Police Commissioner of Mumbai Param Bir Singh was replaced by Hemant Nagrale on Wednesday, nearly a year after he took charge of the office.
Sources said that Singh was shunted out following the row over Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze’s alleged involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near an industrialist’s residence in the city. Waze was on Sunday remanded to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody till March 25.
But who is Nagrale? Hemant Nagrale was previously deputed with the Central Bureau of Investigation, and during his tenure at the body he was involved in the Harshad Mehta scam and Ketan Parekh scam investigations. He also helped rescue people during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Education
Nagrale, is from the 1987 IPS batch of the Maharashtra Cadre. He studied in Bhadrawati, in Chandrapur district, till 6th standard in ZP School. He was then educated in Nagpur in the Patwardhan High School.
A graduate in Bachelors of Engineering (Mechanical) From VRCE Nagpur, he did his post graduation in Master of Finance Management from JBIMS, Mumbai.
Achievements and Career
He has received the President’s Police Medal, Vishesh Seva Padak, and the Antarik Suraksha Padak, as well. His first assignment (1989-92), was in the Naxalite-affected Chandrapur District as ASP Rajura.
Then, he was at Solapur the as DCP (1992-94) and was instrumental in creation of new Commissionerate of Solapur. He was involved in controlling the post-Babri masjid communal riots in Solapur city in 1992.
During his tenure as SP in Ratnagiri District (1994-1996), he handled the the land acquisition problem related to the Enron/Dabhol Power Corporation. As SP, CID, Crime (1996-1998) he investigated the MPSC paper leakage case which was spread over to several parts of Maharashtra, and the Anjanabai Gavit-multiple children kidnapping and murder cases. This case ended in capital punishment by the Apex Court.
Nagrale was then deputed to CBI (March, 1998 – Sept 2002) and was posted as S.P. BSFC, CBI, Mumbai and later as DIG, CBI, New Delhi. He supervised and completed the investigations of several cases like the Ketan Parekh scam, Madhaopura Co-op Bank scam, and Harshad Mehta case.
During his tenure as Joint Commissioner of Police (Administration), Mumbai , he drafted the residential quarters’ allotment policy. For a brief period in 2014, Nagrale held additional charge as Commissioner of Police Mumbai. He managed the Rasta Roko movement and was appreciated by the Home Minister.
From May 2016 to July 2018 he was posted as Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai. He was also involved in handling the Maratha Reservation agitations. He was elevated to the DG rank from October 2018 and entrusted with the responsibility of looking after the Forensic Science Laboratories in the state.
Mumbai Attacks
During the Mumbai terror attacks on 26 November, 2008, Nagrale, even though on deputation to MSEDCL , ventured out of his residence and helped the injured and dead in being shifted to nearby hospitals. On lookout for any suspicious objects, he spotted and inspected the RDX bag and personally removed it to a safer place and summoned the Bomb Disposal Squad. Then, he entered the Hotel Taj with four policemen and helped remove a number of injured people. He coordinated with senior officers and deployed staff. With their help, he rescued hundreds of people trapped inside the shopping plaza of Hotel Taj.