Who will be the next Mumbai commissioner of police? Here are the contenders

Illustration/Uday Mohite

With barely a couple of months left for the retirement of director general of police (DGP) Satish Mathur, current Mumbai commissioner of police (CP) D D Padsalgikar's elevation to Mathur's post is imminent. But who would replace Padsalgikar as Mumbai's next CP? The race is already interesting, all thanks to its top-notch contenders - chief of state intelligence department (SID) Sanjay Barve, Thane CP Parambir Singh, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) officer Subodh Jaiswal and Pune CP Rashmi Shukla. Sources in the DGP's office said the decision could be a close one as all names are eligible. Plus, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis - known for his unpredictable choices, as seen with the three-month appointment of Ahmed Javed as CP - might pick a surprise winner after all.'

Subodh Jaiswal
IPS batch: 1985
Currently: Senior R&AW officer
A big 'if' has to come before Subodh Jaiswal's name, as senior officials say he's likely to rise within the R&AW. If he decides to return to his parent cadre, he may not have a long stint, as Padsalgikar retires in August and Jaiswal will end up getting just three months, and six if Padsalgikar gets an extension. Jaiswal was the officer who probed the Telgi scam, after which he was posted as the additional commissioner of police in Mumbai's central region. Jaiswal also has a great record serving in Naxal affected areas. He has worked as Gadchiroli's SP and ATS DIG, when the agency probed the 2006 train bombings in Mumbai.

Sanjay Barve
IPS batch: 1987
Currently: SID Commissioner
Sanjay Barve is known as the most soft-spoken yet strict police official with a good record. Before his present posting, he has held the post of additional director general (ADG) of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, at a time when the department was drafting important cases like that of former minister Chhagan Bhujbal. Barve has also worked as Mumbai's joint CP (traffic), ADG Railways, Gadchiroli's superintendent of police, and CP Solapur. He has a long record of working in Mumbai as deputy commissioner of police (DCP) of the Economic Offences Wing.

Rashmi Shukla
IPS batch: 1988
Currently: Pune CP
Rashmi Shukla is considered as the dark horse in this race. Her record as Pune CP has been very good and she is also considered to be a good administrator. She is not flamboyant but is very effective in her ways. However, her name is also being considered for the post of ADG of the ACB, as the current ADG Vivek Phansalkar could be next Thane CP. Shukla has had long stints as Nagpur's SP. She was also in the SID as its joint commissioner and commissioner.

Parambir Singh
IPS batch: 1988
Currently: Thane CP
Parambir Singh is being considered as the favourite for the post. His record as Thane CP has been good. With his crime busting and force management skills, he could be the most favoured in the upcoming election year. Singh has worked in the high-profile West region of the city (Bandra to Andheri) and as DCP of the crime branch and various zones; he had raided Dagdi Chawl at the height of Arun Gawli's power. He has also been SP in Chandrapur, Bhandara and Thane. Singh was also as deputy inspector general of police in the Anti-Terrorism Squad.