Rakesh Maria

Contents

Early life and education

Rakesh Maria was born in Punjabi family to Vijay Madia (the surname got distorted to Maria) who resided in Bandra, Mumbai. His father a well-known name in film circles was founder of Kala Niketan, a banner under which he made films such as Kaajal, Preetam, Neel Kamal, among others as a top Bollywood financier and producer. He completed his graduation from St. Xavier’s College Mumbai. He chose to make the career as an IPS officer, cracking the IAS(UPSC) exams to get an IPS cadre.Incidentally, as was told by him in an interview, Retd. Air Chief Marshall Pratap Chandra Lal was on his interview panel for IPS. He recalled therein the Khalistan movement and the 1993 Bombay bombings.

Career

He belongs to the 1981 batch of the Indian Police Service. His first posting was as assistant superintendent of police in Akola, and then Buldhana, in the interiors of Maharashtra. He came to Mumbai in 1986. He was the Deputy Commissioner Police (Traffic) in 1993. He was appointed the Commissioner of Mumbai Police on 15 February 2014. He retired on 31 January 2017, after putting in 36 years of distinguished service

Anti terror work

As the Deputy Commissioner Police (Traffic) in 1993, he cracked the Bombay serial blasts case, and later moved to DCP (Crime) and then Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), of the Mumbai Police.

Maria cracked the 2003 Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar twin blasts case, arresting six persons, including a couple for planting the explosive devices inside taxis. The investigation was proved successful when the arrestees Ashrat Ansari, Haneef Sayyed and his wife Fahmeeda were convicted and sentenced to death in August 2009 by a special POTA court in Mumbai. Later, the death sentence was upheld by Bombay High Court in February 2012.

Maria was given the responsibility of investigating the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. He interrogated Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist captured alive, and successfully investigated the case. Kasab was executed by hanging in 2012.

Personal life

He is married to Preeti Maria and the couple have two sons, Kunal and Krish. Maria hails from a film family which owns their own production house Kala Niketan. Maria had also represented his state Maharashtra in Karate at the National Games in 1979. Rakesh and Preeti were in St. Xavier’s together. He was a class ahead but they shared a common bond of love for sports; her strongest memories of him are from the basketball court training, playing matches, winning.

Addl.CP Ashok Kamte's death

Vinita Kamte, the wife of slain IPS officer Ashok Kamte who was killed by Pakistani terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, lashed out at Maria at his appointment as Mumbai Police Commissioner. She had earlier alleged discrepancies in crucial call records of wireless conversations between the Police Control Room and Ashok Kamte's van on the day of his death. Earlier in 2009 she had questioned Maria's claims that he did not direct Ashok Kamte to the Cama Hospital where he died. Rakesh Maria had been in charge of the police control room at the time of the carnage in November 2008.

Maria felt almost defenseless against such an emotive issue. Even Maharashtra Government was initially reluctant to defend Maria, an officer with formidable reputation, not wanting to hurt the sentiments of a martyr’s wife. He just said that the facts would absolve him.

“You don’t defend him and you don’t let him defend himself!” commented a Mumbai Crime Branch senior.

Maria even got ready his resignation letter in disgust.

Thrice he appeared before and had replied to all these allegations in detail before the Pradhan Committee.

He was confident of his facts and told that Vinita Kamte had been selective in quoting.

Mumbai Police Officers later told that Vinita Kamte most possibly expressed her emotional outbursts and anger by writing the book. She might have got solace by attacking Maria, but it had also damaged the police force. The highly sensitive Police Control Room logbook came in public purview, just because of an RTI.

According to records, more forces were sent to the Cama Hospital than the Taj Mahal hotel or Chabad House. Even Vinita had accepted the fact: “I am not denying that forces were sent. If they sent 200 people, where were they?”

The additional forces were actually ordered to go to the Cama Hospital by Maria. According to police records around 150 policemen should have been there before 11.50 pm. Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar were killed around 12.07 am. But again it was not a normal situation. Why police arrived late must have an explanation not related to Maria.

The Ram Pradhan Committee was too critical on the role of the then Mumbai Commissioner of Police Hasan Gafoor and said that he had flouted the Standard Operating Practice by saddling Joint Commissioner Rakesh Maria with the charge of the Police Control Room.

On third degree interrogation

In an interview to Indian magazine Verve, he clarified on misconception about use of third degree interrogation by saying, "Thanks largely to what the film industry portrays, everyone thinks that third degree is the only way interrogations take place. This is absolutely off the mark. Just beating and torture does not get you answers or answers that will stand up. The terrorist today is completely indoctrinated. One needs to understand his or her psychology, break his or her mind to get information from him or her. Apart from this there are lawyers, courts, NGOs and strict laws in place. So, the general perception that a criminal breaks down after a beating, is not true. We use a lot of mental games when we interrogate the accused. I often step in and do it myself. Ajmal Kasab was interrogated by me for the first time on the 27th at around four or five a.m."

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