BSF Chief and Deputy’s Tenure Cut Short; Repatriated to Parent Cadres

New Delhi, India – August 2, 2024

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has announced the premature repatriation of Border Security Force (BSF) Director General (DG) Nitin Agrawal and his deputy Special DG (West) Y B Khurania to their respective state cadres with immediate effect. The decision, approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), is effective immediately, as per the government order issued on Friday.

DG Nitin Agrawal, an IPS officer from the 1989-batch Kerala cadre, and Y B Khurania, a 1990-batch officer from the Odisha cadre, have both been repatriated two years ahead of the end of their tenures. Agrawal assumed his role as BSF chief in June last year, while Khurania was heading the BSF’s Western command, overseeing operations along the Pakistan border.

The official order did not specify the reasons for this sudden decision. However, sources suggest that recent incidents of infiltration in Jammu may have prompted the move. Reports indicate that terrorists have been infiltrating through the international border guarded by the BSF in Punjab and Jammu. An officer from Jammu and Kashmir noted that terrorists were using the highway to reach forested areas of Kathua, Dodda, Rajouri, and Poonch.

One terrorist apprehended in Kathua reportedly disclosed infiltration routes along the Unjh Daria, under BSF’s Punjab jurisdiction. The Indian Army has also suspected infiltration from the Punjab and Jammu international borders.

Y B Khurania, who was overseeing the Western command, which includes Jammu and Punjab, is likely to be appointed as the new Director General of Odisha Police.

This decision by the ACC marks a significant leadership overhaul within the BSF, particularly impacting the command structure in Jammu.