New Delhi: Senior IPS officers Arvind Kumar and Samant Kumar Goel were on Wednesday appointed chiefs of Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing, respectively. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved their appointments for a fixed two-year tenure. According to government sources, Goel played an important role in planning the February 2019 Balakot air strikes following the Pulwama terror attack. He was also instrumental in planning the 2016 ‘surgical strikes.'
A 1984 batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre, he had been instrumental in handling Punjab militancy when it was at its peak in the 1990s and was also posted in Dubai and London.
Meanwhile, Kumar is considered to be an expert on Kashmir and is currently posted as IB's Special Director in the state. He was also involved in tackling Left Wing Extremism at the IB. A 1984 batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, Kumar headed the IB in Bihar. Before that, he looked after its administration and inquiry branches.
