Mumbai: Sadanand Vasant Date, the current Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), is expected to become the new Director General of Police (DGP) of Maharashtra. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has already approved Date's premature repatriation to his parent cadre of Maharashtra. A government order was issued on Monday regarding the decision. Date, a 1990-batch IPS officer, had been serving as the head of the NIA since March of last year.
Date is likely to take over the position from incumbent DGP Rashmi Shukla, whose tenure ends on January 3, 2026. Date is the most senior IPS officer in Maharashtra after Shukla's retirement. The Ministry of Home Affairs had requested Date's repatriation from the central government. Similar to Shukla, Date is expected to be granted a two-year term as the state's police chief, potentially extending until December 2027.
Sadanand Date is widely recognized for his bravery and key role during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. On that night, as the Additional Commissioner of Police, central region, he was among the first responders to the indiscriminate firing near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Cama Hospital. Date and his team confronted and pinned down two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismail, on the rooftop of Cama Hospital. During the encounter, the police team faced a setback when the terrorists launched grenades and fired indiscriminately, causing injuries to Date from grenade splinters on his eye, chest, throat, knee, and ankle. For his bravery, Date was awarded the President's Police Medal for gallantry. Additional Sessions Judge M. L. Tahaliyani praised Date's alertness during his deposition before the special 26/11 court. He also played a key role in fire-fighting operations during the June 21, 2012 blaze at Mantralaya, and rescued several people.
Before leading the NIA, Date served as the chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police. He has also held several important positions in the state, such as Police Commissioner of Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) in Mumbai, and Joint Commissioner of Law and Order. During his central deputation, he served in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and as Joint Secretary in the Law and Justice Department, and also had two tenures with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as Deputy Inspector General.
Date took over as Director General of NIA from Dinkar Gupta, who retired on March 31, 2024. Besides his extensive experience in law enforcement, Date holds a doctorate from Pune University and is a qualified cost and management accountant from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI).
