# Maharashtra Police

Maharashtra Police (IAST: Mahārāṣṭra Polīs Sēvā, formerly Bombay State Police) is the law enforcement agency responsible for the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is headed by Director General of Police, Rashmi Shukla (IPS), and headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
It is one of the largest police departments in the country, having about 36 district police units in the state. The Maharashtra Police Department has a strength of nearly 1.95 lakh. It also has 15,000 women in its force.

## History

During the 17th century (until 1655), the area of present-day Mumbai was under Portuguese control. The Portuguese formed a basic law enforcement structure in this area with the establishment of a Police outpost in 1661.
The origins of the present day Mumbai police can be traced back to a militia organized by Gerald Aungier, the then Governor of Bombay in 1669. This Bhandari Militia was composed of around 500 men and was headquartered at Mahim, Sevree and Sion. In 1672, the judicial overview of police decisions by courts was introduced, although none of the judges had any actual legal training. The situation remained unchanged through the Maratha wars. However, by 1682, policing remained stagnant. There was only one ensign for the whole Bhandari militia, and there were only three sergeants and two corporals.
In 1936, the Sind Province Police was split from the Bombay Province Police. In 1947, it was renamed to Bombay State Police, following India's independence. After the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, the Bombay State Police was divided into Gujarat Police, Mysore Police (later renamed Karnataka Police) and Maharashtra Police.
The Maharashtra Police Headquarters moved into what was known as the Royal Alfred Sailors' Home, in 1896. Construction began on the building in early 1872 and was finished four years later, in 1876. As its name suggests, it was made to accommodate 20 officers and 100 seamen. However, the building was actually conceived to commemorate the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh in 1870. The Duke laid the Foundation stone during his visit.
The Maharashtra government acquired the building in 1928 to house the Bombay Legislative Council. The Police Department subsequently moved in after it was vacated.

## Headquarters

The Maharashtra Police Headquarters is in a Grade I listed its heritage building that was built between 1872 and 1876 and designed by Frederick William Stevens (who designed the Victoria Terminus). During the British Raj, it served as the Royal Alfred Sailors' Home, named after Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who visited Bombay in 1870. The building was used to house sick European sailors. After 1928, it served as the Legislative Assembly and then the Bombay Council Hall until 1982, when the Maharashtra Police moved into the building.

## List of Former Director General of Police

Source:
* Kaikhusru Jahangir Nanavati - 01.05.1960 - 24.02.1965
* Sayyad Majidulla - 25.02.1965 - 19.01.1968
* Anant Ganesh Rajadhyaksha - 20.01.1968 - 28.02.1975
* Maharudra Ganpatrao Wagh - 01.03.1975 - 31.05.1976
* Immanuel Sumitra Modak - 01.06.1976 - 31.03.1978
* Madhukar Ganpat Mugve - 01.04.1978 - 31.05.1978
* Shridhar Vyankatesh Tankhiwala - 01.06.1978 - 31.07.1978
* Vinayak Vasudev Chaubal - 01.08.1978 - 31.10.1979
* Vasant Vinayak Nagarkar - 01.11.1979 - 18.03.1980
* Ramdas Laxman Bhinge - 19.03.1980 - 23.02.1981
* Sushilkumar Chaturvedi - 24.02.1981 - 24.02.1982
* Krushnakant Pandurang Medhekar - 25.02.1982 - 30.04.1985
* Suryakant Shankar Jog - 01.05.1985 - 31.07.1987
* Dattatraya Shankar Soman - 01.08.1987 - 31.05.1988
* Satyandra Prasanna Singh - 01.06.1988 - 31.01.1989
* Ramakant Sheshgirirao Kulkarni - 01.02.1989 - 31.12.1989
* Vasant Keshav Saraf - 01.01.1990 - 31.08.1992
* S. Ramamurti - 01.09.1992 - 30.06.1993
* Shivajirao Vitthalrao Baravkar - 01.07.1993 - 31.10.1994
* S. V. Krushnan - 01.11.1994 - 31.10.1995
* Surendra Mohan Pathaniya - 01.11.1995 - 31.05.1996
* Amarjit Singh Samara - 01.06.1996 - 30.09.1997
* Arvind Siddheswar Inamdar - 01.10.1997 - 05.01.2000
* Subhash Chandra Malhotra - 06.01.2000 - 30.06.2003
* Om Prakash Bali - 01.07.2003 - 31.10.2003
* Surendra Mohan Shangari - 01.11.2003 - 31.08.2004
* Kamal Krishna Kashyap - 01.09.2004 - 30.04.2005
* Dr. P. S. Pasricha - 01.05.2005 - 29.02.2008
* Anami Naraayan Roy - 01.03.2008 - 07.02.2009
* S. S. Virak - 14.03.2009 - 31.10.2009
* Anami Narayan Roy - 22.01.2010 - 31.05.2010
* D. Sivanandhan - 31.05.2010 - 28.02.2011
* Ajit Parasnis - 28.02.2011 - 30.09.2011
* K. Subramanyam - 30.09.2011 - 31.07.2012
* Sanjeev Dayal - 31.07.2012 - 30.09.2015
* Praveen Dixit - 30.09.2015 - 31.07.2016
* Satish Mathur - 01.08.2016 - 30.06.2018
* Dr. D. D. Padsalgikar - 01.07.2018 - 28.02.2019
* S. K. Jayaswal - 01.03.2019 - 07.01.2021
* Hemant Nagrale - 07.01.2021 - 17.03.2021
* Rajneesh Seth - 18.03.2021 - 10.04.2021
* Sanjay Pande - 10.04.2021 - 18.02.2022
* Rajneesh Seth - 18.02.2022 - 31.12.2023
* Vivek Pansalkar - 31.12.2023 - 09.01.2024
* Rashmi Shukla - 09.01.2024 - 05.11.2024
* Sanjay Verma- 05.11.2024 - 25.11.2024
* Rashmi Shukla - 25.11.2024-Incumbent

## Hierarchy
### Officers

* Director general of police (DGP)
* Additional Director General of Police (ADGP)
* Inspector general of police (IGP)
* Deputy inspector general of police (DIG)/Commissioner of police of metro City (CP)
* Senior superintendent of police (SSP)/Additional commissioner of police metro City (ACP)
* Superintendent of police (SP)/Deputy commissioner of police metro City (DCP)
* Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl.SP)
* Assistant Superintendent/ Deputy Superintendent of Police (ASP/DySP)

### Subordinates

Source:
* Police Inspector (PI)
* Assistant Police Inspector (API)
* Police Sub-Inspector (PSI)
* Assistant Sub Inspector of Police (ASI)
* Head constable (HC)
* Police Naik (PN)
* Police Constable (PC)

## Insignia of Maharashtra Police (State Police)
### Gazetted Officers

Indian Police Service gazetted officers rank insignia :
| Insignia | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rank | Director general of police | Director general of police | Additional director general of police | Additional director general of police | Inspector general of police | Inspector general of police | Deputy inspector general of police | Deputy inspector general of police | Senior superintendent of police | Senior superintendent of police | Senior superintendent of police | Superintendent of police | Superintendent of police | Additional superintendent of police | Additional superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for two years) | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for two years) | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for two years) | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for two years) | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for one year) | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for one year) |
| Abbreviation | DGP | DGP | ADGP | ADGP | IGP | IGP | DIG | DIG | SSP | SSP | SSP | SP | SP | Addl.SP | Addl.SP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP |
| Note 1: The equivalent rank to the ASP in State Police Services is the deputy superintendent of police (DSP/DySP). Note 2: The commissioner of police is a post typically held by DIG and above rank officers. ||||||||||||||||||

### Non-gazetted officers

Indian Police non-gazetted officers rank insignia :
| Insignia | | | | | | | | | | | | | No insignia | No insignia |
| Rank | Inspector | Inspector | Assistant inspector | Assistant inspector | Sub-inspector | Sub-inspector | Assistant sub-inspector | Assistant sub-inspector | Head constable | Head constable | Senior Constable | Senior Constable | Police constable | Police constable |
| Abbreviation | INSP/PI | INSP/PI | API | API | SI | SI | ASI | ASI | HC | HC | SC | SC | PC | PC |
| Colour pattern and size of chevrons may vary according to the different rules of several distinct Indian State Police services. |||||||||||||||

## Special units
### State Intelligence Department

The State Intelligence Department (SID) came into existence in 1905 as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and was renamed to its current name in 1981. It is headed by the Commissioner of Intelligence.

### Maharashtra State Criminal Investigation Department

Maharashtra State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is a Crime Branch which was established in 1905 and is headquartered in Pune. It is headed by the Additional Director General of Police.

### Anti-Terrorism Squad

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) unit was created by the Government of Maharashtra in 2004 for countering terrorism. It works in coordination with Central Agencies such as Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

### Quick Response Team

The Quick Response Team (QRT) was created to protect the coasts of Maharashtra. Since Mumbai is vulnerable to attacks from terrorists and underworld elements, there was a need for a highly trained, motivated, young, fit and fully equipped team to tackle such groups and to terminate hostage situations. This team responds in the shortest time, moves by fastest means, takes action to collect tactical information and neutralizes the threat. They rescue hostages, render assistance to Central forces and other State forces on Government duty. On the occasion of 30th Maharashtra Road Safety Week, Maharashtra Police launched "Cop for a Day" Program, this new initiative allows any citizen to be a part of the Maharashtra Police Force for 1 Day and be associated with different departments within Maharashtra Police

### Anti-Corruption Bureau

Anti Corruption Bureau, Maharashtra is an agency of Government of Maharashtra constituted to investigate offences of bribery and corruption falling within the purview of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 in the state of Maharashtra.

### Force One

Force One is an elite counter-terrorism unit of the Maharashtra Police. It guards the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. It was formed by Government of Maharashtra on the lines of National Security Guard (NSG) as a response to the 2008 Mumbai attacks and was commissioned two days before its first anniversary.
A list of the Indian Police Service (IPS) and State Police Service (SPS) officers of Force One is given below:
List of the IPS and SPS officers of Force One :
| S. No | Name | Designation |
| 1 | Dr. Sukhvinder Singh, IPS (1994:MH) | Additional Director General of Police, Force One, Maharashtra State, Mumbai |
| 2 | Sh. Kirankumar Chavan, SPS | S.P, Force One, Maharashtra State, Mumbai |
| 3 | Sh. Sandeep R. Doiphode, SPS | S.P, Force One, Urban Counter Training Academy, Maharashtra State, Mumbai |
| 4 | Sh. Amarsingh Jadhav, SPS | Addl. S.P., Force One, Urban Counter Training Academy, Maharashtra State, Mumbai |

### Highway Traffic Police

The Highway Traffic Police branch was created in 1993 to monitor operations on Indian roads and highways.

### State Reserve Police Force

The State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) was created on 6 March 1948 as a Special Armed Police Force of the State of Maharashtra.
State Police Complaints Authority Maharashtra. State & District Officer

### Other Departments

* Training Directorate
* Protection of Civil Rights Cell
* Motor Transport Unit: This was established in 1948 to cater to the needs of mobility of Maharashtra Police.
* State Police Wireless: Established before 1947

## List of Police Commissionerate

There are total 12 Police Commissionerate in Maharashtra Police Department, i.e.
1. Greater Mumbai Police
2. Thane City Police
3. Navi Mumbai Police
4. Nashik City Police
5. Pune City Police
6. Solapur City Police
7. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Police (Earlier : Aurangabad City Police)
8. Amravati City Police
9. Nagpur City Police
10.Mumbai Railway Police
11. Pimpri-Chinchwad Police
12. Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar (MBVV) Police

### Greater Mumbai Police

Mumbai Police (Marathi: मुंबई पोलीस, IAST: Mumbaī Pulīs, officially Greater Mumbai Police, formerly Bombay Police) is the police department of the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Mumbai.

### Thane City Police

Thane City Police (Marathi: ठाणे शहर पोलीस) is the police department of the city of Thane City, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Thane City.

### Navi Mumbai Police

Navi Mumbai Police (Marathi: नवी मुंबई पोलीस) is the police department of the city of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Navi Mumbai.

### Nashik City Police

Nashik City Police (Marathi: नाशिक शहर पोलीस) is the police department of the city of Nashik City, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Nashik City.

### Pune City Police

Pune City Police (Marathi: पुणे शहर पोलीस) is the police department of the city of Pune City, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Pune City.

### Solapur City Police

Solapur City Police (Marathi: सोलापूर शहर पोलीस) is the police department of the city of Solapur City, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Solapur City.

### Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Police

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Police (Marathi: छत्रपती संभाजीनगर पोलीस, Earlier: Aurangabad City Police) is the police department of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

### Amravati City Police

Amravati City Police (Marathi: अमरावती शहर पोलीस) is the police department of the city of Amravati, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Amravati City.

### Nagpur City Police

Nagpur City Police (Marathi: नागपूर शहर पोलीस) is the police department of the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Nagpur.

### Mumbai Railway Police

Mumbai Railway Police (Marathi: मुंबई लोहमार्ग पोलीस) covers the entire Railway Network starting from Gujarat border on Western Railways to Mumbai and from CSMT to Kasara and Khopoli stations on the Central Railway Network and from CSMT to Roha on the Harbour Railway Network. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Railway Stations under its Jurisdiction.

### Pimpri-Chinchwad Police

Pimpri-Chinchwad Police (Marathi: पिंपरी-चिंचवड पोलीस) is the police department of the city of Pimpri-Chinchwad, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Pimpri-Chinchwad.

### Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar (MBVV) Police

Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar (MBVV) Police (Marathi: मीरा-भायंदर, वसई-विरार पोलीस) is the police department of the twin cities of Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar cities

## Criticism and Controversies

The Maharashtra Police has been involved in controversies. It includes police brutality, corruption, serving the political elite, misconduct, moral policing, as well as discrimination. The department has also been slammed for bootlicking of political leaders whether in power or opposition, as well as for leading in custodial deaths nationwide.
Between 1991 and 2004, there was no police action against Akku Yadav, a Nagpur-based gangster and serial rapist in the Kasturbha Nagar area, who was accused of raping several women, even minor girls. A lot of police personnel, who were in cahoots with Yadav, notified him every time a victim came forward to report his crime. Following several instances of inaction, the residents burned down Yadav's house; fearing for his life, he surrendered himself at the nearest police station where he was given preferential treatment several times. On 13 August 2004, a bail hearing was scheduled for Yadav at the Nagpur District Court. In the courtroom, Yadav mocked a minor rape victim by calling her a prostitute and said that he will rape her again, following which police officials guarding him started laughing. Unable to tolerate this, the victim, joined by a mob of women with many of them being rape victims, started beating him mercilessly. He begged for forgiveness but the women refused to stop and he died after being stabbed several times during the mob lynching; the officers on guard were terrified and fled the scene after chili powder was thrown on them. Retired judge Bhau Vahane defended the women and justified their actions, stating that "If they took law into their hands, it was because the law and law-enforcing agencies had not given them succour." In 2014, it was reported that all of the remaining accused in the Akku Yadav's murder case were released due to a lack of evidence. Akku Yadav's criminal history was a notable case of police inaction and apathy, as well as vigilante justice.
The Maharashtra Police were accused of covering up the Khairlanji massacre by shielding the perpetrators in September 2006, where 4 members of a Dalit family were brutally murdered. Following the allegations of a police coverup, the CBI took over the case, who charged the perpetrators for murder, criminal conspiracy, outraging the modesty of women, and unlawful assembly.
Following the 2008 Mumbai attacks that took place from 26 to 29 November 2008, an inquiry commission setup by the Government revealed several flaws and failures. One of them was the improper training among the police force to deal with such situations, but the report also cited the lack of sophisticated and modern weaponry and equipment, while having outdated weapons, which were rendered obsolete by the Central Government. The attacks eventually led to the creation of an elite force named as Force One to deal with such situations.
In January 2020, the Anti-Corruption Bureau revealed that the Maharashtra Police has been the most corrupt, with assets worth Rs. 40 million amassed by police personnel. In its bribery list released for 2019 by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB), the Maharashtra Police department was noted to be the most corruption complaints against it among 44 state government departments.
Following the lynching of 2 sadhus in Palghar on 16 April 2020, who were mistaken for child snatchers and organ harvesters, two police officers of Inspector rank were suspended for inaction, after a video of one of the sadhus pleas to one officer to saved his life that went unheeded became viral. The leaders of opposition, as well as several Sadhus demanded an investigation and swift action against the culprits.
In September 2023, it was noted that Maharashtra Police was among the worst performing states regarding compliance with the 2006 Supreme Court ruling on police reforms, as per former IPS officers Julio Ribeiro and Prakash Singh. As per Singh, Maharashtra, was among the states that were the most defiant voices against the police reforms right after the Supreme Court ruling.
On 19 October 2023, Somnath Zende, a Sub-Inspector posted in Pune, was suspended after it was revealed that he won Rs 15 million on Dream11, a lottery based phone application. While the application Dream11 was legal as per the Supreme Court, senior officers stated that Zende violated the police norms as he gave an interview in uniform and used his phone on duty. However, Zende clarified that he only used the phone application when he was off-duty.
In October 2024, a report came out that several police officers in the department were facing the challenges of having basic facilities. It included traveling on public transport but without tickets due inadequate or quick transportation to visit crime scenes, besides lower salaries and no over time pay. Despite submitting bills when on official travel, several officers stated that they were often rejected and not reimbursed for their expenses.

## Paid service

The Maharashtra police provide paid security service to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and other cricket administrators during cricket matches for stadium security. The payment for it goes to the Maharashtra government; for One day international it charge ₹50 lakh, for Twenty20 - ₹60 lakh and for Test ₹35 lakhs. Opposite to India in foreign countries such as Australia, England, their cricket boards hire private security agencies for the stadium security. Prior, the charge to provide security for cricket matches was different in Mumbai, Pune but 27 June 2023 onwards the amount per game will be equal for all the towns.