Hasan Gafoor, who is believed to have been indicted by a high-level committee for the way he handled the 26/11 terror attacks, was on Saturday removed as Mumbai Police Commissioner to which post intelligence chief D Sivanandan was appointed.
A 1974 batch Indian Police Serfvice officer, Gafoor, who held the high-profile office for over 15 months and was under attack from various quarters in the aftermath of the attacks, has been made Managing Director of the Police Housing Corporation.
The Pradhan Committee, which went into the terror attacks that left over 180 dead, is understood to have faulted Gafoor for not taking charge of the situation and blamed him for lack of co-ordination among senior policemen.
The top police officer brushed aside reports linking his transfer to the terror strikes, saying, "I was due for promotion...this has nothing to do with November 26 terror attack."
Sivanandan, who was holding the post of Commissioner of State Intelligence Department, had earlier shot to limelight in the 90s when he was the joint commissioner in the city police and had led operations against the underworld.
The development comes two days ahead of the Committee Report being tabled in Maharashtra Legislature and is seen as a tactical move of the government to evade embarrassment.
