IPS officer A.V. Deshpande, a 2006-batch officer of the AGMUT cadre, has been appointed Joint Commissioner of Police at Rashtrapati Bhawan. He takes charge in place of IPS Veenu Bansal. The change was effected around 5–6 August 2026 on the recommendation of the Police Establishment Board. The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi approved the move. Deshpande was previously serving as Joint CP (Operations) in Delhi Police, with additional charge of Licensing.
The posting of Joint CP at Rashtrapati Bhawan is one of the most sensitive in Delhi Police. It involves overall responsibility for security arrangements at the official residence and estate of the President of India, coordination of VIP and ceremonial security, protocol during national and international events, and close liaison with other agencies including the Army (President’s Bodyguard and infantry elements permanently deployed) and the Special Protection Group where required. The Delhi Police contingent at the estate is substantial and operates alongside military units.
Atmaram Vasudeo Deshpande belongs to the 2006 batch of the Indian Police Service (AGMUT cadre — Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories). He is a State Police Service promotee from Goa. He joined the Goa Police Service in 1998 as Deputy Superintendent of Police through the Goa Public Service Commission and was inducted into the IPS on 24 November 2011. His home state is Goa and he holds a B.Sc. degree.
Key awards and recognition include:
- Goa Chief Minister’s Gold Medal (Police) for meritorious service (2011)
- President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service (2013)
- DGP’s Insignia for exemplary performance in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (2017)
- President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service (conferred on Independence Day 2024)
In Delhi Police, Deshpande has held several important charges. He served as Additional Commissioner of Police in Headquarters (with vigilance-related responsibilities) and earlier as Additional CP of the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC). He was instrumental in operationalising the Welfare Unit of Delhi Police and in reviving the Commissioner’s public grievance redressal initiative ‘Jansunwai’. As Joint CP (Operations), he handled Deployment, PCR and Communications units. He was promoted to the rank of Joint CP / Inspector General in late 2023 / early 2024.
Earlier in his career, while serving in Goa, he held postings including Principal of the Police Training School at Valpoi, along with charges related to vigilance, State Crime Records Bureau, security and other units. He also served in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The appointment brings an experienced mid-senior IPS officer with operational, welfare, women-and-children protection, and headquarters experience to one of the highest-visibility security assignments in the national capital. Rashtrapati Bhawan security demands strict adherence to protocol, seamless inter-agency coordination (especially with the armed forces), and high standards of discipline and discretion.
Deshpande’s selection from the Joint CP (Operations) role indicates the Delhi Police leadership and the Lieutenant Governor’s office preferred an officer with recent hands-on operational experience for the sensitive estate. The move also forms part of the continuous administrative adjustments within Delhi Police and the AGMUT cadre.
Official orders formalising the posting were issued in the first week of August 2026. Deshpande is expected to assume charge of the Joint Commissioner of Police (Rashtrapati Bhawan) assignment shortly.
