Satyapal Singh new Mumbai police commissioner

Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik, who was facing flak over the August 11 Azad Maidan violence in the city, has been transferred, Home Minister R R Patil said on Thursday.

Patnaik has been promoted as director general and posted as managing director of Maharashtra State Security, Patil said.

Senior IPS officer Satyapal Singh has been appointed as the new Mumbai commissioner of police, the minister said.

Patnaik was under fire for the handling of the August 11 violence at Azad Maidan in Mumbai during a rally organised by city-based Raza Academy and other outfits to protest incidents in Assam and Myanmar. Several policemen were injured in the melee.

Another IPS officer S P Gupta has been appointed Additional DG (training), Patil said.

Describing the transfer as "routine administrative process", Patil said the file in connection with Patnaik's transfer was first moved by the state DG office on July 6. The revised file was moved on August 8, Patil said.

The chief secretary had chaired a meeting on August 16 in this regard, he said.

The transfer comes two days after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, during a massive rally in Mumbai, had demanded immediate ouster of Patnaik over the violence at Azad Maidan, for allegedly failing to control the situation during a demonstration to protest alleged persecution of Muslims in Assam and Myanmar.

Patnaik was also in line of fire by the Opposition for handling of the Azad Maidan mayhem.

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