Former Mumbai top cop Arup Patnaik joins Biju Janata Dal

Bhubaneshwar, Apr 19: After Dr Satyapal Singh, who joined the BJP to enter political arena, another top cop followed his footsteps.

This time it is Arup Patnaik, former Police Commissioner of India’s economic and financial capital Mumbai. Patnaik joined the BJD giving boost to Navin Patnaik in Odisha.

Singh had joined the BJP before the 2014 polls, contested the Lok Sabha from Uttar Pradesh and now is a minister in the union cabinet. Aup Patnaik, who was Mumbai Police Commissioner in 2011, joined the Biju Janata Dal on Thursday in presence of the Chief Minister Navin Patnaik who is also the president of the BJD.

Patnaik who is considered as ‘tremendous asset’ to the BJP did not rule out the possibility of contesting elections, the Indian Express reported. Patnaik described him as ‘dedicated soldier’ of the party and said that he joined the party honouring the proposal of Navin Patnaik who is an upright man with a clean image.

Arup Patnaik an IPS from 1979 batch served Maharashtra police in various capacities before his retirement in 2015 as DGP of State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation.

Arup Patnaik is also a trustee of the Konark Cancer Foundation, a Mumbai-based NGO that provides logistic support to needy cancer patients undergoing treatment at the Tata Memorial Hospital.