Hemant Nagrale, Mumbai’s new top cop and his key role during 26/11 attacks

IPS officer Hemant Nagrale on Wednesday was appointed as Mumbai’s new police commissioner after the Maharashtra government transferred Param Bir Singh from the post. Nagrale, who had held the additional charge as Mumbai police commissioner in 2014, played a key role during the 26/11 terror attacks in the city in November 2008.

Also read: Who is Hemant Nagrale, the new Mumbai Commissioner of Police

At that time, the cop was on deputation as director of vigilance at the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) at that time and used to reside at the police quarters in Colaba area, which was targeted by the terrorists, PTI reported.

During the attack, he stepped out of his residence in order to help. He reached the area of Hotel Taj that was under attack and found a bag containing RDX lying nearby.

“He immediately took it to a safer place and thereby saved several lives,” PTI reporting, quoting a police official. He, then, called the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS).

Along with four other policemen, Nagrale then entered the Hotel Taj, where they also helped in rescuing a number of injured persons and shifting them to hospitals. They also took several bodies out.

The 1987-batch IPS officer is a recipient of the President’s Police Medal, Vishesh Seva Padak and Antarik Suraksha Padak.

From May 2016 to July 2018, Nagrale was posted as Navi Mumbai police commissioner. In October 2018, he was elevated to the DG-rank and was entrusted the responsibility of looking after the forensic science laboratories in the state.

He was given the additional charge of DGP Maharashtra, after the then DGP Subodh Kumar Jaiswal went on central deputation in January this year.

On Wednesday, the Maharashtra government transferred Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh from the post and appointed Nagrale in his place.

The move comes in the wake of the arrest of Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze, who is at the focus of a probe by the National Investigation Agency in a case related to the recovery of an SUV with explosives near Ambani’s house in Mumbai last month.