Param Bir Singh and a Long Tryst With Controversies in Mumbai Police
Disha Salian's death has remained the subject of public scrutiny, with the CBI investigating the case. (Image X.com)
By NIRENDRA DEV
From the Sushant Singh Rajput probe and corruption allegations to the Daya Nayak episode, Singh’s career reflects the pressures surrounding Mumbai policing.
Mumbai, September 15, 2026 — For former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh, controversy has been a recurring feature of a long policing career. The latest development comes with the Central Bureau of Investigation naming him in connection with the investigation into the death of actor Disha Salian.
Singh had already become a nationally familiar name in 2020 when the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput triggered intense media scrutiny and a subsequent CBI investigation. The episode also placed the Mumbai Police leadership under extraordinary public and political pressure.
But Singh’s association with controversy predates the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
A 1988-batch IPS officer, Singh served in several important Maharashtra policing positions, including as head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and as Mumbai Police commissioner. His appointment as Thane police commissioner in 2015, during the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, generated political discussion at the time, particularly over seniority.
Years later, when the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition government was in power, Singh was appointed Mumbai Police commissioner. His career trajectory consequently became part of the wider debate over political influence and senior police appointments.
As ACB chief, Singh was also associated with the investigation into the Maharashtra irrigation scam. The agency gave then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar a clean chit, a decision that attracted political attention.
Mumbai’s complicated policing history
Singh’s controversies cannot entirely be separated from the broader history of Mumbai policing, where the relationship between police, politics and organised crime has repeatedly come under scrutiny.
The career of encounter specialist Daya Nayak is one prominent example. Nayak became a celebrated figure in Mumbai’s fight against organised crime, even inspiring popular culture.
But allegations of links with the underworld and disproportionate assets also resulted in investigations. He was arrested in 2006 in an Anti-Corruption Bureau investigation, while subsequent legal proceedings eventually saw the MCOCA charges against him quashed.
The Telgi stamp-paper scam similarly exposed serious questions about links between sections of the police establishment and organised crime. Former Mumbai Police commissioner R.S. Sharma was arrested in connection with the case shortly after his retirement, while Joint Commissioner Shridhar Wagal was also arrested under MCOCA.
These episodes contributed to a larger debate over institutional accountability within the police.
The leadership question
The issue is not restricted to Mumbai. Former police officials and reform advocates have repeatedly argued that political interference, frequent transfers and the absence of secure tenures can weaken police leadership.
The Justice B.N. Srikrishna Commission’s observations on the 1992-93 Mumbai riots also raised serious concerns about communal bias within sections of the police force.
At the same time, it would be simplistic to portray the entire police establishment through its controversies. Mumbai’s police have also played a major role in tackling organised crime, protecting public figures and responding to serious security threats.
Singh himself was once regarded as a senior officer who took on organised crime, including operations against gangster Arun Gawli.
His career nevertheless demonstrates the complicated intersection of policing, politics, organised crime and public scrutiny in Maharashtra.
As the latest investigation involving Singh proceeds, the legal findings will ultimately determine the substance of the allegations. The larger question remains one that has confronted Indian policing for decades: how can police leadership remain professionally accountable while insulated from political pressure?
That question extends well beyond one officer, one government or one city.
(This is an opinion piece. Views are the author’s own.)
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