Who Is Hemant Nagrale, The New Mumbai Police Commissioner?

IPS officer Hemant Nagrale replaced Param Bir Singh as the Mumbai Police commissioner on Wednesday. The Maharashtra government’s move comes amid speculation in media over Singh’s handling of the Sachin Vaze episode.

Suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze was arrested late on Saturday night in connection with the case regarding the explosive-laden vehicle found outside the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai. Vaze was arrested after being quizzed by the National Investigation agency for 12 hours, officials said.

But who is Hemant Nagrale, the new Mumbai Police commissioner?

IPS officer Hemant Nagrale had played an important role during the 26/11 attacks as he had recovered a bag containing RDX in south Mumbai, which he had shifted to a safer place.

Nagrale was on deputation as director of vigilance at the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) at that time and used to reside at the police quarters in Colaba area, which was targeted by the terrorists.

"During the terror attacks, Nagrale stepped out of his residence on his own in order to help. When he reached the area of Hotel Taj, which had been attacked by the terrorists, he found a bag containing RDX lying nearby. He immediately took it to a safer place and thereby saved several lives," a police official said.

The 1987-batch officer later called the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), he said.

Along with four other policemen, Nagrale then entered the Hotel Taj, where they also helped in rescuing a number of injured persons and shifting them to hospitals. They also took several bodies out.

Nagrale, an avid golfer and a tennis player, is a recipient of the President's Police Medal, Vishesh Seva Padak and Antarik Suraksha Padak.

During his tenure as Special IGP (Administration) in the DG office, he revamped the Mumbai Police Kutumb Arogya Yojna (MPKAY), a polic health scheme, and reduced the expenditure by Rs 10 crore in 2011-12, sources said.

He coordinated with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and initiated and executed the Central Police Canteen Scheme on par with CSD Canteens and set up 40 such canteens across Maharashtra, they said.

During his tenure as Joint Commissioner of Police (Administration), Mumbai, he drafted the residential quarters allotment policy to ensuring transparency in the allotment in the process, a move that was appreciated by the constabulary.

For a brief period in 2014, Nagrale had held the additional charge as Mumbai police commissioner.

From May 2016 to July 2018, he was posted as Navi Mumbai police commissioner. In October 2018, he was elevated to the DG-rank and was entrusted the responsibility of looking after the forensic science laboratories in the state.

Nagrale was given the additional charge of DGP Maharashtra, after the then DGP Subodh Kumar Jaiswal went on central deputation in January this year.

Nagrale is known to play most of the sports with proficiency and is also a black belt-holder in judo and has won medals in All India Police Games.

(With PTI inputs)