Profile | Who is Dattatray Padsalgikar, the retired cop monitoring the Manipur violence probe?

The former Mumbai police chief will be the "overall monitor" of the CBI probe into the violence while a committee of retired HC justices will look at the relief

In an effort to restore a sense of faith in the rule of law in ethnic violence-hit Manipur, a Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by the chief justice of India D Y Chandrachud, recently appointed Dattatraya Padsalgikar, "a highly decorated officer" to "overall monitor the investigation".

Dattatray Padsalgikar took charge as the new commissioner of Mumbai Police on Sunday (Twitter)

Born on August 26, 1958, in a small town on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border in Solapur district, Padsalgikar has spent around 26 years of service period in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) across two stints. On August 10, the Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the 1982 batch was directed by the SC to lead the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s probe into cases arising out of the ethnic clashes in Manipur. "He served in the NIA, served in the Intelligence Bureau, served in Nagaland in the 1990s," the bench reasoned.

Better known as Datta Padsalgikar, started his career as deputy superintendent of police in Nagpur. Later he briefly worked as an additional superintendent of police in Karad in Satara district and then in Nashik. He was promoted and served as superintendent of police of Osmanabad and Satara districts in the early 90s after which he went to IB for his first stint.

After completing his first stint in IB, Padsalgikar returned to the city a few years later and worked as the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) of the Mumbai police crime branch, DCP in Economic Offences Wing, DCP in South Mumbai (Zone 1) and then as DCP, Zone 9 of the Bandra-Jogeshwari stretch.

Padsalgikar, who has vast experience in counter-terror operations, had played a critical role in gathering evidence against Pakistani non-state actors, who orchestrated the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008 in which 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives held the entire city for ransom and killed at least 166 people and injured several others.

The retired IPS officer also played an important role in ensuring that Pakistan-born American Sayed Dawood Salim Gilani aka David Coleman Headley, who had conducted detailed reconnaissance of the 26/11 attack targets and provided their precise GPS locations alongwith landing spots to his LeT handlers in Pakistan, testified before a trial court in Mumbai through video conferencing from a US prison where he was serving a jail term. Padsalgikar also helped procure the telephonic intercepts from the USA between the 10 LeT terrorists and their handlers based in Karachi, which effectively nailed them in the case.

During his second stint in the IB, the retired IPS officer has worked in Nagaland, New Delhi and Washington DC (US).

In 2016, while in IB he was handpicked by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis to lead the Mumbai police, after the then Commissioner of Police (CP), Ahmad Javed was appointed as Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Padsalgikar took over from Ahmed Javed on January 31, 2016, as Mumbai's 40th police commissioner and served the city police force for around two-and-half years, till July 1, 2018, when he was elevated as the director general of police, Maharashtra and retired on February 28, 2019. Around eight months later, Padsalgikar was appointed as a deputy national security advisor of India on October 29, 2019.

During his tenure as the Mumbai police chief Padsalgikar introduced several administrative reforms – most importantly he introduced a fixed eight-hour shift for the constabulary shortly after he took charge of the post and also replaced the policemen’s Gandhi topi with a modern cap.

Padsalgikar is known by many as a gentleman. “He is known as a gentleman officer within the police force, a man of very few words who always sports a kind smile while interacting with people,” said Arup Patnaik, former Mumbai police commissioner.

“Behind his soft spoken and soft-hearted demeanour hides a man of immaculate integrity and strong intellect,” Patnaik said, adding, “Unlike many of his contemporaries, who are still regarded as rough and tough supercops, he always maintained a low profile. He is a rare breed of officer who does everything by the book. He has been liked by colleagues, superiors, as well as lower rank officers, but the media, would not like him for his reticence. He has been a simple, poised and well-mannered person.”

Former Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner Praveen Pardeshi remembers Padsalgikar as an outstanding police officer with unimpeachable integrity. The retired IAS officer said “Padsalgikar made an excellent choice for the challenging job. He is a quiet and efficient worker which helps him deliver what he wants to get done with focused determination.”

Former IPS officers recalled that his simplicity stands him out besides other qualities like conviction and erudition. Padsalgikar was also known as a down-to-earth officer, as he used to mix up with members of the constabulary wherever he served and also used to visit residences of police drivers and constables on occasions like Ganeshotsav and other celebrations.