Rakesh Asthana is Delhi police commissioner

Rakesh Asthana, a senior Indian Police Service officer of the Gujarat cadre, was appointed as Delhi police commissioner on Tuesday, July 27, 2021.

According to a ministry of home affairs order, Asthana, currently serving as director general of the Border Security Force, will take charge as Delhi police commissioner with immediate effect.

The appointment of Asthana, a 1984 batch IPS officer, came days before his retirement on July 31.

While clearing his appointment, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi, approved the inter-cadre deputation from Gujarat to the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet also extended Asthana's service initially for a period of one year beyond the date of his superannuation on July 31 or until further order, whichever is earlier.

This is one of the very few instances when an IPS officer outside of the AGMUT cadre has been appointed as Delhi police commissioner. Usually, an officer belonging to the AGMUT cadre is appointed to the post.

Asthana had earlier served as the special director of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

During his stint at the CBI in 2018, he was engaged in an unsavoury spat with then CBI director Alok Verma with both of them levelling allegations of corruption against each other.

Both officers were later removed from the Bureau.

Asthana was appointed BSF DG in August 2020. He also held additional charge as head of the Narcotics Control Bureau.

Senior IPS officer Balaji Srivastav is currently holding temporary charge as Delhi police commissioner after S N Shrivastava's retirement in June.