NEW DELHI: Retired IPS officer and National Secretary of BJP Farooq Khan, who once spearheaded anti- militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir, was today appointed the Administrator of Lakshadweep.
Khan, a 1994 batch IPS officer who retired in 2013, is currently BJP's Secretary incharge of Northeast. His appointment as Lakshadweep Administrator was cleared by the Union Home Ministry earlier in the day, official sources said.
Khan was the first Muslim from Jammu and Kashmir to get a prominent place in the BJP within 15 months of his joining the party. He had joined the BJP at an election rally in the presence of Narendra Modi, who was then the party's prime ministerial candidate.
He retired as head of the Sher-e-Kashmir Police Academy Udhampur in the rank of Inspector General of Police.
The former IPS officer shot to prominence in the mid 1990s when he became the first head of the anti-militancy Task Force popularly known as Special Operations Group.
During his tenure at the helm of the counter-insurgency operations, Khan led various operations against militants and was known for sharp strategizing skills.
63-year-old Khan also had his share of controversies which included gunning down of five civilians at Pathribal in South Kashmir. After enquiries made at various levels followed by a CBI probe, Khan was given a clean chit and army officers were held responsible for the killings.
A recipient of President's police medal for meritorious service and many commendations by the army and other security agencies, Khan's entry into the BJP fold was seen as a move to woo Muslim voters in Poonch and Rajouri area.
His grandfather Colonel (retired) Peer Mohammad Khan, who was in the army of Maharaja Hari Singh, was the first state president of the Jammu and Kashmir Jana Sangh.
