Centre sends BSF DG Nitin Agarwal, special DG Yogesh Khurania back to their parent cadres

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) proposal to send Border Security Force (BSF) director general Nitin Agarwal on premature repatriation to his parent Kerala cadre with immediate effect.

While the government is tight-lipped about sudden repatriation to Kerala cadre, it is believed that Nitin Agarwal was relieved from BSF charge due to increased infiltration in the Jammu sector. The international border in Jammu and Kashmir and parts of LoC are guarded by the BSF.

The Appointments Committee of the cabinet also relieved special director general Yogesh Khurania from the BSF. He has been appointed as the Odisha director general of police.

Khurania, a 1990 batch IPS officer of Odisha cadre, replaces Arun Sarangi as the new Odisha top cop. The decision to send him back to Odisha comes in wake of the BSF facing challenges in Jammu and Kashmir in wake of rising terror incidents.

Khurania is on a two-day visit to the Jammu frontier where he reviewed the security situation in the region. The meeting took place in the wake of the perceived threat of cross-border infiltration along the International Border (IB) in the Jammu frontier.

Khurania chaired a security review meeting attended by the IG BSF Jammu, IG BSF Kashmir, and senior officers of the Jammu frontier, during which the situation was thoroughly reviewed.

On the other hand, Nitin Agarwal, a Kerala cadre IPS officer of 1989 batch, took charge as the new Director General of the Border Security Force in June last year. He had replaced Pankaj Kumar Singh, who retired on December 31, 2022. Central Reserve Police Force DG Sujoy Lal Thaosen led BSF in an additional capacity since Singh’s retirement.

In another development, Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that a total of 10,145 posts are vacant in the Border Security Force (BSF) till July 1 this year.