State appoints D D Padsalgikar as director emeritus of Maharashtra Intelligence Academy

Mumbai: The state home department on Tuesday appointed former deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) D D Padsalgikar as the director emeritus of the Pune-based Maharashtra Intelligence Academy (MIA).

The order appointing Padsalgikar said he would impart education in VVIP security, protection, bomb detection and disposal, and intelligence collection. It added that the unit needs modernisation and strengthening.

Padsalgikar is a retired IPS officer from the 1982 batch and worked as Mumbai police commissioner as well as state director general of police. Police sources said that he never liked the system of postings in the government and took stints in the intelligence agencies.

Padsalgikar also looks after a court-appointed committee on Manipur.

Former director general of police of Maharashtra, Praveen Dixit, said, “Padsalgikar has rich experience as deputy NSA and worked in the Intelligence Bureau. Maharashtra police need him, and this is a positive step.’’

The MIA – a brainchild of former home minister R R Patil – was formed in 2009 after the 26/11 terror attacks. Around 40 courses are supposed to be held in the academy annually, however, this has been affected due to a shortage of staff.

At present, the post of director is headed by IG Rajendra Dahale. According to sources, the director’s post mostly remains vacant, and IPS officers posted in Pune used to hold additional charge.

One of the former directors on condition of anonymity said that only two units of the police – Force One and ATS – have done well in the academy. He added that other courses like coastal police, EOW, VIP security, and cyber police did not receive enough resources.