YC Modi new NIA chief after Sharad Kumar
Senior IPS officer YC Modi, who was a part of the SC-appointed SIT in the 2002 Gujarat riots case, was appointed the new chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Incumbent NIA Director General Sharad Kumar will retire on October 30. Till then, Modi will be his Officer on Special Duty. Kumar, appointed in 2013 by UPA, was given a two-year extension by NDA.
YC Modi, a 1984 batch officer of Assam and Meghalaya cadre, was made the CBI Additional Director in 2015. The SIT of which he was a part gave a clean chit to PM Narendra Modi in the Gulbarg Society case. According to sources, there were three other contenders for the NIA job: CISF D-G OP Singh, BSF's Rajesh Ranjan and ITBP chief RK Pachnanda.
Kumar, a Haryana-cadre IPS officer of the 1979 batch, has led several high-profile probes including the Pathankot terror attack, Burdwan and Samjhauta blasts. He has received numerous honors, including the President's Police medals for meritorious and distinguished services twice. There were allegations NDA extended his term because the NIA under his leadership cleared Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Colonel Purohit and Swami Aseemannad in different cases.
