Asra Garg appointed as the Inspector General (IG) of the Intelligence Department

Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday transferred Asra Garg, Inspector General of Police, North Zone, Chennai, and posted him as Inspector General of Police, Intelligence, replacing Avinash Kumar.

Kumar was posted to the intelligence wing by the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of the recent Assembly election, after the ECI removed the then IG (Intelligence) KA Senthil Velan. The posting is considered one of the most sensitive one in the state police, particularly in the post-election period.

A 2004-batch IPS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, Garg is known for his involvement in several high-profile cases. Most notably, the Madras High Court on October 3, 2025, constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under his leadership to probe the Karur stampede, which claimed 41 lives at a rally addressed by TVK president and actor Vijay.

Garg had visited the stampede site at Velusamypuram, examined crowd management arrangements and collected case documents from Karur district police.

The SIT, however, lasted only 10 days, with the Supreme Court staying its formation on October 13, and transferring the probe to CBI.

During his tenure as North Zone IG, Garg led the dismantling of an interstate synthetic drug cartel operating through digital apps, with the Tiruvallur police arresting over a dozen suspects including foreign nationals.

His team also cracked down on the illegal sale of prescription tablets widely abused by youngsters across the zone. Under his watch, Villupuram district issued the country’s first protection order under the amended Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act in favour of a Pocso victim.