Key Balakot air strikes planner Samant Goel is new R&AW chief; Arvind Kumar takes over as Intelligence Bureau director

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appointed Samant Goel as the next chief of the external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Arvind Kumar as the Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB). Modi, as chairman of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, also cleared the empanelment of 1986 batch IPS officer in the rank of Director General.

Both, Goel and Kumar are Indian Police Service (IPS) officers of the 1984 batch with Goel belonging to the Punjab cadre and Kumar to the Assam cadre. Before replacing Anil Dhasmana as R&AW chief, Goel was heading operations for the external spy agency and was one of the officials entrusted with the planning of the 26 February Balakot air strikes and the 2016 surgical strikes which were carried out in retaliation to the Uri terror attack, The Hindustan Times reported.

According to Hindustan Times, Goel was given charge of reeling in Punjab militancy when it was at its peak in the 1990s and the IPS officer is also a known expert on Pakistan. Kumar has been closely involved in tackling left-wing extremism at the Intelligence Bureau. Before taking over from Rajiv Jain as the IB chief, Kumar held the charge as special director Kashmir with the intelligence agency.