Retired IPS officer and former National Investigation Agency (NIA) DG Sharad Kumar (Retd.IPS:1979:HY) has been appointed as the new Chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) for a three years. His appointment in the cricketing body was finalized in the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting on September 29, but it was officially formalized on October 1.
He will take over from KK Mishra (Retd.IPS:1987:HY), who was appointed last year but did not complete his term due to unspecified reasons.
A retired IPS officer from the Haryana cadre, who served as the NIA chief for four years from 2013 to 2017, Kumar played a pivotal role in disrupting terror financing networks in this country. His tenure saw him tackling several high profile investigations and operations with distinction. It was his contribution to the anti- terror cause that saw him being appointed as a Commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission from June 2018 to April 2020, where he also briefly served as interim Central Vigilance Commissioner.
Hailing from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, Shared Kumar, in his new role, will have to confront the issues related to corruption, like match-fixing and betting scandals, which have been dogging the BCCI for a long time. But the real test of his mettle will be to reinforce the BCCI’s commitment to maintaining integrity of the game.