Dineshwar Sharma appointed new IB chief

 Dineshwar Sharma, Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau, was on Saturday appointed as the agency's new chief and will take charge on January one succeeding Syed Asif Ibrahim.

A 1979 batch IPS officer from Kerala cadre, Sharma, who has been working with the agency for the past 23 years, will have a two-year tenure. An official announcement said he will take over as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) with immediate effect and will take charge as Director of Intelligence Bureau after the retirement of Ibrahim. According to the Department of Personnel and Training, Sharma will take over as the head of the agency "for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier."

Known for keeping a low profile, Sharma is heading the crucial counter-surveillance of IB and is credited with success in several operations of the the agency in that area. Sharma has served at various desks in IB since he was posted in the organisation in 1991 which includes Kashmir, Northeast besides stints in Lucknow.

Ibrahim, a 1977-batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IPS officer, had taken charge as IB Director on January 1, 2013. His tenure is upto December 31. Ibrahim - the first Muslim to hold the top post in IB - had taken over from Nehchal Sandhu.