Rakesh Maria promoted as DGP (Home Guards), Javed Ahmed is new Mumbai police chief

MUMBAI:The wheel of fortune turned a full circle for Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria and DG Home Guards Javed Ahmed when the former was promoted but had to exchange jobs with the latter.

In February 2014, Maria was appointed Mumbai police commissioner and Javed Ahmed, the man expected to get the coveted post, was posted as Home Guards DG. On Tuesday, the roles were reversed.

Following the retirement of DGP Sanjeev Dayal, Ahmed was appointed Mumbai police commissioner, with the post upgraded to DG rank. The change of the state’s political leadership seems to have led to the bureaucratic reshuffling.

Ahmed was supposed to take over as police commissioner in April 2013 but the Congress-NCP government stuck with Satyapal Singh without promoting him. After Singh quit the force, the government promoted Ahmed but posted him as Home Guards DG instead of appointing him commissioner.

A former Congress minister told ET on condition of anonymity that NCP, which handled the home portfolio, had delayed the promotion of Satyapal Singh for six months to ensure that Javed Ahmed did not become the commissioner. “It was obvious why for six months the home department headed by the NCP kept Singh’s promotion at bay,” the former Congress minister said.

Later in the day, the Maharashtra government clarified that the Sheena Bora case “will be continued to be supervised by Rakesh Maria, irrespective of his elevation and transfer.”