Published: May 16, 2026 | Category: Nagpur Local | IPS Transfer Maharashtra | By: Nagpur Updates Desk
A significant reshuffle is underway in Maharashtra’s police administration.
Sandeep Patil — Maharashtra’s successful Naxal elimination campaign — has been appointed as the Inspector General (IG) of Nagpur Range. The Maharashtra Home Department has issued the transfer orders as part of a broader reshuffle involving officers at the rank of Additional IG, Deputy IG, and Additional Commissioner level across the state police force.
The appointment brings one of the most experienced and decorated anti-Naxal officers in Maharashtra to the helm of Nagpur Range’s police administration.
Sandeep Patil: The Man Behind Naxal Elimination
Sandeep Patil is not a new name in Nagpur’s law enforcement landscape. He has been serving as the Additional Director General of Police (ADG) for Nagpur Range — and simultaneously heading Maharashtra’s Naxal Elimination Campaign.
Under his leadership, the Naxal elimination campaign achieved historic results. Gadchiroli — once one of Maharashtra’s most dangerous districts, paralysed by Maoist violence — has been largely freed from the Naxal threat. The sustained security operations he led played a direct role in opening up the district for the kind of large-scale industrial investment that is now transforming it. As we recently reported, Maharashtra has sanctioned ₹104 crore for a new airport in Gadchiroli’s Chamorshi taluka — a development that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago when Naxal violence made the district inaccessible.
Patil’s new role as IG of Nagpur Range keeps him at the centre of the region. Importantly, he will continue to hold additional charge of the Naxal Elimination Campaign alongside his new responsibilities — ensuring continuity in the anti-Naxal operations that have transformed Vidarbha’s security landscape.
Leadership Transition: Yogesh Deshmukh’s Role
The broader reshuffle triggered by Patil’s appointment has also involved Yogesh Deshmukh, who was previously leading the Naxal Elimination Campaign. Deshmukh has been moved to the Home Department in a state police role — a transition that keeps his experience within the system while freeing up the Naxal campaign leadership for Patil’s dual-charge arrangement.
This kind of continuity-focused transition is typical of how Maharashtra manages changes in sensitive anti-insurgency operations — ensuring that no vacuum is created and that institutional knowledge is retained within the system.
Nagpur City Police: Key Changes
Beyond the Nagpur Range appointment, the Home Department transfer orders have brought several notable changes to Nagpur City Police as well.
Additional Commissioner Ritika Rode Transferred Ritika Rode, who has been serving as Additional Police Commissioner in Nagpur City Police, has been transferred as part of this reshuffle. Rode had been serving in Nagpur for a significant period. Her transfer is among the more prominent changes in the Nagpur city police command structure resulting from this order.
DCP Vinayak Bansod’s Transfer Cancelled In a notable development, the earlier transfer order for DCP Vinayak Bansod has been cancelled. Bansod will now continue in his current posting. Transfer cancellations of this nature sometimes reflect operational continuity requirements — ensuring that an officer with specific local knowledge or an ongoing investigation assignment remains in place.
Kumar Chinte Transfer Also Cancelled Similarly, the transfer of Kumar Chinte — an officer serving in the DIG Administration role at Nagpur — has also been cancelled. Both cancellations suggest that the finalised reshuffle order has been calibrated to ensure minimal disruption to ongoing operations in Nagpur’s police administration.
Three New DCPs for Nagpur
Alongside these transfers, Nagpur is also receiving three new Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs):
- Annapurna Singh
- Kumar Chitta
- Aditya Mirkhedkar
All three officers have been transferred to Nagpur as part of the broader Maharashtra police reshuffle. Their specific zone assignments within the Nagpur City Police are expected to be announced shortly.
The arrival of three new DCPs brings fresh administrative energy to Nagpur’s policing structure — and reflects the scale of the overall Maharashtra-wide reshuffle being implemented by the Home Department.
What This Means for Nagpur’s Policing
The appointment of Sandeep Patil as IG Nagpur Range carries significant implications for the region’s law enforcement priorities.
Continuity in anti-Naxal operations. Patil’s retention of the Naxal Elimination Campaign charge alongside his new IG role ensures there is no break in the momentum of operations that have been so successful under his leadership. The remaining Naxal presence in the Gadchiroli region will continue to face a sustained and experienced operational response.
Experienced leadership for Nagpur Range. The Nagpur Range covers a large and strategically important jurisdiction — including Nagpur city and several surrounding districts with varying law and order challenges. Having a senior, experienced officer of Patil’s calibre at the helm brings strong leadership to a complex administrative environment.
Fresh energy in city police. The induction of three new DCPs — along with the changes at Additional Commissioner level — means Nagpur City Police will have a partially refreshed leadership team. This kind of periodic reshuffle is considered healthy for operational effectiveness and helps prevent stagnation in police administration.
Just as Nagpur has recently seen action at multiple levels of its law enforcement ecosystem — from the suspension of RTO Kiran Bidkar for school bus safety failures to Operation U-Turn’s drug testing drive — the leadership reshuffle at the range and city level will shape how Nagpur’s policing evolves in the coming months.
Nagpur Range: The Bigger Picture
The Nagpur Range is a critical administrative unit in Maharashtra’s police structure. It covers Nagpur and the surrounding Vidarbha districts — an area of immense strategic importance given its location at the geographic centre of India, its border with the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli region, and its rapidly growing industrial and infrastructure profile.
With Sandeep Patil — battle-hardened by years at the forefront of counter-Naxal operations — now at the helm of Nagpur Range, the region enters a new phase of its law enforcement journey. The challenge ahead is to build on the security gains of the Naxal elimination campaign while also addressing the evolving urban law and order requirements of a rapidly developing Nagpur city.
Nagpur Updates will bring you further details on the new DCPs’ postings and the impact of these transfers on Nagpur’s policing as the new assignments take effect.
Tags: Sandeep Patil, Nagpur Range IG, Maharashtra Police Transfer, Naxal Elimination, Nagpur Police, DCP Transfer Nagpur, IPS Transfer Maharashtra, Nagpur Local News 2026
