Mumbai/Patna: Mumbai’s new Police Commissioner, Deven Bharti, may now be at the helm of one of India’s most high-profile police forces, but his roots lie in Darbhanga, Bihar. The 1994-batch IPS officer officially replaced Vivek Phansalkar on Wednesday, following Phansalkar’s retirement.
Bharti’s appointment comes after the Maharashtra government downgraded the rank of the post from Director General (DG) to Additional Director General (ADG), a move seen as paving the way for Bharti to take charge. For over 15 years, only DG-rank officers had held the post of Mumbai Commissioner.
Originally from Darbhanga, Bharti completed his matriculation in Jharkhand and later pursued a master’s degree at the Delhi School of Economics. He has held several key positions in the Mumbai Police, including DCP (Zone 7), DCP (Crime Branch), and Additional Commissioner (Crime Branch). He also served as Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief and IG (Law and Order).
Bharti is particularly noted for heading the investigation into the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. He is considered close to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, having served as Joint Commissioner (Law and Order) during Fadnavis’s first tenure as CM.
