20th commissioner of the Delhi Police will command a force of 80,000 after taking over from controversial chief.
The home ministry on Tuesday appointed Bhim Sain Bassi, a 1977 batch IPS officer, as the next Delhi police commissioner. Bassi will be the 20th commissioner of Delhi Police.
He will take charge from Neeraj Kumar on August 1, who will retire this month after nearly a year-long tenure marred by handling of December 16 gang rape incident.
Fifty-seven-year-old Bassi, who cracked the UPSC exams at age of 21, is currently serving as the special commissioner (administration). He would soon be handling a police force of 80,000 personnels.
“I would be interacting formally only after I take charge,” said Bassi, while talking to dna in his office on Tuesday.
For Bassi, women security, street crime and terrorism will be the top-most challenges, as Delhi goes to polls later this year, followed by the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.
Soon after the order faxed by the home ministry reached the police headquarters at 12:30pm, well wishers of Bassi flocked his fifth floor office. He was seen distributing sweets to everyone who came to meet and congratulate him for the top-post appointment.
Director general (investigation) at the National Human Rights Commission Kanwaljit Deol and Tihar director general Vimla Mehra were also contenders for the top post but the home ministry, after following the procedures, chose Bassi and made the announcement two weeks ahead of the retirement of the current police chief.
Soon after the announcement, family members of Bassi too started getting congratulatory messages from friends and acquaintances.
Bassi lives on Pandara Road with his wife and son. His daughter stays in the US.
His wife Sunira Bassi is a 1982 batch Indian Railway Traffic Service officer, currently posted as the chief traffic planning manager in Northern Railways. His son Siddharth Bassi is a student at Delhi University’s Faculty of Management Studies in and daughter Shruti Bassi is studying medicine in Michigan, USA.
“We are all very happy. We think he will be able to live up to the expectations of the people of Delhi,” said Siddharth Bassi, while talking to dna over the phone.
Siddharth’s Facebook wall was flooded with congratulatory messages, with one of his friends Shantanu Srivastava posting “Waiting for a big EJ party and a safer Delhi”.
He is going to head the police force after an eventful but controversial tenure of Neeraj Kumar, who faced a lot of criticism after the infamous December 16 gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student in a moving bus. He had also come under severe criticism following the rape of a five-year-old girl in Gandhi Nagar area of North East Delhi in April.
Speculations were rife that Neeraj may be removed from the post, but he managed to survive and complete his tenure.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}