It’s been an appointment the Indian cricket board should have made long ago, but at least they’ve finally done it. On Tuesday, the Board announced that Ranjit Kumar Das, a 1970 batch Indian Police Service officer, will be their first full-time security advisor.
Das, who retired as Director-General CISF two years ago, but spent many years in the Intelligence Bureau and headed the Prime Minister’s Special Protection Group in addition to working out of the Indian embassy in Washington DC as part of counter-terrorism efforts, has been hired to oversee security for any events the BCCI or the Indian team is involved in for the next three years. Next year’s cricket World Cup in the subcontinent will be his first major assignment.
“India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will co-host the ICC Cricket World Cup, cricket’s showpiece event, early next year. The addressing of security concerns is paramount. The preparations for the same have begun and no effort is being spared to put together an event that will not only enhance the image of the sport, but also that of the subcontinent,” stated a Board release.
According to sources, the appointment has been in the pipeline for a while, with an eye on the increased threat perception generally in India and specifically on high profile events like cricket matches and the individual threats from terror organizations at various times to top India cricketers.
{{/usCountry}}According to sources, the appointment has been in the pipeline for a while, with an eye on the increased threat perception generally in India and specifically on high profile events like cricket matches and the individual threats from terror organizations at various times to top India cricketers.
{{/usCountry}}“He (Das) will be traveling to all the World Cup venues and working with security consultants from the International Cricket Council to assess and review the security arrangements in place,” said a source.
“There was a need to have someone who understands security and threat perception, Indian conditions and the practicalities and logistics involved, so it made sense to have someone with his background,” said a BCCI official.