Datta Padsalgikar (57), a 1982-batch IPS officer, will take charge as the Mumbai Police Commissioner at 12 noon on Sunday. He takes over the charge from Ahmad Javed, who will soon join as India’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Ahmad Javed was given a customary farewell by the Police Force at Naigaon police ground on Saturday morning. Later in the day, Datta Padsalgikar paid a courtesy visit to Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary (Home) K.P. Bakshi. He will be the first Marathi Mumbai Police Commissioner in almost a decade. Earlier, D.N. Jadhav was appointed the Mumbai Police Commissioner in 2007. Padsalgikar, known to be a straightforward, “no-nonsense” and reserved officer, has spent more than a decade with the Intelligence Bureau. He has also served at the Indian Embassy in the USA as minister for personnel and community affairs. He held the charge for three years till 2014. During his stint with the Indian Embassy in US, he was highly appreciated for helping in the rehabilitation of Indian students who were affected after the sudden closure of two American universities. According to media reports, US immigration authorities busted two US universities for fraudulent practices, after which Padsalgikar played an instrumental role in either enrolling Indian students in other universities or sending them back home safely.