Elections 2019: Pune police commissioner Sahebrao Patil joins politics

Sahebrao Patil

The Pune Police has a history of cops showing an inclination towards politics. Adding to the list, is additional commissioner of police (administration) Sahebrao Patil, currently on leave, who has confirmed that he will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from his hometown in Jalgoan. A source said he is trying for a BJP ticket.

Patil hails from Tamaswadi village in Parola taluka of Jalgaon district. He joined the Maharashtra Police as deputy superintendent of police in 1990. He has also worked in various cities including Nagpur, Nashik, Dhule, Thane, Pune Rural and State Intelligence Department (SID). While working in the police force, he had also been working in social and cultural fields and has been training students, and helping farmers in his hometown.

A police source on condition of anonymity said, "Patil is to retire in June. If he has confirmed his political aspiration while he is still in duty, it is against the law. There are chances he may get a notice issued to him by the Directorate General of Police office or either from the Pune police commissionerate. But such notices give two months time for reply, and by then, he would have retired."

Despite repeated attempts to connect and meet with Pune Police Commissioner Dr Venkatesham K, he did not respond. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, former Pune police commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh resigned as Commissioner of Mumbai Police to contest on a BJP ticket. He won with a thumping margin from Baghpat in UP.

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