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

 Senior IPS officers Arvind Kumar and Samant Goel are set to head the countrys 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 will replace Anil Dhamsana as the R&AW chief and Arvind Kumar will succeed Rajiv Jain in IB.

Both officers, of the 1984 batch, will assume charge on June 30, the sources said.

Arvind Kumar is considered to be an expert on Kashmir and is a Special Director Kashmir. He was also involved in tackling Left Wing Extremism at IB.

Goel 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. IANS