Latest news with #OperationBalakot
Mint
5 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Meet Parag Jain, RAW's new chief and a ‘super sleuth' who enabled precision strikes during Operation Sindoor
The central government on Saturday appointed Parag Jain, a 1989‑batch IPS officer of Punjab cadre, as the new Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) chief. He will succeed Ravi Sinha, whose current term concludes on June 30. Jain is set to assume office on July 1, 2025, for a fixed two‑year tenure, according to an ANI report. Currently heading the aviation Research Centre, which played a vital role during 'Operation Sindoor' by collecting intelligence on the Pakistani armed forces, Jain has previously served as SSP, Chandigarh and DIG Ludhiana, a HT report said. He has also represented India in Canada and Sri Lanka. During the Canada posting, he had also taken on the Khalistan ecosystem there and had repeatedly warned Delhi that it was morphing into something dangerous, the report added. Jain has also been posted in Jammu and Kashmir, where he played an important role in the Centre's counter-terrorism strategy in the strife-torn Union Territory. The HT report also said that Jain was posted in Jammu and Kashmir during the abrogation of Article 370 and Operation Balakot. According to an India Today report, Jain is known as a 'super sleuth' within intelligence circles and has a reputation for effectively combining human intelligence (HUMINT) with technical intelligence (TECHINT), a mix that officials say has been crucial to several high-stakes operations. A HT report said that Jain played an operational role during Punjab terrorism days while serving in Bhatinda, Mansa, and Hoshiarpur. One of his most lauded contributions in recent years was during Operation Sindoor, where intelligence inputs under his leadership enabled precision missile strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the India Today report added. Insiders say that years of groundwork and painstaking network-building made such pinpoint targeting possible. Jain's extensive experience on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir is also expected to weigh in his favour, the report said. Described by senior officials as methodical and discreet, Jain has held several key roles throughout his career. He was promoted to the rank of Director General of Police (DGP) in Punjab on January 1, 2021, though he was then serving on central deputation and thus received only notional benefits. He was also empanelled to hold posts equivalent to a central DGP, underlining his credentials for leadership in the national intelligence framework. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved his appointment on June 28, bringing an end to speculation over who would succeed Ravi Sinha, whose tenure as R&AW chief was regarded as relatively low-profile.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Who is Parag Jain, the new RAW chief and key brain behind Operation Sindoor?
The Centre has selected Parag Jain , a 1989-batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre, as the incoming chief of the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), India's premier external intelligence agency. He succeeds Ravi Sinha, with his two-year term set to begin on July 1, 2025 and run through June 30, 2027 Operation Sindoor veteran Currently heading the Aviation Research Centre, Jain played a pivotal role in the audacious Operation Sindoor, which leveraged advanced aerial surveys and satellite intelligence to conduct precision strikes on terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, said a ToI report. Security experience in conflict zones As per reports, his counter-terror credentials date back to his time in Punjab during its militancy period, where he served in districts including Bathinda, Mansa, Hoshiarpur, and later held leadership assignments such as SSP Chandigarh and DIG Ludhiana. External postings and diplomatic intelligence Jain has been trusted with sensitive diplomatic intelligence roles abroad, representing India in Canada—where he actively countered extremist networks—and Sri Lanka, as per media reports. J&K operations He has served in Jammu & Kashmir during critical operations, including the abrogation of Article 370 and Operation Balakot, contributing to India's counter-terrorism framework in the region Live Events
New Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
SC halts IAF's move to release woman officer denied permanent commission
NEW DELHI: Coming to the rescue of an Indian Air Force woman officer who was denied permanent commission, the Supreme Court on Monday, in its interim order, directed the Centre and the IAF not to release her from service until further hearing on August 6. A two-judge vacation bench of the top court, headed by Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Manmohan, referred to the May 22 order of the court in which similar directions were issued to the Centre and the IAF. The apex court passed the order after hearing a plea filed by Wing Commander Niketa Pandey and said the same directions would apply in the case of Wing Commander Kavita Bhati. Stressing that it was 'without prejudice to the rights of the parties or equity in favour of the officer', the bench posted the matter for further hearing on August 6 before a regular bench, when a batch of petitions related to the IAF would be taken up. The petitioner, Pandey — who was part of Operation Balakot and Operation Sindoor — claimed that she was denied permanent commission. 'I am unfairly treated and discriminated [against] on the issue of being granted permanent commission,' Pandey further alleged.
New Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
SC stops Centre, IAF from releasing woman officer denied permanent commission
NEW DELHI: Coming to the aid of an Indian Air Force woman officer denied permanent commission, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre and the IAF not to release her from service until further hearing on August 6. A two-judge vacation bench of the apex court, comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Manmohan, referred to its earlier order dated May 22, in which similar directions were issued to the Centre and the IAF. The top court passed the order after hearing a plea filed by wing commander Niketa Pandey and said same directions would apply in the case of wing commander Kavita Bhati. Stressing that without prejudice to the rights of the parties or equity in favour of the officer, the bench of the top court posted the hearing further to August 6 before a regular bench, when a batch of petitions related to the IAF would be taken up for hearing. The petitioner, Pandey -- who was part of the Operation Balakot and Operation Sindoor -- claimed that she was denied permanent commission. "I am unfairly treated and discriminated on the issue of being granted permanent commission," Pandey further alleged.
The Hindu
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Supreme Court stops Centre, IAF from releasing woman officer from service
The Supreme Court on Monday (June 16, 2025) directed the Centre and the Indian Air Force (IAF) not to release from service a woman officer, who was denied permanent commission. A Bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan referred to the May 22 order of the top court in which similar directions were passed to the Centre and the IAF on a plea of Wing Commander Niketa Pandey and said the same directions would apply in the case of Wing Commander Kavita Bhati. Without prejudice to the rights of the parties or equity in favour of the officer, the Bench said Wing Commander Kavita Bhati shouldn't be relieved and should be allowed to remain in service till the next hearing. Ms. Bhati, a short service commission officer, claimed she was wrongly denied permanent commission. The top court posted the hearing on August 6 before a regular bench, when matters related to IAF would be taken up for hearing. The top court on May 22 restrained the Centre and the IAF from releasing Pandey, who was part of Operation Balakot and Operation Sindoor but was denied permanent commission. Pandey claimed discrimination in granting permanent commission to her.
