Maharashtra reverses IPS transfers, brings key officers back to Shinde’s Thane turf | Mumbai News
3 min readMumbaiMay 23, 2026 09:42 PM IST
In a significant shake-up within the Maharashtra police force, the state government has brought back several senior officers with past stints in Thane– the political stronghold of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, barely a week after issuing their transfer orders.
On May 15, the government transferred 52 police officials across Maharashtra. However, a second transfer list, issued on May 21, revoked the postings of 16 officers, triggering fresh speculation within the police establishment.
Among the most notable reversals, was that of senior IPS officer Panjabrao Ugale who had been serving as Additional Commissioner (Crime) in Thane. In the first list of transfer, he was promoted as Special Inspector General in the Housing and Welfare Department at the Director General’s office. The transfer order was revoked and Ugale has instead been retained in Thane as Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime)- a newly created post in the Thane Commissionerate.
With the creation of the new Joint CP (Crime) position, the commissionerate will now have separate Joint Commissioners handling crime, and law and order. Senior IPS officer Dr. Dnyaneshwar Chavan, who earlier supervised both divisions, will now serve as Joint CP (Law and Order), a senior officer said.
“The prominent officials who had earlier worked in Thane district, including Panjabrao Ugale, Balasaheb Patil and Vinaykumar Rathod, have once again been posted back to Thane in the latest order,” a senior official said.
The revised transfer list has also raised questions after the postings of two officers Nityanand Jha and Kumar Chintha were revoked without fresh assignments being mentioned in the May 21 order. Jha had been posted to Yavatmal, while Chintha was transferred to Nagpur.
Balasaheb Patil, who was serving as Superintendent of Police (SP), Nashik Rural, had initially been transferred to Mumbai on May 15. His transfer was later cancelled, and he has now been appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Thane Commissionerate. Patil had earlier served in several key positions in Thane, including as DCP (Traffic) and in multiple zones.
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Similarly, Vinaykumar Rathod, formerly SP of Sambhajinagar Rural, has been brought back as SP, Thane Rural. Rathod too had previously held posts as DCP (Traffic) and zonal DCP in Thane.
Other senior officers returning to Thane include Shivaji Rathod, Additional Commissioner of Police, Nagpur, and Ashok Dudhe, Deputy Inspector General of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF). Both officers had earlier served as DCPs in the Thane Commissionerate.
