The top post in BSF has been lying vacant since March 10, 2020 following the appointment of V K Johri (IPS:1984: MP) as Madhya Pradesh DGP. The Centre relieved him to take up the top job in his parent cadre and drafted ITBP DG, Surjeet Singh Deswal (IPS:1984: HY) as officiating DG for BSF. The ad-hoc arrangement has been in effect for over three months.

Many senior IPS officers believed that amid increasingly intensifying border tensions between India, Nepal and ever-expansionist country like China, the ad-hoc arrangement of having a common DG brings-in a better synergy between BSF and ITBP guarding borders in high-altitude whereas several others believe that the prolonged ad-hocism may cast a shadow on the security of India’s vast borders with Pakistan, Nepal, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Whatever be the strategic importance and implications of having a common DG for ITBP and BSF, it has made many senior IPS officers curious over the reasons for the delay in the appointment of a regular incumbent especially at a time when there is no dearth of competent officers as several dozens of officers belonging to 1985, 1986 and 1987 batches are available. Initially, it was believed that the post was kept vacant for someone senior not very keen for the uniformed job but later it became a puzzle as why the inordinate delay I filling up the key CPMF i.e. BSF.