Maharashtra ATS chief Sadanand Vasant Date assumes role of new NIA Director General

New Delhi, March 31: Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Sadanand Vasant Date took over as the new Director General of India's elite terror probe unit, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), on Sunday.

A 1990-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Maharashtra cadre, Date assumed leadership of the NIA from incumbent Dinkar Gupta, who superannuated from service on Sunday.

Prior to joining the NIA, Date served as the chief of the ATS in Maharashtra and held several important positions in the state, including Police Commissioner of Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar, Joint Commissioner of Law and Order, and Joint Commissioner of the Crime Branch in Mumbai.

He has also served two tenures in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as Deputy Inspector General and in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as Inspector General.

Date was honoured with the President's Police Medal for Gallantry in 2008 for his role in combating the terrorists who launched the dastardly attacks on Mumbai in November 2008. He is also a recipient of the President's Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2007 and the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2014.