NIA, BSF and ITBP get new chiefs in top security reshuffle

New Delhi: Counter-terrorism specialist Rakesh Aggarwal was on Wednesday appointed director general of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), while senior IPS officer Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor was named the new chief of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Praveen Kumar was appointed director general of the Border Security Force (BSF), in a major reshuffle of leadership across key security agencies.

Aggarwal, a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, is currently serving as special director general in the NIA. He had been holding additional charge as DG after the premature repatriation of Sadanand Vasant Date to Maharashtra last month. Date took over as Maharashtra’s police chief on January 3, following which Aggarwal was named interim head of the anti-terror agency.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Aggarwal’s appointment as DG, NIA for a tenure up to August 31, 2028, the date of his superannuation, according to an order issued by the Personnel Ministry.

Aggarwal is considered an expert in counter-terrorism, terror financing and radicalisation matters and is known for handling probes in complex internal security cases. He has also worked extensively with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and held key posts under the central government as well as the Himachal Pradesh government.

In another appointment, Kapoor, a 1990-batch IPS officer currently serving in Haryana, was named DG of the ITBP for a term up to October 31, 2026, when he retires, the ministry order said.

Kapoor will succeed incumbent ITBP chief Praveen Kumar, who has been appointed DG of the BSF. Kumar, a 1993-batch IPS officer of the West Bengal cadre, will serve as BSF chief up to September 30, 2030, the date of his retirement, the order added.