Former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana was on Monday appointed Director-General (DG) of the Border Security Force (BSF).
Asthana, a 1984-batch Gujarat cadre officer, has been involved in investigating 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.
The IPS officer is at present working as the Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
He has been appointed the Director General (DG) of Border Security Force from the date of joining the post and up to July 31, 2021, i.e. date of his superannuation, a Personnel Ministry order said. He is also holding additional charge of DG, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Asthana's name came into spotlight in 2018's '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, to get the agency off his back.
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.
Meanwhile, VSK Kaumudi has been appointed as Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Home Ministry. He is a 1986 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, and is presently working as DG, Bureau of Police research and Development (BPR&D). He has been appointed Special Secretary (Internal Security), Ministry of Home Affairs up to November 30, 2022 i.e. date of his superannuation, the order said.
His batchmate from Uttar Pradesh cadre, Md Jawed Akhtar has been appointed the DG, Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guard. Akhtar will hold the charge of the post for a period upto July 31, 2021 i.e. date of his superannuation, it added. He is presently working as Special DG, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
(With inputs from PTI)
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