Rakesh Maria

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Rakesh Maria
IPS
38th Police Commissioner of Mumbai
In office
15 February 2014 – 08 September 2015
Preceded bySatyapal Singh
Succeeded byAhmed Javed
Personal details
Born (1957-01-19) 19 January 1957 (age 67)
Mumbai, India
Spouse(s)Preeti Maria
Children2
Alma materSt. Andrew's High School, Mumbai
St. Xavier's College, Mumbai[1]
OccupationLaw Enforcement
AwardsIND President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service.png President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service.
IND Police Medal for Meritorious Service.png Police Medal for Meritorious Service.
IND 50th Anniversary Independence medal.svg 50th Anniversary Independence Medal.
Military service
Years of serviceMaharashtra Police
(1981-1993)

Mumbai Police
(1993-2017)

RankDirector General of Police.png Director general of police

Rakesh Maria (born 19 January 1957) is a former Indian Police Officer. He last served as the Director General of Home Guard. Before that he served as the Police Commissioner of Mumbai.[2]

Early life and education[edit]

Maria was born in Punjabi family to Vijay Madia (the surname got distorted to Maria) who resided in Bandra, Mumbai. His father a well-known name in film circles was founder of Kala Niketan, a banner under which he made films such as Kaajal, Preetam, Neel Kamal, among others as a top Bollywood financier and producer.[3][4] Maria had also represented his state Maharashtra in Karate at the National Games in 1979.[5][6]

Maria graduated from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. He passed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams to join the Indian Police Service (IPS) cadre.[7] Retd. Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal was on his interview panel for IPS.[8]

Career[edit]

Maria belongs to the 1981 batch of the Indian Police Service. His first posting was as an assistant superintendent of police in Akola and then in Buldhana districts of Maharashtra.

Maria was transferred to Mumbai in 1986, and became the Deputy Commissioner Police (Traffic) in 1993.[9] He was appointed the Commissioner of Mumbai Police on 15 February 2014.[2] In 2015, he was promoted as the Director General of Home Guards.[10]

Maria retired on 31 January 2017, after 36 years of service.[11]

Anti terror work[edit]

As the Deputy Commissioner Police (Traffic) in 1993, he solved the Bombay serial blasts case, and later moved to DCP (Crime) and then Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) of the Mumbai Police.[9]

Maria solved the 2003 Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar twin blasts case, arresting six persons, including a couple for planting the explosive devices inside taxis.[9][12] The investigation proved successful when the arrestees Ashrat Ansari, Haneef Sayyed and his wife Fahmeeda were convicted and sentenced to death in August 2009 by a special POTA court in Mumbai.[13] Later, the death sentence was upheld by Bombay High Court in February 2012.[14][15]

26/11 Mumbai attacks investigation[edit]

Maria was given the responsibility of investigating the 26/11 Mumbai attacks of 2008. He interrogated Ajmal Kasab,[12] the only terrorist captured alive,[16] and successfully investigated the case. Kasab was executed by hanging in 2012.[17] In his 2020 memoir 'Let Me Say It Now', elaborating on the Hindu Terror conspiracy, Maria writes, 'If all had gone well he [Ajmal Kasab, the only one of the ten terrorists to be caught alive] would have been dead with a red string tied around his wrist like a Hindu. We would have found an identity card on this person with fictitious name Samir Dinesh Choudhari, student of Arunoday Degree and P.G College.' and said that it ruined the plans of Pakistan of proclaiming the Mumbai Terror Attack as a Hindu conspiracy.[18]

Controversies[edit]

Ashok Kamte's death[edit]

Vinita Kamte, the wife of slain IPS officer Ashok Kamte who was killed by terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, lashed out at Maria at his appointment as Mumbai Police Commissioner. She had earlier alleged discrepancies in crucial call records of wireless conversations between the Police control room and Ashok Kamte's van on the day of his death. Earlier in 2009 she had questioned Maria's claims that he did not direct Ashok Kamte to the Cama Hospital where he died. Rakesh Maria had been in charge of the police control room at the time of the carnage in November 2008.[5][19]

Maria felt defenseless against such an emotional issue. The Government of Maharashtra was initially reluctant to defend Maria, an officer with a formidable reputation, not wanting to hurt the sentiments of a martyr’s wife. He just said that the facts would absolve him. "You don't defend him and you don't let him defend himself!" commented a Mumbai Crime Branch senior. Thrice he appeared before and had replied to all these allegations in detail before the Pradhan Committee. He was confident of his facts and told that Vinita Kamte had been selective in quoting.

Mumbai Police Officers later told that Kamte most possibly expressed her emotional outbursts and anger by writing the book. She might have got solace by attacking Maria, but it had also damaged the police force. The highly sensitive Police Control Room logbook came in public purview, just because of an RTI. The Ram Pradhan Committee was too critical on the role of the then Commissioner of Police Hasan Gafoor and said that he had flouted the Standard Operating Practice by saddling Joint Commissioner Rakesh Maria with the charge of the Police control room.[19]

Personal life[edit]

Maria is married to Preeti and the couple have two sons, Kunal and Krish.[3]

Publications[edit]

  • Maria, Rakesh (2020). Let me say it now. Chennai: Amazon Westland. ISBN 9789389152067. OCLC 1156076794.[5][20]

In popular culture[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "The many Marias". theweek.in.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Senior IPS Rakesh Maria is the new Mumbai Police Commissioner". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Sharp, Subtle, Savvy, Suave". uppercrustindia.com. webroute-solutions. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "The Passion of Rakesh Maria". Verve Magazine. Vol. 18, no. 6. June 2010. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Bagwan, Asif (17 April 2021). "काही (निवडक) बोलायाचे आहे…". Loksatta (in मराठी). Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "What Top Cop Rakesh Maria is Famous For (Hint: It's Not The Sheena Bora Case)". NDTV.com.
  7. ↑ "Rakesh Maria: Chasing Terrorists And Listening Ghazals ,Qawwalis". bhindibazaar.asia. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  8. ↑ Rakesh Maria had charge of the control room on 26/11
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Rakesh Maria is new Joint CP (Crime)". Indian Express. Express Group. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  10. ↑ "Ahmed Javed takes over as new Mumbai CP; Rakesh Maria promoted as DG of Home Guards". dnaindia.com. Daily News & Analysis. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Maharashtra Top Cop Rakesh Maria Retires, Says Will Pen Memoirs". NDTV.com.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Rakesh Maria: terror buster No 1". Sakaal Times. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  13. ↑ "Taxi driver helped in cracking 2003 blast case: Maria". Zee News. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  14. ↑ "HC upholds death for LeT men in twin blasts case". 10 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  15. ↑ "Death sentence upheld in Mumbai blasts case". 10 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  16. ↑ "Saluting a braveheart, the man who helped capture Qasab".
  17. ↑ "Ajmal Kasab hanged". The Hindu. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  18. ↑ Sahil Joshi (20 February 2020). "Rakesh Maria, Ajmal Kasab and 'Hindu' terror: Much ado about nothing". India Today.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "News, Latest News, Breaking News, News Headlines, Live News, Today News CNN-News18 English". News18.
  20. ↑ Shaikh, Mustafa (17 February 2020). "Mumbai supercop Rakesh Maria spills the beans on Sheena Bora murder". India Today. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  21. ↑ Gupta, Pratim D. (26 January 2005). "Escapist cinema will always be there". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  22. ↑ "Ramu and Nana reunite after 10 years". 13 September 2012.
  23. ↑ http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2012/sep/140912-Nana-Patekar-essays-Rakesh-Maria-in-RGVs-26-11-films.htm
Police appointments
Preceded by
Satya Pal Singh 		Police Commissioner of Mumbai
2014 - 2015 		Succeeded by
Ahmed Javed
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