Senior IPS officer YC Modi, who was part of a Supreme Court-appointed team that probed the 2002 Gujarat riots cases, on Monday took over as NIA chief, succeeding Sharad Kumar.

In an official statement, the counter terror probe agency said, Yogesh Chander Modi, a 1984 batch IPS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, took over as Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

He succeeded Sharad Kumar, a 1979 batch IPS officer of Haryana Cadre, who completed his tenure.  Modi will hold the post till his superannuation on May 31, 2021, according to an order from the Department of Personnel and Training.  He was named as NIA head on September 18.

Modi takes over the NIA at a time when it is probing the funding of separatists and stone-pelters in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan-based terrorist groups. Earlier, Modi had joined the NIA as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) on September 22. Before that he was posted as Special Director with the CBI. Modi was appointed Additional Director of CBI in 2015.

Modi was part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the Gujarat riots cases in August 2010 and remained part of the team till July 2012.  The SIT had cleared Narendra Modi, who at that time was Gujarat Chief Minister, in the Gulbarg Society massacre case.

According to NIA, Y.C. Modi in his career spanning over 33 years, has extensive experience of investigation, intelligence and operations.  “He worked with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a period of around 10 years in two stints from 2002-2010 and 2015-2017, where he handled special crime and economic offences besides anti-corruption cases.”

Modi was awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2001 and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2008. Sharad Kumar was appointed NIA chief on August 5, 2013. He was given two extensions — the latest on October 23 last year.

“The NIA, under his inspiring and able leadership, made path-breaking progress with its thorough and professional investigation,” the agency said.  The statement said that during Sharad Kumar’s tenure, the NIA achieved significant successes in solving many complex terrorist crimes and unearthing intricate conspiracies, including the Bodh Gaya temple blast, blast at Patna rally of the then prime ministerial candidate of the BJP Narendra Modi, Pathankot airbase attack case, ISIS and the Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case.

The agency said that it expanded its geographical presence to the entire country with the creation of three new branch offices at Kolkata, Raipur and Jammu. The office and residential complex of the Lucknow branch office was also inaugurated in August 2017.