26/11 Hero Sadanand Date Assumes Charge As Maharashtra DGP
He replaced the state's first woman top cop, Rashmi Shukla, who retired on Saturday. Date was heading the NIA before returning to the home cadre.
Published : January 3, 2026 at 6:21 PM IST
|Updated : January 3, 2026 at 6:30 PM IST
Mumbai: Senior IPS officer and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack hero Sadanand Vasant Date on Saturday assumed charge as director general of Maharashtra Police, replacing Rashmi Shukla, the first female officer to hold the position in the state, who was superannuated on the day.
Before his latest posting, Date (59) was heading the National Investigation Agency (NIA) till recently before being repatriated to his home cadre on the request of the Maharashtra government. The 1990-batch officer was appointed as DGP on December 31. He will have a two-year tenure as the top cop of the over two lakh-strong Maharashtra police force.
Known as an upright officer, Date was serving in Mumbai as additional commissioner of police (Central Region) when Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists from Pakistan attacked multiple locations in the city on November 26, 2008. He led a police team that pinned down terrorists Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismail on the rooftop of Cama Hospital in south Mumbai. Despite being severely injured by grenade splinters, Date continued to engage the terrorists. He was subsequently honoured with the President's Police Medal for gallantry.
He has also served as Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief, the first commissioner of police in Mira-Bhayandar-Vasai-Virar, and a joint commissioner of police (law and order) and crime in Mumbai. He was a DIG in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the IG (operations) in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
He holds a doctorate in economic offences from Pune University. Growing up in Pune, he once sold newspapers owing to the financial hardship his family suffered. Despite poverty, he was a high-performing student, topping BCom and ICWA examinations before clearing the UPSC examination.
In 2005, he received the Humphrey Fellowship and studied 'Economic Crime and Organised Crime and its Nature'. He penned a Marathi book, "Varditlya Mansachya Nondi" (Notes of a man in uniform), about his experiences in the police force.
On the occasion of Shukla's retirement, the state government accorded her a ceremonial guard of honour at the Naigaon Police Ground. A 1988 batch IPS officer, Shukla said she was proud that law and order remained intact in the state during her two-year tenure.
"I am proud to be retiring after a service spanning 37.5 years. For the past two years, I have had the opportunity to serve the Maharashtra Police. During this period, law and order in the state remained stable. I am proud that all the festivals were celebrated peacefully. The elections during this period were also conducted peacefully. This success is not just of one person, but of the entire police force. The situation in the Naxal-affected areas of Gadchiroli and Gondia districts also improved. I am very proud that the number of Naxalites there is also decreasing," she said.
Afterwards, Shukla met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence, 'Varsha'. During the meeting, Fadnavis congratulated her on her long and successful police career and lauded the crucial role she played in maintaining law and order in Maharashtra. He noted that her experience in administrative service and her dedication to duty proved significant for the state.
In the MVA-led government, Shukla was accused of serious charges in a phone-tapping case. The case was dropped by the incumbent government. She was transferred by the Election Commission following allegations of being biased by the opposition parties.
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