Maharashtra CID: From Elite Unit to Secondary Role

Devendra Fadanavis announced during the recent winter session of the Assembly that the government would transfer the investigation into the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh to the CID, with an Inspector General (IG)-rank officer leading the probe.

Although the Pune-headquartered state has positions for three special IG officers, the government has posted only one IG (Economic Offences Wing), while it has left the east and west regional IG positions vacant.

Due to the vacancy of key IG posts, the state Home department appointed a Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-rank officer to head the SIT.

The lack of senior officers reflects the long-standing neglect of the CID, originally formed by the British to handle complex cases and political intelligence gathering.

Over the years, successive governments have treated the CID as a secondary department, sending officers there as a form of punishment or a non-executive assignment when the administration becomes unhappy with them.

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CID Challenges Staffing Issues, Political Sensitivity, and Perceived Punishment Postings

In November 2023, the government transferred Tushar Doshi, Superintendent of Police in Jalna, mid-term after he ordered the lathi-charge on protesters demanding Maratha reservation in Antarwali Sarathi village, a politically sensitive issue in Maharashtra.

Initially, the government transferred Doshi to the CID, but after protests claimed he was “rewarded,” the authorities revoked the transfer and reassigned him to the railways. The government assigned another officer under investigation to the CID.

A former CID head explained that despite changes in the agency, the CID remains undervalued by successive governments, making senior officers hesitant to serve there.

Officers often avoid CID posts due to limited public interaction and the agency’s location in Pune, far from the Maharashtra police and government headquarters in Mumbai.

As a result, the authorities frequently fill these positions with officers transferred mid-term or assigned them as a form of “side posting.”

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Challenges Lack of Support, Stigmatized Postings, and Leadership Impact

A former CID officer highlighted the government’s lack of support for the unit, mentioning that until about a decade ago, the government gave the CID “condemned vehicles” with high mileage because it assumed they didn’t need the same resources as other police units.

He shared that when he first joined, he didn’t receive a vehicle, while colleagues in other units at the same rank had their own vehicles and bungalows, emphasizing the lack of importance given to the CID.

He noted that people often viewed CID postings as a punishment, assuming that officers assigned there had upset the government or made mistakes.

The officer explained that another reason for CID postings was to reassign honest officers who refused to meet political leaders and do their bidding.

However, he acknowledged that morale improved during his time under the leadership of a strong ADGP, who ensured the unit no longer received condemned vehicles and motivated officers effectively.

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