Senior IPS officer Deven Bharti, who has been a part of probes into many high-profile cases, including the 26/11 terror attacks, took over as the new commissioner of Mumbai police.
Bharti, a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, succeeded incumbent Vivek Phansalkar, who retired after 35 years of service.
After taking charge as the Commissioner, Bharti promised to reach out to the last citizen through policing, crime prevention and detection.
"I will try to give effective police service to all Mumbaikars. We will like to reach the last man standing on the ground in terms of providing police service and security net. Wherever there are gaps, we will try to fill them with the help of technology," he said, according to PTI.
He also said that the government has given him an important responsibility and he would strive with relentless effort to do everything possible for the people of Mumbai.
He was earlier serving as the Mumbai police special commissioner, a post created by the first Mahayuti government in 2023, before being elevated as the city's top cop.
The Maharashtra Home Department issued an order regarding Bharti’s appointment, however, downgrading his post to the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP).
The post of Mumbai police commissioner has traditionally been of the ADGP rank, but it has been upgraded to the DG (Director General) rank in a few recent postings.
During his 30-year career, Bharti has served in various capacities in Maharashtra and at the Centre.
He served the Mumbai Police in various roles, including as joint commissioner of police (law and order), additional commissioner of police (crime), and deputy commissioner of police (crime). He has also headed the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), besides serving as the inspector general of police (law and order ) in the Maharashtra police headquarters.