The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for the appointment of Sanjay Singhal as the new Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal. He will succeed Amrit Mohan Prasad, who is scheduled to retire on 31 August 2025.

Tenure of Sanjay Singhal as DG

According to the notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Training, Sanjay Singhal will continue as the Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal until his retirement on December 31, 2028, or until further order.

Sanjay Singh will take over the charge as the Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal on 1 September 2025.

Sanajay Singhal is a 1993 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. Currently, he is the Special Director of the Border Security Force (BSF).

About the Sashastra Seema Bal

During the 1962 India-China war, the government felt the need to raise a force that would operate in the remote areas of the country.

Thus, a new force, Special Service Body, was constituted on 15 May 1963 with B.N. Mullick as its Director.

Its area of operation was along the border areas of North Assam, North Bengal, the hill districts of Uttar Pradesh (present-day Uttarakhand), part of Punjab, and the Ladakh area in the eastern sector.

In 1966, it was renamed as Special Service Bureau.

On the recommendation of the Kargil Review Committee (2001), headed by K. Subramanayam, the Special Service Bureau was transferred to the Union Home Ministry.

The Subramanayam committee had recommended “One Border One Force” principle for better management of internal security.

On 15 December 2003, it was again renamed as Sashastra Seema Bal and its area of operation was redefined.

The Sashastra Seema Bal guards the 1751-kilometre Indo-Nepal border and 699 km of Indo-Bhutan Border.

Currently, the Sashastra Seema Bal is governed by the Sashastra Seema Bal Act, 2007, and the Sashastra Seema Bal Rules, which came into effect on August 1, 2009.

CAPF

The Sashastra Seema Bal is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The other CAPFs are the Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), National Security Guards, and Assam Rifles.

The Assam Rifles, though under the Home Ministry, is always commanded by an Army officer.