hindu. 19 July 2006. 6 April 2014.
7. News: Trouble free shifting of residence. The Hindu. 5 May 2007. 6 April 2014.
8. News: Prohibition cases on the rise. The TimesofIndia . 29 November 2013. 6 April 2014.
9. News: Asaithambi and Gang. The TimesofIndia . 29 November 2013. 6 April 2014.
10. News: Asaithambi gunned down outside Loyola college. The Hindu . 29 November 2013. 6 April 2014.
11. News: Five IG's promoted as ADGP. The Times of India. 30 October 2011. 6 April 2014.
12. Web site: Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Gandhirajan new IGP. https://web.archive.org/web/20060112185250/http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/23/stories/2005102313410800.htm. dead. 12 January 2006. The Hindu. 23 October 2005. 13 August 2015.
13. News: Medal list. TN Police. 23 October 2005.
14. News: second-string 3 TN cops bag President's Medal, 21 in merit award list. 28 August 2013. TheHindu.
15. News: Bootleggers being funded. The Hindu. 6 December 2013. 6 April 2014.
16. Web site: TN mercenaries fight Mumbai's gang wars | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis. dnaindia.com. 13 August 2015.
17. http://www.hindu.com/br/2003/12/23/stories/2003122300141500.htm Contours of crime
18. News: Inside prisons book launch. https://web.archive.org/web/20071028150538/http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/27/stories/2007052716700300.htm. dead. 28 October 2007. 27 May 2007. The Hindu. 6 April 2014.