Sadanand Date, IPS officer who took on Ajmal Kasab, is new Maharashtra DGP
Sadanand Date’s appointment order said that the 1990 batch IPS officer would hold the post for two years, irrespective of his retirement date
MUMBAI: Former National Investigation Agency (NIA) director general Sadanand Date has been appointed as Maharashtra’s director general of police (DGP) on a two-year term, the state government announced on Wednesday.
Date, a 1990 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, will take over from incumbent Rashmi Shukla when she steps down on January 3.
His appointment order from the home department, issued on Wednesday, stated that Date has been appointed to the post for two years, irrespective of his retirement date. He will turn 60 in December next year.
Date was the chief of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) until March 2024, when he moved to New Delhi to lead NIA, India’s anti-terrorism agency. He was repatriated back to Maharashtra two weeks ago at the request of the state government, which wanted to appoint him as the state’s DGP.
Last week, Date was among the three IPS officers recommended by the Union Public Service Commission. Sanjay Verma, DG (Legal and Technical) and Ritesh Kumar, commandant general of Home Guards, were the other two.
Who is Sadanand Vasant Date
Date was awarded President’s medal for Gallantry for saving lives and taking on two of the 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives who stormed Mumbai on November 26, 2008.
The officer, then posted as the additional commissioner of police, Central Region, rescued a lift operator held hostage by Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismail, leader of the 10-man gang at the Cama and Albless Hospital in south Mumbai.
Kasab and Ismail who had walked into the children’s hospital after their killing spree at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus were cornered by Date and a small team of Mumbai policemen.
Even as the terrorists opened fire and hurled grenades at them, Date and his team managed to rescue lift operator Chandrakant Tikke who was being used as a human shield by Kasab.
Date suffered a blackout in the grenade attack, which allowed Kasab and Ismail to escape. He received injuries to his eyes, throat, chest, right knee and suffered deep wounds on his left ankle. Two men from his team died in the gun battle with the terrorists before they fled.
Within 15 minutes after getting out of the Cama and Albless Hospital, Kasab and Abu Ismail killed the-then ATS chief Hemant Karkare, encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar and additional commissioner of police Ashok Kamte in an adjoining lane.
Former NIA chief Sadanand Date has been appointed as Maharashtra's director general of police (DGP) for a two-year term, succeeding Rashmi Shukla on January 3. A 1990 IPS officer, Date previously led the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and received the President's medal for Gallantry for his bravery during the 2008 Mumbai attacks, where he rescued hostages from terrorists.