Rakesh Asthana appointed BSF chief: Here's everything you need to know

Rakesh Asthana (Facebook)

Centre has appointed IPS officer Rakesh Asthana the chief of the Border Security Force. A 1984-batch officer of Indian Police Service, Asthana is known for the infamous CBI vs CBI case. He was ousted from the CBI in 2018 owing to a feud between him and former CBI director Alok Verma.

The feud started when Asthana questioned Verma's attempt to induct certain officers in the CBI last year. Verma later retaliated by objecting to the promotion of Asthana as Special Director. The CBI, however, did not pay heed to his objection.

Verma also filed an application against his appointment in the Supreme Court to no avail and Asthana was appointed as Special Director and number two in the agency.

The tussle further intensified after both accused each other of bribery. Asthana filed an exhaustive complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission against Verma on August 24, 2018, giving over 11 instances of alleged corruption and irregularities against him. CVC is an apex governmental body created in 1964 to address governmental corruption.

Later Verma accused him of taking bribe after a Hyderabad-based businessman, Sana Satish, who was one of the suspects in the Moin Qureshi corruption case, alleged on October 4, 2018, that he paid Rs 2.95 crore to Asthana to get the agency off his back.

The CBI on October 15 registered an FIR against Asthana for allegedly receiving a bribe to sabotage the probe against meat exporter Moin Qureshi. Asthana was booked on the allegations of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under the relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.

However, in February 2020, CBI gave a clean chit to Asthana saying "it found no involvement of its former special director Rakesh Asthana in the alleged bribery case registered by the agency in October 2018."

Asthana has served as Vadodara’s police commissioner under then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He has investigated numerous high-profile cases, including the Sabarmati Express fire incident in Godhra in 2002.

Then-superintendent of police in the CBI Asthana had also arrested Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam in 1997.

Asthana is presently is working as the Director-General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). He is also holding additional charge of DG of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

The post of chief of the Border Security Force was vacant chief since March after incumbent VK Johri was repatriated to Madhya Pradesh. He later took over as the Director-General of the state police.

Asthana's tenure as the BSF DG would be up to July 31, 2021, i.e. the date of his superannuation, the order said.

The BSF is entrusted with the responsibilities of guarding the country's frontiers with Pakistan and Bangladesh. The force is also deployed in tackling Naxalism in Chattisgarh and Odisha.