Who is Deven Bharti? 26/11 investigator, former Maharashtra ATS head, and now Mumbai’s new police commissioner

MUMBAI: Deven Bharti (56), an IPS officer of the 1994 batch who's held several key positions including a newly minted role as Special Commissioner of Police for the metropolis--which made him a de facto number two in the Mumbai hierarchy--took over as the city's police commissioner on Wednesday replacing Vivek Phansalkar.
After taking charge, Bharti said "The govt has entrusted me with a great responsibility…I will give it my best to ensure that police services reach the last man. Wherever there is a gap, we will fill it — and we will do so with the help of technology."


To accommodate Bharti as commissioner, the govt has downgraded the post of commissioner to the rank of additional DGP. Earlier the post was upgraded to DGP rank with officers such as Datta Padsalgikar, Subodh Jaiswal, Parambir Singh, Hemant Nagrale and Sanjay Pandey occupying it. Bharti superseded 11 IPS officers who are senior to him.
Deven Bharti, who took charge on Wednesday as Mumbai Police commissioner after taking over from incumbent Vivek Phansalkar, told mediapersons that he would build upon existing frameworks and policies.
"I have been part of this force for a major part of my career, and I will continue the same policies. My priority will be to maintain law and order and reach out to every citizen." The newly appointed commissioner reiterated the department's commitment to inclusivity and modernization, underlining the importance of technological tools in closing systemic gaps in service delivery.
Bharti, serving as Special Commissioner of Police—a post created in 2023 by the Mahayuti govt—is considered a confidante of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the home minister. There is no clarity whether the post of special commissioner which he has been holding will continue.
A native of Bihar, Bharti has had a long and influential career in Mumbai Police. He served as Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order)—one of the longest tenures in that role—and headed the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad.
He also held the key post of Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) and Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) at the state headquarters.
Bharti handled supervision of a few important cases like the Sheena Bora murder, Indian Mujahideen bombings, Chhota Rajan aide Farid Tanasha's murder and journalist J Dey's assassination. He was also part of the 26/11 investigation headed by IPS officer Rakesh Maria.
In the previous BJP-Shiv Sena govt led by Fadnavis, Bharti oversaw operations of over 90 police stations across Mumbai and was considered one of the most powerful officers in Maharashtra.
However, under the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi regime, he was sidelined and reassigned to the Maharashtra State Security Corporation. An inquiry report by then Mumbai police chief Sanjay Pandey accused Bharti of nursing connections with criminals. However, the report, based on claims by a convicted criminal, was rejected by the subsequent Shinde-Fadnavis govt.
Reacting to his appointment, Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged that the state govt picked its "ladla" (dear) officer as Mumbai police commissioner by ignoring the criterion of seniority and merit.
"We had heard of ladla 'thekedar' (contractor), 'ladla' minister, but now we are seeing a 'ladla' officer", he told reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.