Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief Sujoy Lal Thaosen on Saturday took over the additional charge of Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) that guards 7,419 km of the Indian fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Thaosen took the charge as the incumbent BSF Director General Pankaj Kumar Singh, a 1988-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Rajasthan cadre, retired on Saturday after completing his 1.4-year tenure at the post. Singh had taken over the charge of BSF chief on August 31 last year.
CRPF chief Thaosen is Singh's batchmate from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, and an order issued from Union Home Ministry mentions that he will hold additional charge of the BSF DG till further orders.
Singh handed over the baton to Thaosen on Saturday afternoon following a farewell parade of the force and giving service medals to BSF personnel at the force's camp.
Singh's appointment in BSF as its DG created history last year as it was the time when a son had held the topmost position of the force like his father, Prakash Singh, a retired IPS officer of the 1959 batch who also headed the BSF as its DG from June 1993 to January 1994.
The BSF is about 2.65 lakh personnel in strength.
After taking over the additional charge of BSF DG, Thaosen has been among the list of a few officers who served as Director Generals Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), CRPF and the BSF.
Thaosen on October 3 took charge as 37th Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the largest Central armed police force mandated to provide internal security in the country. Earlier, Thaosen was holding charge of Director General of SSB as well as the additional charge of ITBP chief.
Thaosen has also served as Special DG in the BSF. The officer earlier also served in the Special Protection Group (SPG), which protects the Prime Minister, for almost nine years, apart from serving with the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina during 1999-2000.
( With inputs from ANI )
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