Spymaster behind Op Sindoor is RAW chief
NEW DELHI: Seasoned IPS officer Parag Jain, a specialist on Pakistan and China, was appointed to lead the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), on the back of his pivotal role in the collection of crucial intelligence which shaped the precise execution of
Operation Sindoor
.
The Centre issued an order Saturday in this regard after the Cabinet approved Jain's appointment, ushering in a new tech-focused era for India's external intelligence agency. He will have a two-year tenure after taking over on July 1. A 1989-batch Punjab cadre IPS officer, Jain succeeds Ravi Sinha, who retires June 30.
Jain, currently heading the Aviation Research Centre (ARC) in the agency, is known within the agency as 'a man who listens' and 'who gets things done,' people who know him closely said.
'He is a field-tested man who has sharp thinking and operates in silence without much hullabaloo,' said an officer.
Jain was the field commissioner in the cabinet secretariat (official name for RAW) and posted in Jammu during the air strikes in Balakot and abrogation of Article 370. His key stints were in Nepal, Canada, where his team tracked Khalistani outfits and their members, and in Sri Lanka during its economic crisis.
'In his new role, he will prioritise leveraging technology for advanced intelligence collection, monitoring diaspora communities, and developing strategies to counter hybrid warfare tactics, particularly in response to the escalating threats of disinformation warfare posed by China and Pakistan,' a govt officer said.
With experience in leading the Pakistan and Canada desks, Jain has been an asset for the agency for the last 14 years, spearheading many technical-and-human-intelligence-based operations, sources said.
As chief of ARC in the cabinet secretariat, Jain is credited with the introduction of new technology in unmanned surveillance using drones, besides aerial monitoring to support special operations.
While Jain has his task cut out as the head of the agency, China and Pakistan post-Op Sindoor are being considered his key focus areas. His appointment is also being seen as a strong message to Canada. Jain found himself in Canada's crosshairs following the assassination of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Prior to joining RAW, Jain had a distinguished policing career in Punjab, serving in prominent positions such as senior superintendent of police in Chandigarh, deputy inspector general of Ludhiana Range, and SP of Patiala, Mansa, and Bhatinda districts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Arvind Kejriwal urges slum dwellers to protest against demolitions, calls BJP-Congress ‘brother and sister'
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday (June 29, 2025) urged slum dwellers to protest against the BJP-led government's demolition drives and called on them to reject both the BJP and Congress in future elections. Addressing a protest organised by the AAP at Jantar Mantar against slum demolitions, Mr. Kejriwal said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said 'Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makan', but what he meant was 'Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Maidan'. His promises are false and I urge you not to fall for them in future." The AAP national convener alleged that the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government had "ruined" the city in the past five months. "We had left a perfectly fine Delhi. But these people have ruined it. There are long power cuts, school fees have been hiked, and their ministers and MLAs are busy looting Delhi," he charged. Calling on slum dwellers to unite, he said, "There are 40 lakh slum dwellers. If you take to the roads, they will be forced to stop the demolitions." H e said, "The Anna movement started from Jantar Mantar and removed the Congress from power. From here, a new movement will begin, and the BJP's hold on power will also be shaken." Urging people not to vote for either Congress and the BJP in future, he said the two parties are like "brother and sister". "When Congress was in power, there were power cuts and school fees were arbitrarily hiked. For 10 years, we did not let that happen. But after the BJP came to power, the same things are happening again," he added. Mr. Kejriwal also accused the BJP of targeting AAP leaders by lodging FIRs against them. "They have lodged FIRs against Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Saurabh Bharadwaj. Stop this game of FIRs and work for the people," he said. Mr. Sisodia and Mr. Jain are facing an anti-corruption branch (ACB) probe in connection with alleged irregularities in the construction of classrooms. Last week, the ACB registered an FIR against Bharadwaj and Jain for alleged corruption related to delays in hospital construction projects.
Deccan Herald
2 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
Five petitioners write Open Letter to CJI Gavai, urge early deadline for restoration of J&K's statehood
New Delhi: Five petitioners in the Article 370 case have shot off an open letter to Chief Justice of India B R Gavai urging him to constitute a bench to hear petitions on the unconstitutionality on the removal of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, an early deadline for its restoration and ensuring that no government in future abrogate statehoods. They said they are 'concerned' that the government might cite the Pahalgam attack to again delay the restoration of statehood, which has been promised repeatedly by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament. They wanted the Chief Justice to take suo-motu cognizance of the Open Letter and constitute a bench to decide on the petitioners - former Group of Interlocutors for Jammu and Kashmir Radhakumar, former Home Secretary G K Pillai, Major General Ashok K Mehtra (retired), Air Vice-Marshal Kapil Kak (retired) and former Secretary Inter-State Council of India Amitabha Pande - will also be urging MPs across to take up the issue in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.'Not only is that argument (Pahalgam) not tenable, it can be argued that this is exactly the time to do so. The high turnout in the October 2024 elections with no violence, and the absolute majority the electors gave the National Conference…indicated the people had voted for an elected administration with the strength to govern according to public aspirations,' they the way Kashmiris responded to the Pahalgam attack, they said in the Open Letter that the NIA investigations have now found out that the earlier police version that Kashmiris were involved in the terror attack is "unfounded". In an apparent reference to actions like demolishing houses of families of terrorists, they said LG Manoj Sinha administration's 'haste in unjustified punitive action' has caused a great deal of anger on the ground and this has been exacerbated by the sidelining of the elected administration and assembly from security consultations and initiatives for redress. .'The post-Pahalgam environment, which was widely conducive to the re-establishment of peace, is already being vitiated. The most effective bulwark against such vitiation is restoration of civil and political rights, including oversight institutions, that will come with statehood,' they Assembly passed a resolution and eight months have passed since Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha forwarded it to the President, they said adding, no action has been taken, despite repeated requests by the Chief said the government's repeated assurances on restoring statehood suggest a tacit recognition that the removal of statehood is unconstitutional. They also objected to the Solicitor-General's contention in December 2023 that statehood would only be restored in stages. 'This is a policy that nullifies the constitutional issue that no state can be demoted to a Union Territory in its entirety. If that demotion was unconstitutional, then it follows that statehood must be restored in toto," they said while warning that all states will be at risk of similar actions being taken against them following the Solicitor General's laid out letter said it was the first time in independent India that an existing state had been demoted to Union Territory. They had argued in the court that this contravened the Constitution and the basic structure doctrine that India is a federal democracy in which states' rights must be petitioners recalled that the Supreme Court had not ruled on the constitutionality or unconstitutionality of the Union government move because the Solicitor-General had assured it that statehood would be restored at an appropriate time. Then Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud urged the government to restore statehood at the earliest while Justice Sanjay Khanna separately had held it unconstitutional.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
‘Gentle & Firm' Parag Jain To Be R&AW Chief: Peers Recount Journey From Punjab Cadre To Spy Agency
Parag Jain will take over as the chief of R&AW, India's external intelligence agency, on July 1 Parag Jain, an 1989 batch IPS officer of Punjab cadre who has been announced as the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief designate, has always been known among his peers and seniors as 'measured, soft-spoken, and visibly repulsed by violence, abuse, or any form of custodial excess". Years ago, at the police academy, the moment Jain's allotment to the Punjab cadre was announced, a few heads turned. For some of his batchmates and a few squadmates, more than a surprise it was a quiet concern. Punjab in the early 90s was still ravaged and scarred by years of militancy, and a politically volatile administration, bruised by decades of armed conflict. The concern was how a 'soft spoken" person like Jain, with degrees from India's elite college, would face and manage such a situation, a senior IPS officer, and one of Jain's batchmates told News18, grinning broadly as he spoke. 'However, the assumptions did not last long. He adapted, observed, and absorbed, not by becoming hardened, but by learning to be strategic, deliberate, and quietly effective. Slowly and systematically, he was known as one of the most efficient officers in Punjab and also taken in the CM security team quickly. He rose through his ranks really fast," added his batchmate. Jain, believed to have overseen India's intelligence gathering and aerial reconnaissance during Operation Sindoor, has been the government's preferred choice for the position. Interestingly, Jain will succeed his batchmate Ravi Sinha, the current chief of R&AW from the same batch, which is a rare instance in IPS. 'I feel elated and extremely proud to have trained not one but both the incumbent Ravi Sinha and the designated R&AW chiefs. Parag's journey, starting from the training grounds of the Academy to the top of India's intelligence—reflects the kind of discipline, character, and resolve we always hoped to instil. His position today is matched only by the reputation he's earned. It is well-deserved," he said. THE OTHER FACE OF GRIT His batch-mates and peers called Jain's toughness of a 'different kind". 'He has always been an officer with a brilliant mind, who never fell prey to provocation or acted in haste. His actions have always been calculated and calibrated," they said. Jain has held multiple key positions in Punjab during its peak militancy crisis, serving as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and later as Deputy Inspector General (DIG). He has also handled critical assignments on the Pakistan desk at R&AW and was stationed in Jammu and Kashmir during the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. He is called a 'Pakistan expert" in bureaucratic and security circles. His overseas stints include several intelligence and diplomatic roles in Sri Lanka and Canada, where he was tasked to track Khalistani terror networks. Throughout his career, Jain has occupied several high-stakes and crucial roles in national security and foreign intelligence In the chaos of post-insurgency policing in Punjab, Jain stood apart. His colleagues rarely saw him raising his voice, or rushing to dominate a situation, or playing to the gallery. Instead, he built a reputation for unshakable composure, even in the most testing situations. Officers who worked under him recall how his presence often changed the tempo of the team. NOW THE SPY CHIEF On July 1, Jain will take over as the chief of India's external intelligence agency, R&AW — the most discreet, and arguably the most critical post in India's security architecture. An alumnus of St. Stephen's College, Jain's journey from the field to the shadows has been shaped by precision, intellect, and quiet resilience. He currently heads the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), a critical and crucial arm of R&AW. He is often credited with playing a pivotal role during Operation Sindoor, supplying intelligence and location details which enabled precision missile strikes on terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. In a rare moment of institutional continuity, Jain now follows a fellow officer from his own training batch, and becomes the second consecutive RAW chief from that cohort. His years of experience and work in the intelligence community have been marked by a consistent emphasis on planning over posturing. Known to be meticulous and deeply strategic, he listens more than he speaks, asks questions that unsettle more than confront, and never moves without a map. 'Even his instincts feel like they've been edited down to essentials," noted a colleague who worked with him on national security planning. About the Author Madhuparna Das Madhuparna Das, Associate Editor (policy) at CNN News 18, has been in journalism for nearly 14 years. She has extensively been covering politics, policy, crime and internal security issues. She has covered More Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: June 29, 2025, 13:58 IST
