Senior IPS officers Arvind Kumar and Samant Kumar Goel were Wednesday appointed chiefs of Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), respectively.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed byPrime Minister Narendra Modi, approved their appointments for a fixed two-yeartenure, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said.
Kumar will take the reins of the internalintelligence agency from Rajiv Jain on completion of his tenure on June 30.Goel will take charge from Anil K Dhasmana on completion of his tenureSaturday.
Both Jain and Dhasmana, who were appointed for atwo-year fixed tenure in 2016, were given six months extension in December lastyear.
Kumar, 59, a 1984 batch IPS officer ofAssam-Meghalaya cadre, is at present the special director in the IB.
He has been working with the Intelligence Bureausince August 1991 and has also served in the Indian Embassy in Moscow, Russia.
Kumar, who is considered an expert on the Kashmirand Naxal issues, is the second most senior officer in the IB after Jain.
He is a recipient of the President Police Medal forDistinguished Service.
Goel will succeed Dhasmana at the India’s externalspy agency, RAW.
Goel, a 1984 batch IPS officer of Punjab cadre, isat present the Special Secretary in the RAW.
He is said to be instrumental in planning theBalakot air strike after the Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir and surgicalstrikes in Uri.
On September 29, 2016, the Indian Army had carriedout surgical strikes across the Line of Control as a response to an attack onits base in Uri earlier that month.
Goel possesses rich experience in intelligence andoperations.
He has also looked after the Punjab chief minister’ssecurity during 2000 and 2001, besides holding other important posts both athis state cadre and at the Centre.
He is considered an expert on issues relating to thePunjab militancy and Pakistan, and has played an important role in checkingmilitancy in Punjab during 1990s.
He has served most part of his service in Punjab.
Goel, a recipient of the Police Medal for Gallantryand Police Medal for Meritorious Service, joined the RAW in March 2001.
His name had come in a CBI investigation whileprobing allegations and counter-allegations of corruption against each other bytwo of its former senior officers — the then CBI director Alok Kumar Verma andspecial director Rakesh Asthana.
The CBI had booked Asthana on allegations ofreceiving a bribe from an accused, Manoj Prasad, probed by him in a case linkedto meat exporter Moin Qureshi.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court,former DIG of the CBI, M K Sinha, had said during interrogation of Prasad, who wasarrested in the bribery case allegedly involving Asthana, the names of NationalSecurity Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Goel had cropped up.
“As per Manoj Prasad, Dineshwar Prasad, hisfather, retired as joint secretary, and has close acquaintance with Doval. Thiswas one of the first things Prasad claimed on being brought to CBI HQ andexpressed complete surprise and anger as to how CBI could pick him up despitehis close links with Doval,” Sinha had said, adding that Prasad claimed.