IPS Sadanand Date formally took over at the state police headquarters, following his appointment on December 31. Date will serve a two-year tenure, leading a police force of more than two lakh personnel
Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and 26/11 terror attack hero cop Sadanand Vasant Date on Saturday assumed charge as the Director General of Maharashtra Police.
He succeeds Rashmi Shukla, the state’s first woman DGP, who retired the same day.
Read More
The 59-year-old officer formally took over at the state police headquarters, following his appointment on December 31.
Date will serve a two-year tenure, leading a police force of more than two lakh personnel.
From NIA chief to home cadre
Before his appointment, Date was serving as the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He was recently repatriated to his Maharashtra cadre at the request of the state government. He belongs to the 1990 batch of the IPS.
Role during 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks
Date is widely recognised for his role during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. At the time, he was serving as Additional Commissioner of Police (Central Region), Mumbai.
He led a police team that cornered terrorists Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismail on the rooftop of Cama Hospital in south Mumbai. Despite sustaining serious injuries from grenade splinters, Date continued to engage the terrorists. For his bravery, he was later awarded the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry, as per the PTI.
Distinguished Policing Career
Over the years, Date has held several key positions, including —
– Chief of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS)
– First Commissioner of Police for Mira-Bhayandar-Vasai-Virar
– Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order and Crime), Mumbai
– Deputy Inspector General in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
– Inspector General (Operations) in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
Academic achievements and international exposure
Date holds a doctorate in economic offences from Pune University. In 2005, he was awarded the Humphrey Fellowship, under which he studied economic crime and organised crime abroad, reported the PTI.
Raised in Pune, Date experienced financial hardship during his early years and at one point sold newspapers to support his family. Despite these challenges, he excelled academically, topping his BCom and ICWA examinations before successfully clearing the UPSC, according to the PTI.
Date has also authored a Marathi book titled ‘Varditlya Mansachya Nondi’ (Notes of a Man in Uniform), which chronicles his experiences and reflections from a life in policing.
(with PTI inputs)