Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar has been appointed as Maharashtra’s interim Director General of Police (DGP) following the transfer of the current DGP, Rashmi Shukla. The state government acted on the Election Commission’s directive to reassign Shukla, Maharashtra’s first female DGP, after complaints from political parties, including the opposition Congress, ahead of the November 20 Assembly elections. The EC instructed the chief secretary to pass Shukla’s duties to the next senior-most IPS officer, leading to Phansalkar’s temporary appointment until a new DGP is named.

Phansalkar, a 1989-batch IPS officer, had briefly served as DGP after Rajnish Seth’s retirement in early 2024. Shukla, a 1988-batch IPS officer, faced allegations of unauthorized phone tapping of political figures during her tenure as head of the State Intelligence Department. Although three cases were filed against her, two FIRs were quashed by the Bombay High Court, and the third was closed by the CBI due to insufficient evidence. Before becoming DGP in January 2024, Shukla served on central deputation as Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal and ADG of the Central Reserve Police Force.

Originally set to retire in June 2024, Shukla was granted a two-year extension by the state government under the Mahayuti administration, marking the first extension of its kind for a DGP in Maharashtra.