IPS officer Rakesh Asthana appointed Delhi Police chief

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New Delhi: Rakesh Asthana, the former senior official of the Central Bureau of Investigation, was on Tuesday (July 27) appointed as the Commissioner of the Delhi Police. 

A 1984-batch IPS officer from Gujarat cadre, Asthana was appointed as Delhi police chief, three days before he was to superannuate. He also had a controversial stint in the CBI, was removed in 2018 and was made chief of the Border Security. In 2017, then CBI chief Alok Verma had opposed the appointment of Asthana as a Special Director.

"Consequent upon appointment of Shri Rakesh Asthana, IPS (GJ:84), Director General, BSF, as Commissioner of Police, Delhi, the competent authority has approved that Shri S. S. Deswal, IPS (HY:84), Director General, ITBP shall hold additional charge of the post of DG, BSF vice Shri Asthana, till the appointment and joining of the regular incumbent or until further orders whichever is earlier," the order from the Union home ministry said.

The official ran into controversy soon after with his bitter public feud with CBI director Verma and was subject to long investigation in a bribery case in which he was allegedly involved. Shunned out by Verma on January 10, 2019, he was given a clean chit by the agency in February 2020. He was appointed to the post of Director General Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).