Decorated IPS Sandeep Rai Rathore is new CP of Chennai city

Sandeep Rai Rathore, a highly decorated IPS officer belonging to the 1992 batch, has been named the new commissioner of police of Chennai city.
A versatile law and order officer who had served in different parts of Tamil Nadu, as well as Chennai city, besides a central deputation with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Rathore is recipient of the UN Peace Keeping Medal in 2002.He was awarded the President Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2015, and a medal for meritorious service in 2008.
He is to assume charge as the Chennai city’s 109th commissioner of police on Friday.
Chennai is no new terrain for the new commissioner, as he had earlier served as joint commissioner of police. In January 2022 he was appointed the first commissioner of police of the newly created Avadi commissionerate, before being promoted to the director-general of police rank and moved to the Tamil Nadu Police Academy (TNPA) as its head.
Rathore is credited with tackling and suppressing violence that had erupted after the serial bomb blasts in Coimbatore city in February 1998. During his stint with the CBCID, he supervised the team probing the Telgi stamp paper scam. While serving as inspector-general of CISF in Delhi, he was assigned to handle the Commonwealth Games held in 2010.
Rathore is a doctorate in disaster management, having earned the qualification from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). He had completed MA in disaster management from Annamalai University and obtained a masters degreein philosophy from Madras University.
During his stint as Avadi commissioner, he built the commissionerate from the scratch and made it vibrant with events like Avadi night marathon with a theme of drug-free Tamil Nadu in October 2022. About 3,500 runners participated in the maiden night marathon.
In 2023, he also conducted an “ITF Avadi Triathlon-2023” to create awareness against drug abuse in collaboration with the Indian Triathlon Federation. State Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Udayanidhi Stalin flagged off the event. Over 500 participants from 18 states participated in the event.
To promote a healthy lifestyle, Rathore conducted another “Duathlon” event. The amount collected as entrance fee was donated to the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Egmore.