A phone call from the NCP supremo to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan yesterday reportedly sealed the fate of Arup Patnaik who will now head Maharashtra State Security Corporation, while senior IPS officer Satyapal Singh takes over as Mumbai's top cop.
Mumbai has a new police commissioner and Arup Patnaik has a new job. Ending an 11-day long drama, the latter was transferred yesterday to the post of director-general of Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC) following criticism from various quarters over his 'inept' handling of the August 11 Azad Maidan violence.
Sources say while the state home ministry led by Nationalist Congress Party's RR Patil wanted Patnaik out, Prithviraj Chavan was not too keen. The deadlock was finally ended following a call from NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to the Chief Minister, senior leaders of Democratic Front say.
Though the home ministry had moved the proposal for Mr Patnaik's transfer on August 13, the final approval by the Chief Minister was pending. Mr Chavan reportedly maintained that Patnaik's relocation would be viewed as a punishment, and he should be promoted.
Fresh attemptThe home department re-submitted the file with a fresh bid to elevate Mr Patnaik and names of probable candidates to replace him as Mumbai's police commissioner. This was awaiting Mr Chavan's approval since August 16.
Meanwhile, many developments took place including the August 21 morcha led by Raj Thackeray.
MNS and other parties such as Shiv Sena and BJP were demanding resignations of RR Patil and Arup Patnaik for awkward management of the August 11 protest rally organised by Raza Academy.
NCP leaders felt Mr Patnaik's transfer was the only way to clear up the atmosphere of resentment prevailing in the state. Accordingly, the proposal to transfer Mr Patnaik was moved by the home department.
According to sources, the Chief Minister was being pressurised by his own party men against transferring Patnaik. Mr Chavan is believed to have conveyed to NCP leaders that the reassignment would set an inappropriate precedent and will also send a wrong signal to the state bureaucracy. Such demands would be difficult to consider in future, he is believed to have said.
BrainstormingOn Wednesday, soon after the state cabinet meeting at Vidhan Bhavan, the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Home Minister RR Patil sat together for over an hour and a half, discussed the issue in the backdrop of the MNS morcha and the existing situation in the state.
In the evening, sources say, Mr Pawar intervened and is believed to have thrashed out the matter with the Chief Minister over the phone. Rumours were rife that there was internal bickering within NCP and Ajit Pawar was not prepared for Mr Patnaik's transfer.
When Home Minister RR Patil was probed about this he termed such reports baseless. Meanwhile, the Wednesday evening developments were so frenzied that the Chief Minister reportedly called up his NCP colleagues asking whether he should forward the file immediately in the night or wait till next morning.
The particular dossier was returned to the home department on Thursday morning and the orders were issued. While approving the proposition, the CM gave the go-ahead for Satyapal Singh to be made the new city police chief being the most senior on the list.