R. Sreelekha

R. Sreelekha (born 25 December 1960) is an Indian politician and retired police officer in the Indian Police Service (IPS), who was the first woman IPS officer as well as the first woman Director General of Police (DGP) from Kerala. She retired from service as the Director General of Fire and Rescue Services, Civil Defence, and Home Guards. She is the current councillor for the Sasthamangalam ward of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.

Sreelekha is also an author and now running a successful YouTube channel- “Sasneham Sreelekha” (With Love, Sreelekha) to share her experiences as a police officer. She has also served as managing director for public sector organisations in Kerala. During her tenure in the CBI, she earned the nickname of 'Raid Sreelekha'.

Early life and family

Sreelekha was born on December 25, 1960 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, as the daughter of Prof. N. Velayudhan Nair and B. Radhamma. Her father had fought in the World War II as a soldier in the Indian Army for the Allied Forces.

Sreelekha is married to Dr. Sethunath, a professor of pediatric surgery at Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. The couple has a son, Gokul.

Education

Sreelekha completed her schooling from Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Cotton Hill in Thiruvananthapuram .

She then went on to complete her bachelor's degree in English Literature at the Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram. She then did her master's

Indian Police Service

In January 1987, at the age of 26, Sreelekha became the first woman IPS officer in Kerala Cadre.

After joining the police service, she has served as District Superintendent of Police in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur. Sreelekha also worked with the Central Bureau of Investigation for 4 years as Superintendent of Police in Kerala and DIG in New Delhi. She was promoted to Deputy Inspector General of the Ernakulam Range.

In 2005, Sreelekha was posted as the Managing Director of the Kerala State Co-operative Rubber Marketing Federation. In June 2007, Later on, she also served as the Inspector General, CID. She also served as Addl. DGP, Armed Police Battalions with additional charge for Training. on 15 February 2014, she has been posted as ADGP (Police Home Guards, Community Policing, Gender Justice and Nodal Officer for Nirbhaya).

She was the Organising Secretary of the 5th National Conference of Women in Police, organised by the Bureau of Police Research & Development in July 2012, and is also a strong advocate of gender parity in the Kerala Police force. As ADGP, Sreelekha was asked by Kerala Home Minister, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan to conduct an inquiry into the involvement of Kerala Information Commissioner K. Natarajan, who had allegedly persuaded a Dy.S.P of Police to leave out the name of V. S. Achuthanandan from the list of accused in a land scam case. After completion of investigations, Sreelekha recommended the suspension of the Information Commissioner, upon finding that the official had misused his office. R. Sreelekha as ADGP Vigilance & anti-corruption Bureau, chargesheeted the Disproportionate Asset case against IG Tomin J. Thachankary, accused also in several other cases. As retaliation, Thachankary accused Sreelekha for violating norms in visiting Thailand prior to Government Permission.

Sreelekha sought permission from the government to file a defamation suit against Tomin J. Thachankary, and obtained the same. As the Transport Commissioner in Kerala, she reduced the road accidents and fatalities substantially through inclusive road safety measures and in 2014, there were 292 less fatalities in Kerala against the statistics in 2013, which was a record achievement in India. The revenue from taxes and penalties reached an all-time high of Rs 3000 crore during her tenure. Motor Vehicles Department became successful in e-governance, Vahan-Sarathy was completed and an android app called 'Smart trace' was made to detect vehicle duplications and digital record of around 98 lakh vehicles in the state. She also conducted Asia's first ever Road Hackathon with assistance from the World Bank, at Technopark where over 300 participants showcased their technological innovations to better road safety in the State.

For detecting Praveen Murder case in Kottayam and arresting the then - DySP R Shaji and also for getting lifetime imprisonment for him and his accomplices within 90 days of chargesheeting the case, she was awarded the Government's Meritorious Service Award.

She was the officer investigating the Kiliroor sex scandal case, and reported to the CBI court that there was no VIP involved. Thomas Chandy, an MLA and K. P. Mohanan was accused of being linked to the case. However, Sreelekha's deposition to the court was on the basis of the statement from the victim which absolved the two. R.Sreelekha investigated the irregularities in Consumerfed in procuring rice above the market price and for irregularities found in various godowns in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram She was the Transport Commissioner of Kerala from July 2013 to September 2015, during which time, road accidents and fatalities were at an all-time low. Asia's first ever road safety Hackathon conducted by her with assistance from World Bank at Technopark Trivandrum was a huge success.

As ADGP Crime Records Bureau, she completed the Crime & Criminal Tracking networking system and started an interactive website "THUNA" (The Hand U Need for Assistance) for a public interface with police. As Additional DGP, Intelligence, Kerala from June 2016 to January 2017, her proposal to start a counseling center HATS (Help and Assistance to Tackle Stress) for police officers who are suffering from mental stress, to help those who have personal problems such as addiction, issues with senior officers, family problems, financial problems, suicide tendencies etc. has been approved by the Department.

She got promoted to the rank of Director General of Police in September 2017. From January 2017 to June 2019, she worked as the Director General of Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services. She had introduced several positive changes in the 54 prisons in the State which are now referred to as Correctional Centers. From June 2017 to 1 June 2020, she was the head of a newly created post, "Social Policing & Traffic" in Kerala and was stationed at the Kerala State Police Headquarters.

She took charge as the Director General heading the Kerala Fire And Rescue Services on 1 June 2020, becoming the first 'Woman DGP' of independent charge in Kerala.

She retired on 31 December 2020, as the Director General of the Kerala Fire And Rescue Services, after completing 33 years and 5 months in the service.

Police career + In Kerala Police Department Post Term Rank InsigniaAssistant Superintendent of Police 1987 Superintendent of Police (Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur Districts) c. 1987–1990s thumb SP Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ernakulam Range) c. 2000s thumb DIG Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch c. 2000s thumb IGP Additional Director General of Police, Armed Police Battalions (Training) c. 2010–2014 thumb

+ Offices held on deputation Post Term Rank Insignia Superintendent of Police, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) c. 1990s thumb

Political career

After her retirement, Sreelekha became a candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party for the 2025 Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections. She was elected as a councillor from Ward No. 41, Sasthamangalam, of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, as BJP candidate.

She contested in the Kerala Assembly elections from the Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency and ended up in third position.

Medals and recognition

In 2004, as DIG Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Sreelekha was awarded the President's Police Medal for Meritorious Service. In 2013, as ADGP Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Sreelekha was awarded the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service. In 2006, during her stint as managing director, the Rubber Board won the Thailand Government's Best Exporter of Rubber in Asia award.

Selected works

Sreelekha has penned and published 9 books.

Cheru marmarangal (2005) Neerazhikapuram (2006) Maranna Doothan (2008) Kuzhaloothukaran (2009) Lottos Theenikal (2009) Niyama samrakshanam Streekalkku- a book on legal awareness to women Kuttikalum Policum- a book for the children about Police and their activities Jaagarookan (2013)- Detective novel Publisher DC Books Thamasoma- Detective series in Kerala Koumudi magazine "Balipatham", her latest novel depicts the true story of Mahabali, believed to have ruled Kerala eons back & whose return from the netherworld, Onam, the famous state festival is celebrated every year. This nook is published by Mathrubhumi Books on 2.10.2024

She writes regular columns in periodicals and magazines. Her column in Vanitha Magazine, "Marupuram, the Other Side" which is being published now is well appreciated by the readers.

Sasneham Sreelekha- YouTube Channel