Veteran IPS Deven Bharti new Mumbai police commissioner

Senior IPS officer Deven Bharti, who has been a part of probes into many high-profile cases, including the 26/11 terror attacks, on Wednesday took over as the new commissioner of Mumbai police.

The 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer succeeded incumbent Vivek Phansalkar, who retired after 35 years of service.

Soon after taking charge in the evening, Bharti (56) promised to reach out to the last citizen in terms of policing, crime prevention and detection.

"I will try to give effective police service to all Mumbaikars. We will like to reach the last man standing on the ground in terms of providing police service and security net. Wherever there are gaps, we will try to fill them with the help of technology," he maintained.

Bharti was serving as the Mumbai police special commissioner, a post created by the first Mahayuti government in 2023, before his elevation as the city's top cop.

While the state home department issued an order concerning Bharti’s appointment, it has downgraded the post to the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), an official said.

The coveted post of Mumbai police commissioner has traditionally been of the ADGP rank, but it had been upgraded to the DG (Director General) rank in a few recent postings.

During his three decades-long career, Bharti has served in various capacities in Maharashtra and at the Centre. He served the 50,000-strong police force in the metropolis in various roles, including as joint commissioner of police (law and order), additional commissioner of police (crime), and deputy commissioner of police (crime).

He has also headed the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), besides serving as the inspector general of police (law and order ) in the Maharashtra police headquarters.

Known for his investigative skills, Bharti has been a part of many high-profile cases, including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in which 166 people were killed, the 2011 murder of journalist J Dey and the Farid Tanasha case.

He is credited with cracking down on homegrown terrorist organization Indian Mujahideen, which was responsible for a string of bomb blasts in the country, including in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The senior IPS officer is also adept at tackling cyber and financial crimes.