whispers in the corridors
IPS Harssh A. Poddar is a 2013-batch officer of the Maharashtra cadre and is currently posted as Superintendent of Police, Nagpur Rural. Alongside his policing responsibilities, he also holds the additional charge of CEO of MARVEL (Maharashtra Advanced Research and Vigilance for Enhanced Law Enforcement), a Special unit tasked with introducing Artificial Intelligence to carry out law enforcement more effectively.
A Chevening Scholar with a law degree from Oxford and a Master’s from Harvard specialising in AI, Poddar is known for blending policing with technology and community focused governance.
His progressive mission is to bring Artificial Intelligence out of theory and into everyday public service. “One of MARVEL’s key initiatives has been transforming a district in Maharashtra into India’s first AI district, where we introduced AI-based solutions across 12 different departments” he shared. This pioneering model is now being examined by NITI Aayog for possible adoption under its Aspirational Districts Programme.
He is also addressing a critical challenge in Nagpur which is human-wildlife conflict. MARVEL has developed AI-powered bioacoustic sensors that monitor animal sounds and send early alerts to nearby communities to prevent dangerous encounters. Alongside this, MARVEL is collaborating with 17 other state departments to design and deploy AI-driven solutions tailored to their needs be it malnutrition, traffic management, agriculture guidance, policing or providing data-driven support.
In one notable case in Nagpur Rural,his team used Artificial Intelligence to crack a sensitive hit and run incident that had no eyewitnesses or clear leads.By analysing CCTV footage across toll points, MARVEL identified and tracked the suspect vehicle. The driver was arrested within 36 hours and the case has since become a widely cited example of how AI can strengthen policing and deliver justice swiftly and accurately.
Overall, his vision is clear to optimize and efficiently use AI to solve real problems, improve governance, and make policing more proactive and citizen-friendly.
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