NEW DELHI: IPS officer
S N Shrivastava
was
given
the
additional charge
of the next
Delhi Police commissioner
on Friday. The 1985-batch officer will be heading the 90,000 strong force from March 1 as the extended tenure of present police chief
Amulya Patnaik
ends on Saturday.
An order issued by the ministry of home affairs said that Shrivastava will hold the charge till further orders. Sources said a regular order of his appointment will also be issued within a week after necessary approvals are sought and obtained. Shrivastava is set to retire from the service next year.
Shrivastava was serving in CRPF in the profile of special director general (DG) since 2015. After
Delhi Police came under fire for being unable to quell the northeast Delhi riots, Shrivastava was hand-picked by the home minister and the national security advisor to control the situation. In quick developments that unfolded on Tuesday evening, Shrivastava was repatriated to his parent cadre (i.e. AGMUT) and then placed as the chief of law and order, a move which took everyone by surprise.
Shrivastava took charge immediately. Led by Doval, Shrivastava remained on the ground for over 20 hours.
Known for his integrity and no-nonsense attitude, Shrivastava was the anti-terror chief in Delhi Police till 2015. Officers who have worked under him said he was a hard taskmaster with an eye for details. He had headed several departments in Delhi Police before proceeding on deputation to CRPF.
It was during his tenure that the Special Cell had wiped out the Indian Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba network from the capital. Brought in to the Special Cell in the aftermath of the High Court Blasts in 2011, he played a crucial role in strengthening it. While preventing any terror attack in the capital for over three years, the Cell went on to arrest 37 terrorists, including 22 from IM and 7 from LeT, since he took charge.
“IM’s deputy chief Tehsin Akhtar, Pak bomb-maker Waqas, Abdul Qarim Tunda and IM’s shadow techie Ajaj Shaikh are among the terrorists who are now behind bars due to his team’s efforts. His team also solved the 2012 Pune serial blasts and the Jama Masjid blast cases,” said a senior police officer.