SENIOR IPS officer Sanjay Kumar Verma on Tuesday evening took over as the new Director General of Police of Maharashtra, a day after the i n c u m b e n t DGP Rashmi Shukla was removed on an Election Commission of India (ECI) directive ahead of the assembly polls. Earlier in the day, the State Government, with the ECI’s approval, appointed the 1990- batch IPS officer to the top post after selecting him from a panel of three names. Hours later, Verma, who was serving as Director General (Legal and Technical) at the time of his elevation, took charge of his new responsibility at state police headquarters at Colaba in South Mumbai. Speaking to media persons after assuming his new role, Verma said, “I thank the Election Commission and the state government for showing faith in me.Ihave taken charge of the post.”

 

The Assembly election process is going on and the code of conduct is also in forcefortheNovember20voting.During this period, police will strictly follow all orders and work accordingly, he said. “I will sit with all officers, discuss with them, andtake allrelevantinformation andmonitorthe(poll)process,”thenew DGP said. The senior IPS officer is due to retire in April 2028, an official said. Asked about the posting of Shukla, the first woman DGP of Maharashtra, the official saidthere wasnoclarityonhernew assignment.Vermahadheadedthestate police’sSpecialInvestigationTeam(SIT) which probed the 2015 killing of Communist leader and rationalist Govind Pansare in Kolhapur district. Ahead of the November 20 assembly polls, the ECI on Monday ordered that Shukla be removed as the state police chief with immediate effect following complaints from opposition parties.

 

The Congress had approached the EC seeking Shukla’s transfer, citing her allegedrole intappingphonesofopposition politicians when she headed the State Intelligence Department. The poll panel on Monday directed theMaharashtrachiefsecretarytohand over Shukla’s charge to the next seniormostIPSofficerinthecadre.Accordingly, Mumbai police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar was given the additional chargeofDGPbythestategovernment. The chief secretary was also directed to send a panel of three IPS officers by Tuesday afternoon for appointment of one of them as the new DGP.