Rakesh Asthana, a senior IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, was appointed as the Commissioner of Delhi Police on Tuesday.
According to a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) order, Asthana, currently serving as Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF), will join as the Delhi Police Commissioner with immediate effect.
The appointment of Asthana to the post came just days before his superannuation on July 31.
He will have a tenure of one year.
This is one of the very few instances when an IPS officer outside of the AGMUT cadre has been appointed as the Delhi Police chief.
Usually, an officer belonging to the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre is appointed to the post.
While the government had given additional charge of Delhi Police to Balaji Srivastava after the retirement of S N Shrivastava on 30 June, the decision to appoint Asthana has been taken as the Union home minister Amit Shah wants to reform Delhi Police by making it more professional and responsive. Asthana is known for criminal investigation and was the key player in the unravelling of the Indian Mujahideen in Gujarat in the past decade.