Sadanand Date Takes Charge as New Maharashtra DGP

Sadanand Date Assumes Role as Maharashtra's New DGP

Sadanand Date has officially taken over as the new Director General of Police (DGP) for Maharashtra. His tenure is set to last until December 2026. With this appointment, Date will lead the state police force for the upcoming year. He is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the 1990 batch of the Maharashtra cadre. Date succeeds Rashmi Shukla, the current DGP, who is scheduled to retire on December 31. Presently, Date serves as the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), a role he has held since March 27 of the previous year, following his appointment after the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Who is Sadanand Date?

Sadanand Date, an IPS officer from the 1990 Maharashtra cadre, has a remarkable background. He once sold newspapers in Pune to support his family. For his significant contributions during the 26/11 attacks, he was awarded the President's Police Medal. It is fitting that he now leads the agency tasked with investigating terrorist activities. On the fateful night of November 26, 2008, while serving as the Additional Police Commissioner of the Central Region, Date received reports of a shooting incident at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Just moments earlier, ten terrorists had infiltrated Mumbai via boat and were spreading chaos throughout the city. By the time Date and his team arrived at CST, members of Lashkar-e-Taiba had already fled to the roof of a nearby hospital. Despite being underprepared and unaware of the terrorists' armaments, Date's team decided to confront them. In the ensuing gunfire, Date sustained injuries but continued to engage the attackers while coordinating with senior officials about their location. His team's swift actions were crucial in managing the crisis, protecting numerous patients, including women and children, present in the hospital.