Former National Investigation Agency director general Sadanand Date has been appointed Maharashtra’s director general of police for a two‑year term, the state government announced on Wednesday. The 1990‑batch Indian Police Service officer will take charge from incumbent Rashmi Shukla when she demits office on 3 January. The appointment order specifies that Date will serve a full two‑year term irrespective of his date of retirement; he is due to turn 60 in December next year.
Sadanand Date Maharashtra DGP
Date was serving as the director general of the NIA until March 2024, when he moved to New Delhi to head India’s premier counter‑terrorism agency. He was repatriated to Maharashtra two weeks ago at the request of the state government, which sought his appointment as the state’s top police officer. Before his stint at the NIA, Date led the Maharashtra Anti‑Terrorism Squad, a role that placed him at the centre of the state’s most sensitive counter‑terror operations.
The Union Public Service Commission last week recommended a panel of three officers for the post of Maharashtra DGP. Alongside Date, the panel included Sanjay Verma, director general (Legal and Technical), and Ritesh Kumar, commandant general of Home Guards. The state subsequently selected Date from that list, signaling confidence in his operational experience and leadership record.
Date is widely known for his role during the 26 November, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Then additional commissioner of police for the Central Region, he confronted Ajmal Kasab and another attacker at the Cama and Albless Hospital after the pair entered the medical facility following the assault at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. For his actions during the siege, he was awarded the President’s Medal for Gallantry.
During the hospital operation Date and a small team rescued a lift operator who had been taken hostage and used as a human shield by one of the terrorists. Police came under sustained fire and grenades were thrown as they closed in. Date suffered a blackout after a grenade explosion and sustained multiple injuries to his eyes, throat, chest and limb. Two members of his team were killed in the exchange of fire. Within minutes of escaping the hospital, the attackers went on to kill then ATS chief Hemant Karkare and other senior officers in a nearby lane.
The state government’s choice of Date reflects a prioritisation of counter‑terror experience at a time when law enforcement leadership is under close public scrutiny. His record in investigative and operational roles, including at the NIA and the ATS, is likely to shape the immediate priorities of the Maharashtra police, particularly in areas of intelligence‑driven operations and inter‑agency coordination.
Officials say Date’s mandate will include strengthening internal security frameworks, improving coordination with central agencies and maintaining law and order across the state. He inherits a force facing complex challenges in urban and rural policing, and his appointment underscores the government’s emphasis on seasoned operational command.
As Date prepares to assume office in January, observers will watch how his tenure at the state level draws on his national‑level experience. His appointment also marks a return to Maharashtra at a senior rank after a period leading the country’s counter‑terrorism efforts, and it places a seasoned operator at the helm of one of India’s largest police forces.
Key Takeaways:
- Former NIA chief Sadanand Date has been appointed Maharashtra DGP for a two-year term.
- Date was repatriated from New Delhi and selected from a UPSC-recommended panel.
- Sadanand Date Maharashtra DGP appointment highlights his counter‑terror experience, notably during the 26/11 hospital siege.
