Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sadanand Vasant Date on Saturday assumed charge as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Maharashtra. He took over from Rashmi Shukla, the state’s first woman DGP, who retired on the same day, at the state police headquarters.
Date will have a two-year tenure as the head of the Maharashtra Police, a force comprising over two lakh personnel. A doctorate holder in economic offences from Pune University, he is known in police circles as a calm yet highly efficient officer.
Until recently, Date was serving as the chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). However, at the request of the Maharashtra government, he was repatriated to his home cadre. An IPS officer of the 1990 batch, Date was appointed as the state DGP on December 31.
Date is widely praised for his role during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. At the time of the attacks on November 26, 2008, he was serving as Additional Commissioner of Police (Central Region), Mumbai.
He had led the police team that cornered Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismail on the terrace of Cama Hospital. Despite being seriously injured by grenade splinters, Date continued to confront the terrorists. He was later awarded the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry.
Date brings with him vast experience of working with the state police and central agencies. He has earlier served as chief of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Inspector General (Operations) in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Police Commissioner of Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar, and Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Mumbai.