The government on Monday appointed former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, a 1984-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, as Director-General (DG) of the Border Security Force (BSF).
Presently, Asthana is working as DG, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) with an additional charge of DG, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). According to the order issued today, he will continue to hold the additional charge of NCB.
The Gujarat cadre IPS officer has been appointed BSF DG from the date of joining the post and up to July 31, 2021, the date of his superannuation, the order added.
Asthana has investigated some high-profile cases such as the Sabarmati Express fire incident in Godhra in 2002. He also arrested Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam in 1997, while holding the post of superintendent of police in the CBI.
However, the officer hogged the limelight in 2018 with ‘CBI vs CBI’ case when he was removed from the agency. CBI former director Alok Verma had accused him of taking bribe after a Hyderabad-based businessman, Sana Satish, who was one of the suspects in the Moin Qureshi corruption case, alleged on October 4, 2018 that he paid Rs 2.95 crore to Asthana through middlemen Somesh and Manoj.
This sparked a bitter battle between Asthana and Verma, with the former writing a letter to the vigilance commission and listing 10 cases where he alleged Verma tried to influence the investigation.
Asthana alleged that Satish claimed to have paid a bribe of Rs 2 crore to Verma to avoid any action by the CBI. He also alleged that when Satish was called in for questioning in February 2018, Verma restricted Asthana from examining him.
In another significant appointment V S K Kaumudi, a 1986-batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as Special Secretary, Internal Security in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), till his superannuation on November 30, 2022. Presently, he is working as DG, Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D).
Mohammad Javed Akhtar, a 1986-batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh Cadre, has been appointed as DG, Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guard for a period up to July 31, 2021, the date of his superannuation. He is presently working as Special DG, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
