MUMBAI: The impending transfer of 727 Maharashtra police personnel outside Mumbai city has sent them in a tizzy. While the process to transfer over these officers posted in Mumbai for nearly 8 years has been put in action, most of them have begun desperate attempts to hold on to the city posting. They are tapping all means, including recommendations from politicians, word of appreciation from seniors, even trying to engage middlemen.

The Maharashtra Director General of Police Sanjay Pande has issued an order for transferring all inspector cadre officers, who have served for more than eight years in Mumbai, outside the city. These include police inspectors, assistant police inspectors and police sub-inspectors.

As the process, the department has prepared a list of 727 such officers who are to be transferred. It is reported that 89 senior police inspectors and ten sub-inspectors are on the list. In an official notice, Joint Commissioner of Police (Administration) Rajkumar Vhatkar has instructed the listed officers to submit three places of their choice for the new posting, including three preferred districts, their home district and submit their preferences. 

Tuesday was the last day for submitting the preferences. However, most of the officers are yet to comply with formalities and instead have begun approaching different NCP leaders since Home Minister Dilip Valse-Patil has decided not to interfere in the transfer process. 

According to sources some of the officers have also approached Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackerey, Ashok Chavan, Nana Patole and other prominent leaders. In the past influential leaders who are close to top politicians also try to act as middlemen who give assurances of the desired postings, for a particular charge. 

Earlier, on March 24, as many as 86 Mumbai police personnel, including 65 from the Mumbai crime branch, were transferred. The move had come shortly after controversial Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with Antilia explosive scare and the murder of Thane auto parts dealer Mansukh Hiran in February. 

Among the 65 transferred crime branch personnel, 28 were police inspectors, 17 assistant police inspectors and 20 police sub-inspectors.

Transfer of constables, police officers at various positions happens each year in the Mumbai Police department. But this year, Mumbai Police has decided that police officers who have worked in the same Commissionerate for more than 8 years will be transferred from one district to another.