Gafoor to head Maharashtra’s anti-corruption bureau

MUMBAI - Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Hasan Gafoor, who served as city police chief during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, was Friday appointed director general of the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Gafoor is at present the managing director of the Maharashtra State Housing & Welfare Corporation. He will be succeeded in that post by P.P. Shrivastava, who has been promoted to the rank of DGP.

The post of ACB chief was laying vacant after A.N. Roy was appointed the state police chief.

Another senior officer, Sanjeev Dayal, will be the new DGP (Special Operations) - a crucial post which was lying vacant since Jan 1 after Jayant Umranikar retired. In the post, Dayal will oversee the working of three critical units - the state Intelligence Department, Anti-Terrorism Squad and Anti-Naxal Operations.

Gafoor was shunted out as DGP (Housing), after the 26/11 attacks. The Pradhan-Balachandran Vommittee which enquired into the various aspects of the terror attacks, indicted him, saying Gafoor failed to provide “visible and overt leadership”. However, the state government did not accept this.

A few days before the first anniversary of the terror attacks last year, Gafoor, in an interview to a newsweekly, blamed four city police officials for not responding to the call of duty.

The comments kicked up a major controversy, prompting the state government to seek an explanation from him.