Mumbai, Nov 5 : The Election Commission of India on Tuesday approved the appointment of IPS officer Sanjay Kumar Verma as Maharashtra's Director General of Police.

Verma, of the 1990 batch, is currently the Director General, Law and Technical. He is due to retire in April 2028.

Verma's appointment came a day after the poll panel had removed incumbent Rashmi Shukla, an IPS officer of the 1988 batch, amid the opposition's allegation of bias in her functioning. The state government had given charge of the DGP to Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar till the new appointment.

The state government had submitted a panel of three IPS officers for Shukla's successor including Verma, Sanjeevkumar Singhal, and Ritesh Kumar. Out of these, the ECI has cleared Verma's name for the post.

Verma's appointment comes days before the Assembly elections slated for November 20. Shukla was removed especially after the opposition's plea to the ECI to shift her out for free and transparent elections in the state.

The Congress had written three letters to the EC to press for Shukla's removal alleging that she was working at the instance of the BJP while targeting the opposition leaders, especially during the ongoing election process.

The opposition had also raised her role in their phone tapping illegally done by her during 2015 and 2019 when the BJP-led government was in power in the state. The MahaYuti government had appointed Shukla as state DGP in January this year, with a tenure till January 2026, though she was set to retire in June this year.

State Congress chief Nana Patole and Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut last week reiterated their demand for the immediate removal of DGP Shukla. Patole claimed that Shukla is a controversial officer who has sided with the BJP, and with her in office, there are doubts about the elections being conducted fairly and transparently. He said that Congress had appealed to the Election Commission of India to remove Shukla from her post but the poll panel ignored it.

"When the BJP requested the removal of the DGPs in West Bengal and Jharkhand, they were promptly replaced, but the Election Commission has not yet removed Maharashtra's DGP," said Patole.

"Is there a different law for Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Maharashtra? For a fair and transparent election, Shukla should be immediately removed,'' he added.

"Shukla has allegedly instructed Police Commissioners and district police officers to file cases against opposition leaders and harass them. The police machinery is reportedly obstructing opposition leaders and workers, pressuring and threatening them. Rashmi Shukla's approach has been controversial in the past, as she was involved in the phone tapping of opposition leaders and has had cases registered against her," Patole claimed.

/IANS