The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on June 26 approved the appointment of Arvind Kumar as the new head of the Intelligence Bureau and Samant Kumar Goel as the chief of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW). Both are IPS officers of the 1984 batch.
Mr. Kumar will succeed Rajiv Jain, who retires on June 30. Mr. Goel will take over from A.K. Dhasmana, who completes his tenure on June 29. Mr. Jain and Mr. Dhasmana were due to retire in 2018 but were given extensions.
Mr. Kumar is currently a Special Director in the IB and his job involves supervising the administrative and personnel desks. Before this, he headed the ‘X’ branch, the political wing in the IB. He has been working with the IB since 1991. Mr. Kumar was accompanying Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Srinagar when his appointment was notified. Mr. Kumar, who was due to retire on September 30, has now been appointed for a two-year term. He is a recipient of the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.
Mr. Goel, who belongs to the Punjab cadre, is at present a RAW Special Secretary. He is said to have been involved in the planning of the Balakot air strike and played an important role in checking militancy in Punjab. Mr. Goel, a recipient of the Police Medals for Gallantry and Meritorious Service, joined the RAW in 2001.
