M. Abdul Sathar Kunju is a 1963 Batch officer of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

Cadre of

Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service ( IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Raj. Along with the Indian Administrative Service (IAS ...

who retired as the 21st Chief of

Kerala Police The Kerala Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Kerala. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The motto of the force is "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye" which means "Soft in Temperamen ...

in 1997.

Early life and education

Abdul Sathar Kunju was born on the 26th day of June 1939 in the erstwhile Princely

State of Travancore State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

into an affluent family in the small town of

Ochira Oachira or Ochira (') is an ancient temple town located 32 km away from Kollam city in Karunagappally taluk, Kollam district in Kerala, India. Temple town Oachira is one of the famous sacred places of Kerala and in India. Oachira i ...

to Mohammed Kunju and Saliha Umma. M. Abdul Sathar Kunju did his undergraduate and post graduate studies at S.N. College Kollam,

University of Kerala University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...

. He bagged the prestigious Dr. A. Ramaswamy Mudaliar Gold Medal instituted by

for securing first rank in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. Former

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

Cabinet Minister and retired Chief Secretary J Alexander and Former

Director General of Police Director general of police (DGP) is a rank in the Indian Police Service, held by the highest ranking police officer in a State or a Union Territory of India, typically heading the state or the UT police force. The DGP is appointed by the cabin ...

of Kerala Mr. N. Krishnan Nair were his batchmates at S.N. College. The trio qualified the

Civil Service Exam Civil service examinations are examinations implemented in various countries for recruitment and admission to the civil service. They are intended as a method to achieve an effective, rational public administration on a merit system for recruit ...

in the same year, i.e. 1963.

Career

Training

Sathar Kunju joined the

in 1963. He underwent the Foundation Course (FC) at National Academy of Administration

Mussoorie Mussoorie is a hill station and a municipal board, near Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hill s ...

, where his batchmates included future Ministers

Mani Shankar Aiyar Mani Shankar Aiyar (born 10 April 1941) is an Indian politician and former career civil servant diplomat. He is a member of the Indian National Congress Party. He represented the Mayiladuthurai constituency of Tamil Nadu in the 10th Lok Sabha ...

(Indian Foreign Service), S.Krishna Kumar (IAS: Kerala) and J. Alexander (IAS: Karnataka Cadre). The 1963 Batch also included T.R. Prasad (IAS: Andhra Pradesh), T.K.A. Nair (IAS: Punjab) and Sanjivi Sundar (IAS: Gujarat). Abdul Sathar Kunju subsequently underwent Police Training at

Mount Abu Mount Abu () is a hill station in the Aravalli Range in Sirohi district of the state of Rajasthan in western India.The mountain forms a rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar at above s ...

, where the then National Police Academy was located. He belonged to 16 RR of IPS where future Kerala Governor

Nikhil Kumar Nikhil Kumar (born 15 July 1941) is a former IPS officer-turned politician hailing from Bihar who was Governor of Nagaland from 2009 to 2013 and Governor of Kerala from 2013 to 2014. One of country's well knownIPS officers of 1963 batch from ...

was his batch mate. R. K. Raghavan was also his batchmate.

Kerala Cadre

Sathar Kunju got allotted to Kerala Cadre of Indian Police Service. He started his career as

Assistant Superintendent of Police Assistant superintendent, or assistant superintendent of police (ASP), is a rank that was used by police forces in the British Empire and is still used in many police forces in the Commonwealth. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held ...

Alwaye Aluva (; also known by its former name Alwaye) is a town in the Ernakulam District in Kerala, India. It is a part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is situated around from the city center on the banks of Periyar River. A major transpor ...

, in 1966. He subsequently took over as Assistant Commissioner of Police,

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

. In 1967, he got promoted to the rank of Superintendent of Police. He served as

Superintendent of Police Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territories ...

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...

, twice. In 1971, he took over as Superintendent of Police,

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

Rural. Abdul Sathar Kunju also served as Superintendent of Police, Alappuzha. He also served as SP Government Railway Police (GRP). He headed Police Training College,

as its Principal. He also served the Motor Vehicle Department as ''Joint Transport Commissioner'' from 1983 to 85. Sathar Kunju served as

Deputy Inspector General A Deputy Inspector General of Police (abbreviated as DIG) is a high-ranking official position in Police in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. India Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) is a rank ...

with Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau for three years. His tenure as D.I.G. South Zone saw the effective containment of riots at

Poonthura Poonthura is a suburb of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, India. It is on the landing path of flights to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and is about 8 kilometers from the capital city. It has traditionally been famous for fi ...

and some other places. Till 20.11.1981,

was headed by an officer of the rank of

Inspector General of Police An Inspector General of Police is a senior police officer in the police force or police service of several nations. The rank usually refers to the head of a large regional command within a police service, and in many countries refers to the most se ...

. Abdul Sathar Kunju served as D.I.G. (Crimes),

(Crimes) and Additional Director General of Police (Crimes), before getting promoted to the rank

. He served as

Jails from 18.10.1996- 05.06.1997. In early 1997 Mr.Sathar Kunju also held the post of Commandant General of Kerala Fire and Rescue Services. Sathar Kunju took charge as

’s State Police Chief (S.P.C.) in the rank of

Director General Of Police Director general of police (DGP) is a rank in the Indian Police Service, held by the highest ranking police officer in a State or a Union Territory of India, typically heading the state or the UT police force. The DGP is appointed by the cabin ...

in June 1997 and superannuated from service on the same month at the age of 58 years. Chief Minister E. K. Nayanar also held the Home Portfolio during Abdul Sathar Kunju’s tenure as Director General of Police (Law and Order)

Criminal investigation

Abdul Sathar Kunju as Deputy Inspector General (South Zone) oversaw the Investigation of the famous

Ettumanoor Temple Ettumanoor, sometimes spelled Ettumanur, is a major town and municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India, located 11 kilometers north-east of Kottayam city, 50 kilometers south of Cochin, and 70 kilometers south of Cochin Internation ...

Theft case. It was highly appreciated by the then state Government. Abdul Sathar Kunju served as

Deputy Inspector General of Police A Deputy Inspector General of Police (abbreviated as DIG) is a high-ranking official position in Police in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. India Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) is a rank ...

and Additional Director General of Police in the Crime Branch C.I.D of Kerala Police. Abdul Sathar Kunju was instrumental in creating the post of Medico-Legal Adviser for Kerala Police when he was

(Crime Branch C.I.D). Noted forensic surgeon and later Principal of Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram Dr. B. Umadathan was the first occupant of this post.

Controversies

In February 1997,

Kerala Government Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...

had allegedly sidelined Abdul Sathar Kunju and his junior in service C.A. Chaly, then Additional Director General of Police (Crimes) was entrusted with the additional charge of State Police Chief. Abdul Sathar Kunju was finally appointed as D.G.P (Law and Order) 05th June 1997 and he retired on 30th June 1997 at the age of 58.

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

increased the age of retirement for All India Service (AIS) officers from 58 years to 60 years only on 30th May 1998.

Recognition

He was awarded the President’s Medal for Meritorious Service and President's Medal for Distinguished Service.

Family

He is married to Smt. Rafiya and the couple has two sons and two daughters.

In books

* Memoirs of a Forensic Surgeon by Dr. Umadathan (former Principal of Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram) discussed in detail about the contribution of Sathar Kunju. * Kerala Muslim History, Statistics and Directory by Dr. C.K. Karim in Volume-3 has a brief biographical write up.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sathar Kunju, Abdul Living people 1939 births People from Kollam Kerala Police officers Chiefs of police Indian police chiefs Indian civil servants Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram alumni Sree Narayana College, Kollam alumni Indian Police Service officers University of Kerala alumni