The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray got a clear victory on Thursday when the state government decided to transfer the Mumbai Police commissioner Arup Patnaik. The pressure was building up on the government for taking action against Patnaik for his inability to stop rioters from damaging public property on 11 August at the city's Azad Maidan. However, the government termed it as routine transfer.
Patnaik, a 1979 batch officer of the Indian Police Service, has been replaced by the additional director general [law and order] Satyapal Singh. Patnaik has been promoted to the rank of director general of police and posted as the managing director of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation, state's home minister R R Patil said, describing the transfer as a 'routine administrative process'.
Seeking to downplay Patnaik's shifting from the high-profile post – barely two days after a massive show of strength by the MNS chief at a rally here to demand the commissioner's ouster – Patil said that the file for his transfer was first moved by the DGP's office on 6 July.
A revised file was set in motion on 8 August and the state's chief secretary had chaired a meeting in this regard on 16 August, five days after the Azad Maidan incident where a protest called by Muslim organisations against the alleged persecution of members of the community in Assam and Myanmar turned violent.
While Patnaik had come in for fulsome praise from Muslim leaders for exercising restraint in the face of grave provocation, the opposition, particularly the Shiv Sena and the MNS, went for his jugular.
Two protesters were killed in firing and over 50 injured including more than 40 police personnel. Several police and media vehicles were vandalised and set ablaze, some women constables allegedly molested and three police weapons and ammunition snatched by the mob.
The new police chief Satyapal Singh is the brother-in-law of the union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh. 'I am proud to be the commissioner of Mumbai,' he said after taking charge. 'Mumbai is going through a difficult phase. and it is my job to restore the confidence of people who reside here. Winning over people's confidence and safeguarding the city from traitors, terrorists and anti-social elements will be my priority,' added the man who had initially wanted to become a scientist. Singh is a Maharashtra cadre Indian Police Service officer of the 1980 batch.
Patnaik, a 1979 batch officer of the Indian Police Service, has been replaced by the additional director general [law and order] Satyapal Singh. Patnaik has been promoted to the rank of director general of police and posted as the managing director of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation, state's home minister R R Patil said, describing the transfer as a 'routine administrative process'.
Seeking to downplay Patnaik's shifting from the high-profile post – barely two days after a massive show of strength by the MNS chief at a rally here to demand the commissioner's ouster – Patil said that the file for his transfer was first moved by the DGP's office on 6 July.
A revised file was set in motion on 8 August and the state's chief secretary had chaired a meeting in this regard on 16 August, five days after the Azad Maidan incident where a protest called by Muslim organisations against the alleged persecution of members of the community in Assam and Myanmar turned violent.
While Patnaik had come in for fulsome praise from Muslim leaders for exercising restraint in the face of grave provocation, the opposition, particularly the Shiv Sena and the MNS, went for his jugular.
Two protesters were killed in firing and over 50 injured including more than 40 police personnel. Several police and media vehicles were vandalised and set ablaze, some women constables allegedly molested and three police weapons and ammunition snatched by the mob.
The new police chief Satyapal Singh is the brother-in-law of the union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh. 'I am proud to be the commissioner of Mumbai,' he said after taking charge. 'Mumbai is going through a difficult phase. and it is my job to restore the confidence of people who reside here. Winning over people's confidence and safeguarding the city from traitors, terrorists and anti-social elements will be my priority,' added the man who had initially wanted to become a scientist. Singh is a Maharashtra cadre Indian Police Service officer of the 1980 batch.