Renowned IPS Officer Pankaj Kumar Singh appointed as the Deputy National Security Adviser

January 18, 2023

Retired director general of the Border Security Force (BSF), Shri Pankaj Kumar Singh, was recently appointed as the Deputy National Security Adviser in National Security Council Secretariat for a period of two years. Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed on a re-employment contract. In this article, we will take a look at the illustrious career of Pankaj Kumar Singh and his recent appointment as the Deputy National Security Adviser.

Background and Education

Pankaj Kumar Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, holds LLB and MPhil degrees, besides an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad. He is the son of retired IPS officer of the 1959-batch, Prakash Singh, who also headed the BSF from June, 1993 to January, 1994.

Career in the Indian Police Service

Singh had served with the Union government as Inspector General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Chhattisgarh and IG (Operations) at CRPF headquarters in Delhi. Before becoming the Director-General of the BSF, he also served in the BSF as chief of the Eastern Frontier, where he played an instrumental role in bringing down cattle smuggling through West Bengal and Assam borders. Between 2015 and 2021, cattle smuggling on the Indo-Bangla border dropped by 87%.

When he became the Director-General of the BSF, he had to negotiate the contentious amendment to BSF jurisdiction which was increased to 50km from the border as many states opposed it. He has served in the Rajasthan Police as well as in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), during which he cracked an infamous sex scandal that had rocked Jammu and Kashmir, besides being involved in solving several cases related to corruption.

BSF Chief and Accomplishments

Singh retired as the BSF chief on December 31, 2022. When he took charge of the BSF on August 31, 2021, he created history as a son and a father holding the top post of a paramilitary force during their services. His idea to celebrate the Raising Day of the BSF in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, in 2021, appealed to the government so much that it has now directed all paramilitary forces and even the Army to celebrate their foundation and raising days out of Delhi.

Deputy National Security Adviser

Pankaj Kumar Singh has been appointed as the Deputy National Security Adviser in National Security Council Secretariat for a period of two years. Currently, retired IPS officer Dattatray Padsalgikar, former R&AW chief Rajinder Khanna and retired IFS officer Pankaj Saran also serve as Deputy National Security Advisors.

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