The Narendra Modi government on Tuesday named senior IPS officer YC Modi the chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Modi, who was part of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team that probed the 2002 Gujarat riot cases, will take over from Sharad Kumar after he completes his tenure on October 30.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Modi’s appointment as Director General of the NIA, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), said. He will hold the post of NIA chief till his superannuation, i.e. May 31, 2021, the order said.
ACC has also approved the appointment of Modi as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in NIA with immediate effect to ensure a smooth takeover.
The NIA is tasked with probing terrorism and terror-financing related cases.
Who is YC Modi
Modi is a 1984 batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. He is at present special director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He was part of the SC-appointed SIT that probed the post-Godhra riot cases. He investigated the three most important cases involving the post-Godhra riots: Gulberg Society, Naroda Patiya and Naroda Gam.
The trial in Naroda Patiya case resulted in the most high-profile conviction ever - of former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani who is also facing a trail in Naroda Gam case. While 97 Muslims were killed in Naroda Patiya, riots in Naroda Gam resulted in the death of 11 people.
In the Gulberg Society massacre case, a total of 69 Muslims were killed, including former Congress member of parliament Ehsan Jafri. The SIT had also summoned the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi to depose before it and found no evidence against him. The court acquitted 36 of the 66 accused and convicted 24.
YC Modi was part of the SC-appointed SIT which probed these high profile cases which resulted in several convictions.
YC Modi take over from Sharad Kumar
Modi will take over as the NIA Df from Sharad Kumar who was appointed DG NIA in July 2013 and had been given two extensions.
In October last year, he was given a one-year extension, apparently to help the agency complete some important probes, including the Pathankot terror case, terror strikes in Kashmir, Burdwan blast case and the Samjhauta blast cases.
SSB gets new DG
Another senior IPS officer, Rajni Kant Misra, has been appointed Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). SSB guards the 1,751 km- long Indo-Nepal and the 699 km-long Indo-Bhutan borders.
Misra has been appointed Director General of the SSB till the date of his superannuation, i.e. August 31, 2019, the DoPT order said.
Misra, a 1984 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, currently serves as the Additional Director General in the Border Security Force (BSF). He will take over from incumbent SSB DG Archana Ramasundaram.
