Soon after the conclusion of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections, the Mahayuti-led government, who won the polls by thumping majority, has reinstated IPS officer Rashmi Shukla as Director General of Police (DGP), stated an order issued by the state home department on Monday evening, November 25.
Rashmi Shukla’s reappointment as DGP has added fuel to the speculation about her perceived closeness to Fadnavis.
Earlier, on November 4, she was temporarily transferred by the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The poll body had instructed the state’s Chief Secretary to hand over her charge to the next senior-most IPS officer in the cadre.
Therefore, Sanjay Kumar Verma had taken over as the state's top police officer. Verma, a senior Indian Police Service officer, was to hold the top post till the election process was over, while Shukla was sent on compulsory leave for the same duration.
With the completion of the electoral process and announcement of election results, the Model Code of Conduct ceased to be in force on Monday, the home department order said.
Congress had demanded that she should be shunted out.
On the same day, the party approached the Election Commission, accusing her of violating the Model Code of Conduct by allegedly meeting Fadnavis during the elections. Congress’ chief spokesperson claimed that Shukla is involved in several serious allegations, including phone tapping of opposition leaders. The party had earlier demanded her removal during the elections, which was subsequently acted upon.
Rashmi Shukla, a 1988 batch IPS officer, is the first woman to hold the position of Maharashtra DGP. Before this, she had served as the Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department. Her transfer during the elections was perceived as a temporary measure in light of the poll code of conduct.
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