KATHMANDU, April 28: With just 22 months in office and a long list of expectations, newly appointed Armed Police Force (APF) chief Narayan Dutta Poudel steps into one of the most demanding roles in the country’s security apparatus.
A Cabinet meeting held on Monday decided to appoint Additional Inspector General (AIG) Poudel as the 13th Inspector General of Armed Police (IGP). He will assume command after April 30. Currently, he is serving as the head of the Human Resource Department at the APF Headquarters in Halchowk.
Incumbent IGP Raju Aryal is retiring on May 1 after completing his four-year tenure. With his retirement approaching, the government on Monday appointed Poudel as the new IGP, ending uncertainty over the position five days earlier.
With his appointment, the first major challenge before Poudel will be to sustain the positive initiatives launched by outgoing IGP Aryal. Aryal is leaving office without controversy after a full four-year term, making continuity of his reforms a key test during Poudel’s 22-month tenure.
The APF, often described as an organization entrusted with the highest responsibilities despite having the lowest staffing levels, demands stronger management—placing an additional burden on Poudel. From carrying forward past reforms to ensuring fairness among officers, he will need to maintain institutional balance. Strengthening border security also remains a critical responsibility, including establishing Border Security Offices in districts along the Indian border, setting up Border Outposts (BOPs) along both northern and southern frontiers, and expanding units in eastern hill districts.
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Nepal, being highly vulnerable to disasters, has established its first national disaster management training center to respond to potential risks at any time. Alongside this, the APF is deployed for industrial and revenue security, safeguarding development projects, expanding BOPs, extending its presence to all 77 districts, and continuing infrastructure development. However, these expanding responsibilities have exposed a persistent shortage of manpower.
During Aryal’s tenure, the APF introduced a professional activity cycle to enhance operational capacity and began specializing units under the ‘BERD’ concept to further professionalize the force. Continuing and institutionalizing these efforts is another key challenge for Poudel. In addition, he must work to develop the APF into a dedicated border force, strengthen its role in internal security as required by the state, control political, communal, religious and other forms of unrest across the country, and build a capable workforce for timely disaster rescue and relief operations throughout the year.
Ensuring special facilities and services for personnel deployed in remote border areas—from Changru, Tinkar and Olangchungola to Kechana, Susta and Dodhara Chandani—is equally important. Moreover, Poudel faces multiple structural and policy challenges: introducing an APF Act, enhancing internal security capacity, addressing terrorism and separatist activities, improving border management, filling manpower gaps, streamlining transfers and promotions, strengthening welfare services, expanding participation in peacekeeping missions, improving disaster response and management, and keeping the force insulated from political influence.
Poudel has emphasized the need to continue ongoing initiatives to tackle emerging challenges within the APF. “The work currently underway must be continued. We have the responsibility to exercise the authority granted by the state and the law,” Poudel said. He also stressed the importance of a planned approach to address both internal and external challenges. “It is everyone’s responsibility to fulfill the crucial duties assigned by the government. National and border security will be made more effective. Greater focus will be placed on internal capacity development, and many ongoing initiatives require continuity,” he added.
Who is Poudel?
Poudel, who joined Nepal Police as an inspector on March 31, 1998, was the frontrunner for the IGP position. Other contenders included AIG Banshi Dahal from the Border Department and AIG Ganesh Thada Magar from the Operations Department, both junior to him. Poudel was promoted to AIG on May 20, 2022, filling the vacancy after Aryal became IGP.
He will serve as APF chief until March 31, 2028. As per existing APF regulations, he will retire on that date upon completing the 30-year service limit. Born in the former Jarbuta VDC-5 of Surkhet, Poudel completed his School Leaving Certificate (SLC) there. Initially, he passed the civil service exam and was selected as a Kharidar in a municipality but later joined the Nepal Police.
During the insurgency, he faced Maoist forces multiple times. “My colleagues were injured in gunfire. Fortunately, I remained unharmed,” he recalls. During his three years in the Nepal Police, he was deployed in Rolpa and even served as a commander, earning a grade promotion from the headquarters as a reward.
He later served as chief of the Area Police Office in Birtamod, Jhapa, and as an instructor at the National Police Academy in Maharajgunj. He transferred to the APF on April 17, 2001, initially serving as an acting DSP before being permanently promoted to DSP on March 31, 2022. During the peace process, he worked as an arms monitoring member under the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), gaining experience in transitioning from conflict to peace.
Promoted to SP on April 12, 2007, he served as chief of the Border Security Office in Bardiya, commander of Nilbarahi Battalion, and head of the Banglamukhi Special Task Force. He also worked at the Eastern Regional APF Headquarters (Baraha Bahini, Pakali), the Operations Department, and the Valley-based Pashupati Bahini intelligence unit.
He was promoted to SSP on May 16, 2013, serving as chief of the Financial Administration Division and commandant of the UN Peacekeeping Training School in Kakani. He later served as assistant brigade commander in Baraha Bahini (Pakali) and Baidyanath Bahini.
Promoted to DIG on October 30, 2018, Poudel worked in the Operations, Border Security, and Human Resource departments, and commanded brigades in Lumbini and Gandaki provinces. After being promoted to AIG on May 20, 2022, he led all three key departments—Human Resource, Border, and Operations—currently commanded by AIGs within the APF.
