Arvind Kumar is new IB chief, Samant Goel to head R&AW

Two senior IPS officers have been newly appointed as the heads of the top intelligence agencies of the country. Both the IPS officers will assume their respective charges on June 30. While Arvind Kumar will head the Intelligence Bureau, Samant Goel will lead the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) team.

New Delhi: Senior IPS officers Arvind Kumar and Samant Goel are set to head the country's top intelligence agencies -- Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) respectively.

According to informed sources, the government has given the go-ahead for their appointments with Home Minister Amit Shah signing the file which is now with the Prime Minister's Office.

Goel, who was earlier Special Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, will replace Anil Dhamsana whose tenure ends on June 29.

He was instrumental in planning the February 2019 Balakot air strike in Pakistan after the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir and also the 2016 surgical strikes following the Uri terror attack.

Arvind Kumar has been appointed as the Director of the Intelligence Bureau. He was also involved in tackling Left Wing Extremism at IB. He is also considered to be an expert on Kashmir and is a Special Director Kashmir.

Kumar will replace Rajiv Jain whose tenure will end on June 30.

According to the sources, both the IPS officers belonging to 1984 batch, will assume charge on June 30.