Arup Patnaik has previously served as the Chairman of Odisha's State Youth Welfare Board, the Biju Yuva Vahini and was accorded the rank and status of Minister of State by the Odisha State Government.[2] Arup Patnaik co-founded the Konark Cancer Foundation.
He is a recipient of The National Science Talent Search Scholarship awarded by the NCERT. He completed his honours in B.Sc. Chemistry from Delhi University. However, while pursuing his Post Graduate studies in chemistry, he left halfway to join the State Bank of India as a Probationary Officer in 1976 and worked there until 1979.
Patnaik joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1979 and was posted as probationary assistant superintendent of police, Nasik, from 1981 to 1982 and as superintendent of police, Latur, from 1983 to 1986.[4] Patnaik was then transferred to Nagpur, India, from 1986 to 1988. After Nagpur, Patnaik was posted as superintendent of police, Jalgaon, from 1988 to 1991. In Mumbai, he was Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone VII from March 1991 until March 1994.
He was charged with leading the investigation into the 1992–93 Mumbai riots.[3] He was a member of the 1993 Bomb Blast team and also participated in the largest-ever seizure of RDX, to the tune of 1500 kg at Mumbra in 1993.[5] Patnaik went on deputation to the Central Bureau of Investigation in March 1994 and was assigned the charge of supervising investigations into the multi-crore Harshad Mehta security scam.[6] Patnaik held the position of Additional Commissioner of Police, South Mumbai, from 1999 to 2001.[citation needed]
On promotion as Inspector General of Police, he headed the State Reserve Police Force (S.R.P.F.) from 2001 to 2005.[7] He was moved back to Mumbai Police Commissionerate as Joint Commissioner of Police, Law & Order, a post which he held between 2005 and 2007.[citation needed] In 2007, Patnaik was promoted as Addl. Director-General of Police, Maharashtra, from July 2007 to February 2011.[citation needed] From February 2011 to August 2012, Patnaik was appointed as the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai.[8]
Patnaik was then abruptly transferred from his post as Commissioner of Police in the aftermath of the Azad Maidan riots and was succeeded by Satyapal Singh in 2012.[9] Patnaik joined the Biju Janata Dal in 2018.[10] In the 2019 general election, he contested the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency.[11] The BJP candidate, Aparajita Sarangi, won the election.[12] On 25 October 2019, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appointed Arup Patnaik as the Convenor of the Biju Janata Dal social service wing, 'Odisha Mo Parivar. [13] On 30 October 2019, Arup Patnaik was inducted as a Co-Opted Member of the House Committee of the Odisha Assembly to look into aspects of environmental pollution in the state.[14]
Personal life
Arup Patnaik is married to Vidhurita, a former Senior Executive with M/s Bennett Coleman and Company Limited The Times Group and has two children, Chirantan and Tanmay.[citation needed]
Along with neurosurgeon B. K. Misra and cardiac surgeon Ramakanta Panda, he established the Konark Cancer Foundation for patients coming to the Tata Memorial Hospital for cancer treatment, providing them with financial and logistical support such as food, shelter, and medications.[15][16]
In popular culture
In the 2004 action movie Aan: Men at Work, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar essayed the role of DCP "Hari Om Patnaik" which is a combination of his father's first name (Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia) and that of Patnaik (who holds him in high regard).
Hussain Zaidi's 2002 book titled "Black Friday" detailed the 1993 Mumbai bombings, an attack comprising 13 explosions that killed 250 people. Zaidi has dedicated an entire chapter on Patnaik and his handling of the situation. The book was adapted five years later into a film by Anurag Kashyap, also titled Black Friday, in which Sharad Ponkshe played the role of Arup Patnaik.
