‘Challenging phase’: Hemant Nagrale takes charge as Mumbai Police commissioner

Nagrale, who succeeds the transferred Param Bir Singh as the police commissioner of Mumbai, vowed to restore people’s faith in the city police department with the help of his subordinate officers and other members of the force.

Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Hemant Nagrale on Wednesday assumed charge as the new Mumbai Police commissioner, just hours after the Maharashtra government transferred Param Bir Singh as director general, Home Guards. Addressing a press conference after taking over as the new city police chief, Nagrale remarked that the force was passing through a ‘challenging phase.’

New Mumbai Police commissioner Hemant Nagrale addresses media (ANI)

“I have been appointed by the state government to solve the present situation which has brought a lot of embarrassment to the police department,” Nagrale, who was serving as Maharashtra’s acting director general of police (DGP), said, adding that Mumbai Police’s image ‘has been maligned by some recent developments.’

Nagrale was referring to the sequence of events which led to his predecessor’s ouster. Singh, a 1988-batch officer, was held responsible by the Maharashtra government over the police’s ‘inept’ handling of the recent billionaire Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case and the related death of Mansukh Hiran, a Thane-based businessman.

The new Mumbai CP further said that he would try to restore people’s faith in the city police department with the help of his subordinate officers and other members of the force.

Commenting on suspend assistant Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the Ambani case, Nagrale said, "Those who are guilty will face appropriate action."

The NIA has claimed that Vaze, who was handling the probe before it was transferred to the central agency by the Union government, was himself behind the bomb scare.

"We will definitely retain the glory and pride of Mumbai police," Nagrale promised.

Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh tweeted on Wednesday evening that Nagrale has been appointed as the new Mumbai Police commissioner, adding that Singh has been asked to head the Home Guards. Deshmukh added that Rajnish Seth will be the acting DGP of Maharashtra while Sanjay Pandey will head Maharashtra State Security Corporation.