Mumbai: Indian Police Services (IPS) officer Sanjay Kumar Verma will be the Maharashtra's new Director General of Police (DGP). He will replace IPS Rashmi Shukla who was removed by the Election Commission from her position as Maharashtra DGP on Monday following a complaint from the Congress. After Shukla's transfer, Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar was given an additional charge as the state's DGP.
Who is IPS Sanjay Verma
IPS Sanjay Verma was leading the list of candidates for the full-time DGP position. Verma is a 1990-batch Maharashtra cadre officer and is currently serving as Director General of Legal and Technical. He is set to retire in April 2028.
Verma, a veteran law enforcement officer currently as DGP (Legal & Technical) heads the state Forensic Sciences Laboratories for crime detection and investigation, and is credited for upgrading the forensic infrastructure for collection and preservation of evidence.
IPS Verma deployed about 260 forensic vans with 2,200 scientists and experts in the state for evidence collection to help crime investigation.
After the transfer of ex-DGP Rashmi Shulka, the Election Commission on Tuesday, announced the appointment of Sanjay Verma as new Maharashtra DGP.
Rashmi Shukla Removed
The Election Commission instructed the state government to transfer Shukla immediately, citing complaints from political parties, including the opposition Congress, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections on November 20.
The Election Commission directed Maharashtra's Chief Secretary to hand over Shukla's responsibilities to the next senior IPS officer in the cadre. Accordingly, IPS officer Phansalkar, from the 1989 batch, was given additional charge, until appointment of full-time DGP.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole on Monday wrote to the election commission thanking for taking prompt action and removal of Shukla. However, Patole also requested the commission to not appoint Shukla to any position, adhering the legal framework.
This is not the first such intervention by the Election Commission in Maharashtra. In 2009, then-DGP A N Roy was asked to step aside during the election period, with IPS officer S Chakravarthi appointed as DGP for the duration due to controversies surrounding Roy.
Allegations Against Shulka
When there was a change of power in Maharashtra, Shukla was brought back and appointed as the DGP. She had retired in June this year but was granted an extension by the state government. Since the announcement of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, opposition parties, lead by the Congress, had been calling for Shukla's removal.
The opposition parties, especially the Congress had alleged that Shukla was biased towards the ruling Mahayuti alliance led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole on October 31 had also written a letter to Chief Election Commissioner in this regard. They claimed that fair polls would be impossible if she was in the top post.
