Mumbai: The State and city police forces witnessed change of guard at the top on Saturday, with D.D. Padsalgikar, the outgoing Commissioner of Police, taking charge as Director General of Police, and senior IPS officer Subodh Kumar Jaiswal replacing Mr. Padsalgikar as Mumbai CP.
Mr. Jaiswal, who was posted with the Research and Analysis Wing, assumed charge as Mumbai CP on Saturday evening, after being handed charge by his predecessor in a formal ceremony. Mr Padsalgikar took over as DGP Maharashtra from Satish Mathur, who retired on Saturday.
Shortly after assuming charge, Mr. Jaiswal said, “It’s a matter of pride and honour for me that the government has chosen me to lead this historical police force. I.. will do my best to take the good work of my predecessors even further. Priorities for a police force never change as basic policing, and its objectives, always remain the same.”
A 1985 batch IPS officer, Mr. Jaiswal first served as Assistant SP in Osmanabad and Aurangabad before being appointed as SP, Gadchiroli. He served as Additional CP(Central region) in Mumbai in the early 2000s. The Pramod Mahajan murder case in 2006 was investigated under his supervision. He also served with the Maharashta Anti-Terrorism Squad as DIG, and was part of the SIT appointed to probe the Abdul Karim Telgi case.
Warm send-off
Mr. Padsalgikar, who will head the State police force, received a warm send-off from his subordinates. Many officers visited him through the day to convey their good wishes, and thanked him for being an inspiring and encouraging leader.
An IPS officer of the 1982 batch, Mr. Padsalgikar is known for making it a point to give credit to his subordinates for their good work, and for striving to improve their working conditions. It was under his leadership that Mumbai Police began digitising its working, with initiatives such as an internal server for sharing official communication, which did away with printing thousands of copies of the daily police notice. A messaging app for policemen and an online database of profiles of serving policemen were also introduced during his tenure.
Mr Padsalgikar’s stint also saw breakthroughs in the several major crimes, including the arrest of Sajjad Mughal, convicted for murdering Pallavi Purkayastha, after he had jumped parole. Mughal was traced and apprehended in Kashmir after a year-long investigation by a special team hand-picked by him.
He has held many postings, including two stints with the Intelligence Bureau and a three-year deputation to Washington DC.