Senior IPS Rashmi Shukla Becomes Maharashtra's 1st Woman DGP

Senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla assumed office as the Director General of Police (DGP), Maharashtra, on Thursday, becoming the first woman to hold this position in the state. The Maharashtra home department issued an order in this regard. An officer from the 1988 batch, she was previously posted as Director General, CRPF, on deputation.

Shukla will retire in June 2024, so her tenure will currently be for six months but it can be extended by the government.

A meeting of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) was held on December 29. A list with the names of three officers was sent to the UPSC for selection to the post of DGP. The first name on this list was that of Shukla, which was approved by the UPSC.

The chief minister and deputy chief ministers had to take a decision on the matter, and accordingly, the government issued the order for Shukla's appointment on Thursday.

About 2019 Phone Tapping Case

In 2019, when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, led by Uddhav Thackeray, came to power, Shukla was said to be close to the BJP. In 2020, she was removed from the post of State Intelligence Commissioner (SID). Three FIRs were filed during the rule of the Uddhav Thackeray government, alleging that calls of MVA leaders were being intercepted illegally.

Shukla was alleged to have leaked call record data to the then opposition leader, Devendra Fadnavis. She was made an accused in two of the three cases.

The Bombay High Court quashed two of the three FIRs registered against her in Pune and Mumbai. The third case was transferred to the CBI after the Eknath Shinde-Fadnavis government came to power in Maharashtra. This case too was shut after the court allowed the CBI's closure report last month.

Shukla has worked as the police commissioner of Pune. She is known for the launching of initiatives like 'Buddy Cop,' a measure for women’s safety. This initiative was taken for the safety of women working late nights at call centres and software companies. Under this programme, Pune Police had designated 10 policemen as ‘Buddy Cops’ at every police station, for every 100-150 working women.