E-Paper
BSF DG, special DG’s tenures cut short; repatriated to state cadres
BSF director general Nitin Agrawal and his deputy special DG (west) YB Khurania were sent back to their respective state cadres with immediate effect.
The Centre on Friday removed the chief of the Border Security Force (BSF) and another top officer of the paramilitary force, amid a spate of terror attacks in the sensitive Jammu and Kashmir region.
BSF director general Nitin Agrawal and his deputy special DG (west) YB Khurania were sent back to their respective state cadres with immediate effect, an order from the government said.
While the government did not provide a reason for the transfers, officials in the force said Agrawal was sent back to the Kerala cadre because of the rising terror incidents in Jammu. Khurania, as the special DG of western commands, had the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab under his jurisdiction.
Separate orders issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) conveyed they were being “prematurely” repatriated with “immediate effect”.
Agrawal is a 1989-batch Kerala cadre IPS officer, while Khurania belongs to the 1990-batch of the Odisha cadre.
While Agrawal is expected to return to the Kerala police force, a senior officer said, “It is unlikely that he will join as the Kerala police chief.” The force is currently headed by Agarwal’s junior in the cadre, Shaik Darvesh Saheb of the 1990 batch IPS. Saheb, who was supposed to retire in June, was given a two years extension by the state government until June 30, 2025.
Many in BSF said it is possible that Khurania may have been transferred to Odisha to enable him to head the state police after the recent change in government. Odisha police is currently headed by his batchmate Arun Kumar Sarangi. Sarangi is due for retirement in July 2025 while Khurania’s retirement date is in March 2026.
Sarangi was appointed DGP by the previous government.
The government is yet to appoint the new DG of BSF.
At least 22 people, including 11 security personnel and a village defence guard (VDG) member, have been killed this year in such incidents in Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Udhampur, Kathua and Doda districts. The BSF, which is entrusted to guard this front, has denied any instances of infiltration. Five terrorists were also killed in two encounters in Kathua and Doda districts last month.
