Pioneer in short

NIA chief repatriated to Maharashtra

Senior IPS officer and NIA Chief Sadanand Vasant Date has been repatriated to Maharashtra, and is likely to take over as the State’s police chief once incumbent Rashmi Shukla retires next month. Date, a 1990-batch IPS officer, was appointed as the head of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in March last year. He is the senior-most IPS officer in Maharashtra after the retirement of Shukla. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the premature repatriation of NIA DG Date to his parent cadre, Maharashtra, a Government order issued late on Monday said. Vasant Date, hailed as a 26/11 hero, is the frontrunner to be the Director General of Maharashtra Police as Shukla’s tenure is coming to an end on January 3 next year. “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for premature repatriation of Sadanand Vasant Date, IPS MH (1990) DG, NIA to his parent cadre with immediate effect,” the order said. Date was honoured with the President’s Police Medal for gallantry for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

writer Vinod Kumar Shukla dies at 89

Eminent Hindi writer and Jnanpith Award recipient Vinod Kumar Shukla died on Tuesday evening due to age-related ailments at a government hospital here, his family members said. He was 88. Shukla was admitted to the AIIMS, Raipur, on December 2 after experiencing breathing difficulties. Shukla is survived by his wife, son Shashwat and a daughter. Born on January 1, 1937, in Rajnandgaon (now in Chhattisgarh), Shukla, widely regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in Hindi literature, was the author of acclaimed novels such as Naukar Ki Kameez, Khilega To Dekhenge, Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi and Ek Chuppi Jagah. His work is admired for capturing the emotions of ordinary people, portraying everyday life, and exploring the intricate realities of society in his writings.