Thiruvananthapuram | Senior IPS officer Ravada A Chandrasekhar took charge as the new Kerala State Police Chief on Tuesday morning at the police headquarters here, a day after he was appointed to the key post by the Left government.

He succeeded Shaik Darvesh Saheb, who retired on Monday.

He was welcomed by senior officers and officially assumed office around 7 am.

The baton was handed over to the new police chief by ADGP (Law and Order) H Venkatesh.

After taking charge, Chandrasekhar expressed happiness at beginning his new role, while acknowledging the challenges ahead.

He said he would move forward with the support of his colleagues.

The police chief stated that the ongoing anti-drug campaign in the state would be intensified and that awareness programmes would be strengthened.

Very strong action would be taken against those involved in drug-related offences, especially peddlers and others, he told reporters.

He noted that drug abuse is a nationwide problem and called for a collective effort to address it.

Speaking on crimes against women, Chandrasekhar described the issue as serious and assured that strong action would be taken after examining the cases.

Any crime against women is a grave matter, and swift, firm action would be taken against those responsible, he said.

During the press conference, a person who was not a journalist approached the Police Chief with some papers and raised a complaint.

The Police Chief assured that the complaint would be examined