Retired Maharashtra IPS Officer and Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik Joined Politics

Bhubaneswar, April 19:  After spending 36 years in the Maharashtra police service, Indian Police Service officer (IPS) Arup Patnaik has joined Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Party in Odisha on Thursday. Patnaik joined the party in presence of Odisha Chief Minister and BJD party president Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar.

Patnaik was considered as one of the most dynamic IPS officer in the Maharashtra police cadre, he retired in the year 2015 as Director General of Police of Maharashtra, state housing and welfare corporation. While he was posted as Mumbai Police Commissioner he was popular as 'bar busting officer,' he also appointed  Assistant Police Commissioner (retired) Vasant Dhoble as the head of Mumbai Police Social Service Branch (SSB) to conduct raids on bars and pubs. Dhobale the controversial officer used to carry a hockey stick while doing crackdown on these establishments, and received much media attention for it.

BJD party yet to give the retired IPS officer any role in the party hence, he will work as ordinary party worker. However, Patnaik while speaking to media reporters showed his interest to contest election if given an opportunity by the party. Patnaik also claimed he joined BJD for its clean image.

After retirement from police service Patnaik started working as social worker, he works for cancer patients and has his own foundation named 'the Konark Cancer Foundation,' a Mumbai-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that provides logistic support to needy cancer patients undergoing treatment at the Tata Memorial Hospital. Similarly, another serving senior IPS officer of Mumbai named V V Lakshminarayana earlier had applied for Voluntary Retirement Service (VRS). Lakshminarayana was serving as the Additional Director General of Police, planning and coordination, and had cited personal and family commitments, while applying for VRS. However, sources claim that Lakshminarayana will soon join politics in Andhra Pradesh. While Former Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh had taken voluntary retirement a year before he retired and successfully contested the 2014 general election from Uttar Pradesh and he is the Union minister of state for human resource.

Meanwhile Odisha state CM and, also BJD party president Naveen Patnaik over Arup Patnaik said the retired IPS officer will surely prove to be a great asset to the party.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 19, 2018 11:19 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).