India Appoints New Envoys To Bahrain, Uganda

“Rajpurohit, a 2004-batch IFS officer, who is currently serving as India’s High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Bahrain. He is expected to assume charge shortly,” the MEA said in an order.

A seasoned diplomat with a diverse professional background, Rajpurohit hails from a small village in Rajasthan and completed his MBBS from SN Medical College, Jodhpur, before joining the Indian Foreign Service. Prior to entering diplomacy, he worked for two years at primary health centres in Barmer district.

Over the course of his diplomatic career, Rajpurohit has served in Germany, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, besides holding key assignments at the MEA headquarters in New Delhi. Between 2012 and 2014, he served as Deputy Secretary, handling internal finance and budget matters, including India’s development cooperation projects in developing countries.

Rajpurohit played a significant role in coordinating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Egypt as well as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s visit to India as the chief guest for the 74th Republic Day celebrations.

He also contributed to India’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping facilitate the safe return of nearly two lakh Indians from Saudi Arabia. His medical training proved valuable in managing complex consular and humanitarian operations.

Among his notable assignments was his involvement in efforts to bring back the mortal remains of 39 Indian labourers killed by ISIS in Mosul in 2014. Working under the supervision of then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State General VK Singh, Rajpurohit was part of the diplomatic team that coordinated the sensitive repatriation process.

In a separate order, the MEA announced the appointment of Ajay Kumar, a 2002-batch IFS officer currently posted at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, as the next High Commissioner of India to Uganda. He is also expected to take up his assignment shortly.

At the Indian Embassy in Washington, Kumar has been serving as Minister (Commerce), where he handled India-US trade and commercial partnerships. Before his posting in the United States, he served as Joint Secretary in the Lok Sabha Secretariat, overseeing legislative and parliamentary administrative matters.

Kumar earlier served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Counsellor in Kathmandu, where he managed key bilateral portfolios, including India’s post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Nepal.

At the MEA headquarters, he served as Deputy Secretary in the Disarmament and International Security Affairs division, representing India at forums such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia.

In the early phase of his diplomatic career, Kumar was posted in India’s missions in Khartoum, Sudan, and Cairo, Egypt, gaining experience in strategic and regional affairs across Africa and West Asia.