New Delhi: Pankaj Kumar Singh, 1988-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Rajasthan cadre and the former director general of the Border Security Force (BSF), was appointed as the deputy national security advisor (Dy NSA) of India on Tuesday. According to an order issued by the Centre, he has been appointed as Dy NSA on a re-employment contract of two years.
Singh headed the BSF till December 31 last year before he retired. During his tenure, he also oversaw the force coming up with low-cost anti-drone technology to tackle intruding drones at the Indo-Pakistan border.
Singh had earlier served with the Union government as Inspector General of the CRPF in Chhattisgarh and IG (Operations) at CRPF headquarters in Delhi. Before becoming BSF DG, he also served in the BSF. He played an instrumental role in bringing down cattle smuggling through West Bengal and Assam borders as chief of the Eastern Frontier. Between 2015 and 2021, cattle smuggling on the Indo-Bangla border dropped by 87%.
He was also instrumental in pushing women soldiers of the BSF into an acrobatic show of motorcycle riding in the Republic Day parade, followed by a countrywide tour by women motorcycle riders of the BSF. 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.
He has also 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.
When he took charge of the BSF on August 31, 2021, Singh had created history by being the only son-father due to have held the top post of a paramilitary force during their services. His father, retired IPS officer of 1959-batch Prakash Singh, had also headed the BSF from June 1993 to January 1994.
