NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday cleared the appointment of senior IPS officers Samant Kumar Goel and Arvind Kumar as directors of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) respectively.

Goel, a 1984 batch IPS officer of Punjab cadre, and Kumar, from the same batch but belonging to Assam-Meghalaya cadre, will succeed Anil Dhasmana and Rajiv Jain respectively. Both the incumbents were on a six-month extension after having completed their fixed two-year term on December 31, 2018.

Both Goel and Kumar have a strong intelligence background, with Goel first having served in R&AW in 2001 and Kumar having been with IB since 1991.

Goel is currently the second seniormost officer in R&AW (additional secretary in Cabinet Secretariat). He is believed to have played a key role in planning the February 2019 surgical air strikes in Balakot , Pakistan to avenge the Pulwama attack in which a Jaish fidayeen attacked a CRPF convoy, killing 40 personnel.

Kumar during his long stint in IB has handled various desks including Kashmir and Left-Wing extremism, besides heading SIB in Delhi.

While Goel was to superannuate in May 2020, Kumar would have retired in September this year. Both will now have a fixed two-year term as R&AW and IB chiefs respectively.

