The paramilitary force was headless for nearly two months after the retirement of K Durga Prasad on February 28.
Bhatnagar, a 1983 batch IPS officer, will be the new DG of the CRPF, official sources said.
Senior IPS officer R K Pachnanda was also appointed as the DG of Indo Tibetan Border Police force.
Pachnanda is a 1983 batch IPS officer of West Bengal cadre.