The Government of Maharashtra on Wednesday, 29 June, appointed Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Vivek Phansalkar as the new commissioner of Mumbai Police.
On Thursday, Phansalkar took charge as the new Mumbai Police Commissioner. He succeeded Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Pandey, who retired on Thursday.
Vivek Phansalkar is a 1989-batch IPS officer who has previously served as the director general and managing director of the Police Housing and Welfare Corporation. He also served as commissioner of Thane from 2018, and as Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief.
His first posting was as the additional superintendent of police, Akola, whereas later he joined as the Superintendent of Police in Wardha and Parbhani, and as the deputy commissioner of police in Nashik, reported The Indian Express.
Appointment of the new commissioner comes at a time when Maharashtra is going through a political crisis.
Phansalkar's joining date is the same day on which the state government was scheduled to face a floor test. However, after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's resignation on Wednesday, the Maharashtra Assembly Secretary Rajendra Bhagwat said that the floor test was no longer needed.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Devendra Fadnavis declared that Shiv Sena rebel MLA Eknath Shinde will be the new chief minister of Maharashtra with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Shinde will take oath on Thursday at 7:30 pm.
(With inputs from PTI)
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