Mangaluru (TOI): The state government has affected a mini-change in the district-level policing unit heads. It has brought in K T Balakrishna, a 2006 batch IPS officer to replace K Annamalai as superintendent of police, Udupi district. Balakrishna is currently SP, Gadag.

Shifting Annamalai to Chikkamagaluru as district police chief there, it has sent the incumbent K Santosh Babu there to replace Balakrishna. Both Santosh and Annamalai are 2011 batch IPS officers.

Incidentally, the current posting for Annamalai to Chikkamagaluru means he has served his formative years in the IPS in Western Range of Karnataka State Police. Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Chikkamagaluru from part of Western Range, and Annamalai was assistant superintendent of police in Karkala sub-division of Udupi district police before assuming the mantle of district police chief in the very same district.

Annamalai in an informal chat with TOI said he is happy to have served in Udupi and win the affection people and all stakeholders.

"It is a shift to a neighbouring district," Annamalai said about his latest posting. When pointed he was still in the Western Range even with this transfer, Annamalai laughed it off.

Annamalai who took over as SP on January 1 last year was a no- nonsense police officer who did not hesitate to lay down the law dealing with the toughest of situations.

The transfer of Santosh Babu, who earlier served as deputy commissioner of police (law and order) in Mangaluru City Police, is largely seen as a fallout of the controversy surrounding the recent death of Chikkamgaluru deputy superintendent of police Kallappa Handibag.

In fact, it was the first of the deaths of an officer at the DSP level the other being that of M K Ganapathi that put the Siddaramaiah government under a spotlight over morale of state police.