CM Naveen Patnaik with Arup Patnaik at a press conference in Odisha on Wednesday. (Express)
Another former Mumbai Police commissioner has signed up for a political party. After Satyapal Singh who contested the 2014 polls and is now a minister of state, Arup Patnaik, who was the city police chief in 2011, joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday. Arup Patnaik, known as the “bar busting cop”, joined the party in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik, who said he would be a “tremendous asset”.
Arup Patnaik told The Indian Express that he would contest elections if asked by the party. “Once you join politics, contesting elections is one of the options. If the party finds any merit in me and asks me to contest elections, as a dedicated soldier I will do so,” he said. When asked why he chose to foray into the political arena, Arup Patnaik said, “As a police officer I loved my job. I loved my uniform and I served my entire term and did not quit midway. I was sure that I won't work with a corporate entity post retirement. So when Naveenji proposed that I join his party, I decided to do so as he is an upright man and is known for his clean image,” he said.
The 1979-batch IPS officer served…
