Apparently fed up with his frequent transfers, senior Maharashtra IPS officer Sanjay Pandey has sought deputation at the Centre by applying for the post of CEO of National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid).
Pandey, currently posted as Deputy Commandant, Home Guards and Deputy Director, Civil Defence, sent an application in this regard to Director of MHA, North Block on November 27 and has also submitted a copy for needful action in the matter to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Maharashtra and State Director General of Police.
Pandey, a 1986 batch IPS officer, is known for his honest and strict ethics and was praised by the Srikrishna Commission and later by Amnesty International for his work in controlling the 1993 Mumbai riots.
However, he has faced 14 transfers in his 15 years of police career, including three transfers in last one year.
Prior to his Home Guards posting, he was serving as Controller of Legal Metrology Department of Maharashtra in March this year bringing fundamental changes in the functionality of the organisation, where government has not found his replacement so far.
But, on October 3, Pandey was once again transferred to the Home Guards department which was considered as a “punishment” posting where he is reporting to former Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria. Pandey has also worked with SEBI.
When contacted, Pandey told PTI, “I have sought a deputation in the Centre’s post and have applied for that, as I see a better opportunity there.”
He, however, parried questions on whether he was tired of his frequent transfers, which according to close sources, led him to seek a deputation at the Centre.
Justifying his application for Natgrid, Pandey in his covering letter, said, “As a computer science engineer in police service, I have been instrumental in setting up statewide network in 1990-91 for the state CID crime and in the year 1993-94 I was deputed to USA and UK to study the computer use there for analysing crime and criminal data.”
“Later from 1992-97 as DCP in Mumbai city, I was also entrusted with the work of computerising the modus operandi bureau of the crime branch and computerise information about arrested and convicted criminals,” read his covering letter.