From fighting human trafficking and rescuing vulnerable children to mentoring civil services aspirants, Dr. Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat’s journey reflects a commitment to public service that extends well beyond the uniform.
Some people inspire through the positions they occupy. Others inspire through the lives they touch. Dr. Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, the 1995-batch Indian Police Service officer who took charge as Commissioner of Hyderabad City Police on November 13, belongs, in my view, to the latter category.
I have always regarded him as one of the finest police officers and a great source of inspiration. What I admire most about him is not simply his professional record, the medals he has received or the senior positions he has held. It is the larger purpose that runs through his career: using the authority of the police service to protect vulnerable people, challenge exploitation and create opportunities for others.
His appointment as Hyderabad Police Commissioner is an important new chapter in a career that has taken him through district policing, specialised investigations, the Rachakonda Commissionerate and senior responsibilities at the State level. He succeeds V.C. Sajjanar at a time when Hyderabad faces increasingly complex policing requirements, from cybercrime and organised criminal networks to women’s safety, narcotics, traffic management and public order.
But to understand the officer beyond his designations, one has to look at the causes that have shaped his work.
A police officer who took the fight against trafficking seriously
Human trafficking is among the most difficult crimes to confront because it often operates through organised networks, social vulnerability, economic deprivation and the exploitation of people who have little access to protection. Rescuing a victim is only one part of the task. Ensuring rehabilitation, preventing re-trafficking and securing prosecution require sustained coordination.
Bhagwat’s work in this area took shape during his district postings, particularly through initiatives in Adilabad and Nalgonda. The Police Mekosam community-policing initiative in Adilabad sought to bring the police closer to communities in a district affected by Left-wing extremism.
In Nalgonda, Project Aasara focused on rescuing and rehabilitating women trapped in trafficking and caste-linked systems of commercial sexual exploitation. The initiative recognised that law enforcement had to be accompanied by rehabilitation and support if rescued women were to rebuild their lives.
These projects received international recognition. Police Mekosam received a Community Policing Award and Homeland Security Special Honour from the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 2004. Project Aasara received the association’s Webber Seavey Award for Law Enforcement and a Civil Rights Award in 2006.
In 2017, the United States Department of State named Bhagwat a Trafficking in Persons Report Hero. The recognition brought international attention to his work against human trafficking and the exploitation of women and children.
According to his professional profile, he was involved in rescuing more than 2,000 women and children from organised trafficking networks between 2004 and 2022 and in closing around 200 brothels or places of commercial exploitation with the assistance of Executive Magistrates.
For me, the significance of this work lies in the fact that it goes beyond the immediate act of law enforcement. A rescued person needs protection, rehabilitation and a genuine chance to rebuild life. That is where policing meets humanity.
The children who must not be forgotten
Another aspect of Bhagwat’s work that deserves attention is his involvement in efforts to bring education to children rescued from brick kilns and other hazardous workplaces.
Children of migrant labourers are particularly vulnerable. Their families move in search of work, often leaving children outside formal schooling. Even when rescued from exploitative workplaces, returning them to education is not always easy.
The Worksite School Project sought to address this gap, particularly for children of migrant workers from Odisha employed in brick kilns. It received the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Civil and Human Rights Award in 2018 and the FICCI Smart Policing Award in 2022.
His 2025 honorary doctorate from D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pimpri, Pune, also recognised his contribution to anti-trafficking work and the mentoring of civil services aspirants. His professional profile records the rescue of around 7,000 child and bonded labourers from brick kilns and other hazardous industries.
These efforts remind us that the responsibility of public institutions does not end with removing people from exploitation. The real measure of success is whether they can return to a life of dignity, education and security.
A mentor who opens doors for the next generation
There is another dimension to Bhagwat’s work that I find equally inspiring. For years, he has devoted time to mentoring young people preparing for the civil services examinations, particularly those appearing for the UPSC personality test.
His initiative, supported by a team of mentors, has helped aspirants prepare for interviews and understand the responsibilities of public service. The candidates have included those selected for the IAS, IPS, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Forest Service and Central Armed Police Forces.
Among the candidates associated with the mentoring initiative are Ishita Kishore, who secured All India Rank 1 in the 2022 Civil Services Examination, and Donuru Ananya Reddy, who secured Rank 3 in the 2023 examination. His profile also records the success of several other candidates in subsequent examination cycles.
The scale of the initiative is remarkable. According to the figures shared in his professional profile, more than 2,000 candidates have entered different civil services through the mentoring effort over the last decade. The profile also records the team’s contribution to candidates securing several top ranks in the 2025 and 2026 examination cycles.
Mentoring aspirants while holding demanding police responsibilities requires time and commitment. It is a contribution that may not appear in a police station’s crime statistics, but it can influence the quality of public service for years to come.
Recognition earned through work
Bhagwat’s career has brought him several national and international honours, including the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry in 2004, the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2011 and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2022. He also received the Union Home Minister’s Commendation Disc in 2016 for his contribution to the Greyhounds training centre.
He has contributed to eight publications on human trafficking brought out by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Ministry of Home Affairs. His book, Synergy Between Stakeholders, has been used as resource material for an anti-trafficking course at Indira Gandhi National Open University.
His academic journey is also noteworthy. After completing a degree in Civil Engineering from the College of Engineering, Pune, he pursued law at Osmania University, Hyderabad. The combination of technical education, legal understanding and field experience has informed a career that has moved across different dimensions of policing.
The Hyderabad responsibility
Taking charge as Commissioner of Hyderabad City Police is a significant responsibility. Hyderabad is a growing metropolitan centre with complex policing requirements. Cybercrime, organised crime, narcotics networks, women’s safety, traffic enforcement and public order will continue to demand attention.
Bhagwat brings experience from district policing, a major commissionerate, the Crime Investigation Department and senior State-level assignments. His work in community policing and anti-trafficking also offers a perspective that places citizens and vulnerable groups at the centre of law enforcement.
The expectations from the new Commissioner will naturally be high. His tenure will ultimately be judged by outcomes on the ground: how accessible the police are to citizens, how effectively complaints are addressed, how vulnerable groups are protected and how consistently the law is enforced.
For me, however, this appointment is also an occasion to acknowledge an officer whose work has been an enduring source of inspiration. I have always believed that the best public servants are not defined only by the authority they exercise, but by the responsibility they accept and the difference they make to other people’s lives.
Dr. Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat’s journey offers many reasons to reflect on that belief. His work against trafficking, his concern for children rescued from hazardous labour and his commitment to mentoring young aspirants show a side of policing that deserves wider recognition.
As he takes charge of Hyderabad City Police, I wish him strength, wisdom and success in this new responsibility. May the city benefit from his experience, and may his commitment to public service continue to inspire many more.
—
DR. MAHESH MURALIDHAR BHAGWAT, IPS
A profile at a glance
Present assignment: Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad City
IPS batch: 1995, Telangana cadre
Previous key assignments:
– Director General of Police, Law and Order, Telangana, from July 10, 2024
– Additional Director General of Police, CID, Railway and Road Safety
– First Commissioner of Police, Rachakonda Commissionerate, for approximately six and a half years
Educational qualifications:
– Schooling: Zilla Parishad School and Sri Tilok Jain Vidyalaya, Pathardi, Maharashtra
– Higher Secondary: S.P. College, Pune
– B.E. Civil Engineering: College of Engineering, Pune, 1990
– LL.B.: Osmania University, Hyderabad, 2015
– Honorary doctorate: D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pimpri, Pune, 2025
Major areas of work:
– Anti-human trafficking operations
– Community policing
– Child and bonded labour rescue
– Rehabilitation of trafficking survivors
– Anti-Naxal operations
– Organised crime and drug-related offences
– Civil services interview mentoring
Major medals:
– President’s Police Medal for Gallantry, 2004
– Police Medal for Meritorious Service, 2011
– President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service, 2022
– Police Special Duty Medal, Manipur
– Police Internal Security Medal, Andhra Pradesh
– Union Home Minister’s Commendation Disc, 2016
Major national and international recognition:
– International Association of Chiefs of Police Community Policing Award and Homeland Security Special Honour, 2004
– IACP Webber Seavey Award for Law Enforcement and Civil Rights Award for Project Aasara, 2006
– US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report Hero, 2017
– Recognition among leading anti-trafficking figures by Canada-based Ascent, 2017
– IACP Civil and Human Rights Award, 2018
– FICCI Smart Policing Award, 2022
Publications and training:
– Contributions to eight publications on human trafficking associated with UNODC and the Ministry of Home Affairs
– Author of Synergy Between Stakeholders
– Resource person for community-policing and anti-trafficking programmes
– Participant in the UN anti-trafficking conference in Vienna, 2007
– Delivered a talk on human trafficking and community policing at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA, in 2018
Civil services mentoring: More than 2,000 successful candidates are reported in his professional profile, including candidates who secured top UPSC ranks.
