NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday appointed Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, IPS (UP cadre, 1983-batch) as Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Bhatnagar was at present serving as Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Bhatnagar will have a tenure of almost three years from the date of joining the post till December 31, 2019, the date when he will superannuate.
The Government also appointed R K Pachnanda, IPS (West Bengal cadre, 1983-batch) as Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Pachnanda was DG of National Disaster Response Force.
Pachnanda will replace ITBP DG Krishna Choudhary, IPS (Bihar cadre, 1979-batch) who will retire from service on June 30. Pachnanda will have a tenure with ITBP till October 31, 2018.
The appointment of Bhatnagar comes after acting CRPF DG Sudeep Lakhtakia’s stint led to the casualty of 36 paramilitary men in two major attacks executed by the ultra-Left extremists in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.
The file of Bhatnagar and Pachnanda was pending with the PMO for over two months but the latest attack in Sukma in which 25 CRPF men were killed in a Naxal ambush triggered the expeditious appointments.
However, all the three posts of Special Director Generals in CRPF continue to remain vacant. Three posts of Special DGs are sanctioned, one each for Jammu and Kashmir Zone, Northeast Zone and Central Zone in which the Naxal-affected States fall.