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An assassination plot on American soil reveals a darker side of Modi’s India

The White House went to extraordinary lengths last year to welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a state visit meant to bolster ties with an ascendant power and potential partner against China.

Tables on the South Lawn were decorated with lotus blooms, the symbol of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. A chef was flown in from California to preside over a vegetarian menu. President Biden extolled the shared values of a relationship “built on mutual trust, candor and respect.”

But even as the Indian leader was basking in U.S. adulation on June 22, an officer in India’s intelligence service was relaying final instructions to a hired hit team to kill one of Modi’s most vocal critics in the United States.

The assassination is a “priority now,” wrote Vikram Yadav, an officer in India’s spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, or RAW, according to current and former U.S. and Indian security officials.

Repression’s long arm

Yadav forwarded details about the target, Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, including his New York address, according to the officials and a U.S. indictment. As soon as the would-be assassins could confirm that Pannun, a U.S. citizen, was home, “it will be a go ahead from us.”

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Yadav’s identity and affiliation, which have not previously been reported, provide the most explicit evidence to date that the assassination plan — ultimately thwarted by U.S. authorities — was directed from within the Indian spy service. Higher-ranking RAW officials have also been implicated, according to current and former Western security officials, as part of a sprawling investigation by the CIA, FBI and other agencies that has mapped potential links to Modi’s inner circle.

In reports that have been closely held within the American government, U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that the operation targeting Pannun was approved by the RAW chief at the time, Samant Goel. That finding is consistent with accounts provided to The Washington Post by former senior Indian security officials who had knowledge of the operation and said Goel was under extreme pressure to eliminate the alleged threat of Sikh extremists overseas. U.S. spy agencies have more tentatively assessed that Modi’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, was probably aware of RAW’s plans to kill Sikh activists, but officials emphasized that no smoking gun proof has emerged.

Neither Doval nor Goel responded to calls and text messages seeking comment.

This examination of Indian assassination plots in North America, and RAW’s increasingly aggressive global posture, is based on interviews with more than three dozen current and former senior officials in the United States, India, Canada, Britain, Germany and Australia. Citing security concerns and the sensitivity of the subject, most spoke on the condition of anonymity.

That India would pursue lethal operations in North America has stunned Western security officials. In some ways, however, it reflects a profound shift in geopolitics. After years of being treated as a second-tier player, India sees itself as a rising force in a new era of global competition, one that even the United States cannot afford to alienate.

Asked why India would risk attempting an assassination on U.S. soil, a Western security official said: “Because they knew they could get away with it.”

The foiled assassination was part of an escalating campaign of aggression by RAW against the Indian diaspora in Asia, Europe and North America, officials said. The plot in the United States coincided with the June 18 shooting death of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., near Vancouver — an operation also linked to Yadav, according to Western officials. Both plots took place amid a wave of violence in Pakistan, where at least 11 Sikh or Kashmiri separatists living in exile and labeled terrorists by the Modi government have been killed over the past two years.

The Indian intelligence service has ramped up its surveillance and harassment of Sikhs and other groups overseas perceived as disloyal to the Modi government, officials said. RAW officers and agents have faced arrest, expulsion and reprimand in countries including Australia, Germany and Britain, according to officials who provided details to The Post that have not previously been made public.

The revelations have added to Western concerns about Modi, whose tenure has been marked by economic growth and rising global stature for India, but also deepening authoritarianism. A recent report by Freedom House, a human rights organization, listed India among the world’s practitioners of “transnational repression,” a term for governments’ use of intimidation or violence against their own citizens — dissidents, activists, journalists — in others’ sovereign territory.

India is part of an expanding roster of countries employing tactics previously associated with China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other repressive regimes. It is a trend fueled by factors ranging from surging strains of nationalism and authoritarianism to the spread of social media and spyware that both empower and endanger dissident groups.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to respond to detailed questions submitted by The Post or provide comment for this article. Responding to questions raised by a Post reporter at a news briefing last week, spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said that India was still investigating the allegations and that the Pannun case “equally impacts our national security.”

Jaiswal referred reporters to previous ministry statements that targeted killings are “not our policy.”

For the Biden administration, which has spent three years cultivating closer ties with India, the assassination plots have pitted professed values against strategic interests.

Last July, White House officials began holding high-level meetings to discuss ways to respond without risking a wider rupture with India, officials said. CIA Director William J. Burns and others have been deployed to confront officials in the Modi government and demand accountability. But the United States has so far imposed no expulsions, sanctions or other penalties.

Even the U.S. criminal case reflects this restraint. Senior officials at the Justice Department and FBI had pushed to prosecute Yadav, officials said, a step that would have implicated RAW in a murder-for-hire conspiracy. But while a U.S. indictment unsealed in November contained the bombshell allegation that the plot was directed by an Indian official, it referred to Yadav as only an unnamed co-conspirator, “CC-1,” and made no mention of the Indian spy agency.

Justice Department officials who took part in the White House deliberations sided against those urging criminal charges against Yadav. Administration officials denied any undue influence. “Charging decisions are the prerogative of law enforcement alone,” said National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, “and the Biden NSC has rigorously respected that independence.”

The only U.S. charges made public to date are against an alleged middleman, Nikhil Gupta, who is described in the indictment as an Indian drug and weapons trafficker enlisted to hire a contract killer. Gupta, an Indian national who has denied the charges, was arrested in Prague on June 30 and remains in prison. He is awaiting a Czech court ruling on a U.S. request for his extradition.

Even in recent days, the Biden administration has taken steps to contain the fallout from the assassination plot. White House officials warned the Modi government this month that The Post was close to publishing an investigation that would reveal new details about the case. It did so without notifying The Post.

Laying a trap

For decades, RAW was regarded as a regional player, preoccupied by proxy wars with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency. Under Modi, however, RAW has been wielded as a weapon against dissidents in India’s vast global diaspora, according to current and former U.S. and Indian officials.

The U.S. operation shows how RAW tried to export tactics it has used for years in countries neighboring India, officials said, including the use of criminal syndicates for operations it doesn’t want traced to New Delhi. It also exposed what former Indian security officials described as disturbing lapses in judgment and tradecraft.

After the plot against Pannun failed, the decision to entrust Yadav with the high-risk mission sparked recriminations within the agency, former officials said. Rather than joining RAW as a junior officer, Yadav had been brought in midcareer from India’s less prestigious Central Reserve Police Force, said one former official. As a result, the official said, Yadav lacked training and skills needed for an operation that meant going up against sophisticated U.S. counterintelligence capabilities.

Attempts by The Post to locate or contact Yadav were unsuccessful. A former Indian security official said he was transferred back to the Central Reserve Police Force after the Pannun plot unraveled.

The U.S. affidavit describes Yadav as an “associate” of Gupta who procured the alleged drug trafficker’s help by arranging for the dismissal of criminal charges he faced in India. Gupta had a history of collaborating with India’s security services on operations in Afghanistan and other countries, according to a person with knowledge of his background, but he had never been used for jobs in the West.

Petr Slepicka, a lawyer in Prague who represents Gupta, declined to comment on the case except to say that his client denies the charges against him. In court filings in India, Gupta’s family members described him as an innocent “middle-class businessman” whose arrest was a case of mistaken identity. They said he traveled to Prague “for tourism” and to explore new markets for a “handicraft” business, according to the court filings.

Yadav and Gupta spent weeks trading encrypted texts about the plot to kill Pannun, according to a U.S. affidavit filed in support of the request for Gupta’s extradition. To find a willing assassin, Gupta reached out to someone he had been in touch with for at least eight years and understood to be a drug and weapons dealer. In reality, according to the affidavit, the supposed dealer was an informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The two were discussing “another potential firearms and narcotics transaction,” according to the affidavit when, on May 30, Gupta abruptly asked “about the possibility of hiring someone to murder a lawyer living in New York.”

From that moment, U.S. agents had an inside but incomplete view of the unfolding conspiracy. They orchestrated Gupta’s introduction to a supposed assassin who was actually an undercover agent, according to court filings. They captured images of cash changing hands in a car in New York City — a $15,000 down payment on a job that was to cost $100,000 when completed.

At one point, the indictment said, U.S. agents even got footage of Gupta turning his camera toward three men “dressed in business attire, sitting around a conference room,” an apparent reference to Indian operatives overseeing the mission. “We are all counting on you,” Gupta told the purported assassin on the video call, according to the indictment.

Yadav indicated that there would be more jobs after Pannun, including one “big target” in Canada. But a separate hit team got to that assignment first, according to the U.S. indictment, suggesting that RAW was working with multiple criminal elements.

Hours after Nijjar was gunned down in his car on June 18 outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple in Surrey, Yadav sent a video clip to Gupta “showing Nijjar’s bloody body slumped in his vehicle,” according to the indictment.

The message arrived as U.S. authorities were laying a trap for Gupta. Seeking to draw him out of India and into a friendly jurisdiction, U.S. agents used their DEA informant to persuade Gupta to travel to the Czech Republic for what he was led to believe would be a clandestine meeting with his American contact, according to officials familiar with the operation.

Gupta arrived in Prague on June 30 — 11 days after Czech authorities, acting at the behest of U.S. officials, had secretly issued an arrest warrant for him.

As he exited Vaclav Havel Airport, Gupta was intercepted by Czech police, who ushered him into a vehicle in which two U.S. federal agents were waiting, according to court filings submitted by Gupta’s family in India. He was questioned for hours while the car meandered around the city. His laptop was seized and his phone held to his face to unlock it, according to the family petition.

Gupta was eventually deposited in Prague’s Pankrac Prison, where he remains awaiting possible extradition. Seeking help, Gupta’s family tried to reach Yadav last year but could find no trace of him, according to a person familiar with the matter. After months of near-constant contact with Gupta, the person said, CC-1 had “disappeared.”

Engaging with the underworld

Though Yadav served as RAW’s point man, current and former officials said the operation involved higher-ranking officials with ties to Modi’s inner circle. Among those suspected of involvement or awareness are Goel and Doval, though U.S. officials said there is no direct evidence so far of their complicity.

As RAW chief at the time, Goel was “under pressure” to neutralize the alleged threat posed by Sikh extremists overseas, said a former Indian security official. Goel reported to Doval, and had ties to the hard-line national security adviser going back decades.

Both had built their reputations in the 1980s, when the country’s security services battled Sikh separatists and Muslim militants. They were part of a generation of security professionals shaped by those conflicts much the way their U.S. counterparts came to be defined by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Doval, 79, has claimed roles in undercover missions from the jungles of Myanmar to the back alleys of Lahore, Pakistan — tales that contributed to his frequent depiction in the press as the “James Bond of India.”

He also exhibited a willingness to engage with the criminal underworld. In 2005, after retiring as head of India’s domestic intelligence service, he was inadvertently detained by Mumbai police while meeting with a reputed gangster. Doval was seeking to enlist one crime boss to assassinate another, according to media reports later confirmed by senior Indian officials.

Before being tapped as national security adviser by Modi in 2014, Doval publicly called for India’s security apparatus to shift from “defense” to “defensive offense” against groups threatening India from other countries, especially Pakistan.

Goel, who was then rising into the senior ranks at RAW, shared Doval’s instincts. Police forces under Goel’s command in the early 1990s were tied to more than 120 cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances or torture, according to a database maintained by Ensaaf, an Indian human rights group based in the United States. Goel was so closely associated with the brutal crackdown that he became an assassination target, according to associates who said he took to traveling in a bulletproof vehicle.

Former Indian officials who know both men said Goel would not have proceeded with assassination plots in North America without the approval of his superior and protector.

“We always had to go to the NSA for clearance for any operations,” said A.S. Dulat, who served as RAW chief in the early 2000s, referring to the national security adviser. Dulat emphasized in an interview with The Post that he did not have inside knowledge of the alleged operations, and that assassinations were not part of RAW’s repertoire during his tenure.

U.S. intelligence agencies have reached a similar conclusion. Given Doval’s reputation and the hierarchical nature of the Indian system, CIA analysts have assessed that Doval probably knew of or approved RAW’s plans to kill Sikhs his government considered terrorists, U.S. officials said.

A fierce crackdown

India’s shift to “defensive offense” was followed by a series of clashes between RAW and Western domestic security services.

In Australia, two RAW officers were expelled in 2020 after authorities broke up what Mike Burgess, head of the Australian intelligence service, described as a “nest of spies.”

Foreign officers were caught monitoring “their country’s diaspora community,” trying to penetrate local police departments and stealing information about sensitive security systems at Australian airports, Burgess said in a 2021 speech. He didn’t name the service, but Australian officials confirmed to The Post that it was RAW.

In Germany, federal police have made arrests in recent years to root out agents RAW had recruited within Sikh communities. Among them, German officials said, were a husband and wife who operated a website purportedly covering local Sikh events but who were secretly on RAW’s payroll.

In Britain, RAW’s surveillance and harassment of the Sikh population — especially a large concentration near Birmingham — became so egregious in 2014 and 2015 that MI5, Britain’s domestic security service, delivered warnings to Goel, who was then serving as RAW’s station chief in London.

When confronted, Goel scoffed at his counterparts and accused them of coddling Sikh activists he said should be considered terrorists, according to current and former British officials. After further run-ins, British authorities threatened to expel him, officials said. Instead, Goel returned to New Delhi and continued to climb RAW’s ranks until, in 2019, he was given the agency’s top job.

RAW’s record of aggressive activity in Britain has fanned suspicion that the agency was involved in the death of Sikh activist Avtar Singh Khanda, who died in Birmingham last year, three days before Nijjar was killed in Canada. British officials have said Khanda suffered from leukemia and died of natural causes, though his family and supporters have continued to press for further investigation.

A U.S. State Department human rights report released this month catalogued India’s alleged engagement in transnational repression. It cited credible accounts of “extraterritorial killing, kidnapping, forced returns or other violence,” as well as “threats, harassment, arbitrary surveillance and coercion” of overseas dissidents and journalists.

RAW’s operations in Western countries during Modi’s tenure have been overwhelmingly aimed at followers of the Sikh religion, especially a minority faction seeking to revive the largely dormant cause of creating a separate state called “Khalistan.”

That movement had peaked in the 1980s, when thousands were killed in violent skirmishes between the Indian government and Sikh insurgents. One brutal sequence beginning in 1984 included an Indian assault on the Sikh religion’s holiest site, the Golden Temple; the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by Sikhs in her security detail; and the bombing of an Air India flight widely attributed to Sikh extremists. A fierce crackdown quashed the insurgency, prompting an exodus of Sikhs to diaspora communities in Canada, the United States and Britain.

As Sikhs settled into their new lives abroad, the Khalistani cause went quiet until a new generation of activists — whose leaders included Pannun and Nijjar — sought to rekindle the movement with unofficial referendums on Sikh statehood and with protests that at times have seemed to glorify violence. A parade in Canada last year included a float depicting Indira Gandhi’s assassination, and Khalistan supporters have stormed and defaced Indian diplomatic facilities in Western cities.

The effort has seemed to gain little traction beyond a minority within the diaspora community. Even so, it has been portrayed as a resurgent menace by Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Indian officials have accused Canada and the United States of harboring Sikh separatists who they say have plotted attacks and smuggled weapons into India.

Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi and an expert on the insurgency in Punjab, said BJP depictions of the Sikh threat are “far in excess of what actually exists.” Officials have political incentive to exaggerate, he said, “because it is useful to polarize and to keep a threat alive so the state can present itself as a guarantor of security to 80 percent of the country — the Hindus — who are supposedly in danger.”

In recent years, Pannun and Nijjar had come to personify that alleged danger. In 2020, both men were declared terrorists by Modi’s government under an amended law that was denounced by U.N. officials and human rights groups for depriving suspects of due process. Their organization, Sikhs for Justice, was accused of leading “a concerted secessionist campaign.”

In an interview with The Post, Pannun denied engaging in terrorism and said he was targeted because of his activism on behalf of Sikhs. “They wanted to assassinate me so they can stop the ongoing Khalistan referendum movement for the secession of Punjab from Indian occupation,” he said.

In his few public remarks on the plots to kill Pannun and Nijjar , Modi has been dismissive. “If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times published in late December. “Our commitment is to the rule of law.”

U.S. and Western security officials said it is unlikely that RAW would have launched such operations without a clear understanding that doing so would be met with approval by the prime minister.

Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has cultivated the aura of a Hindu strongman. He has jailed dissidents, released photos of himself riding in tanks and flying fighter jets, and boasted of ordering an airstrike in 2019 against nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Pro-Modi media outlets have burnished this bellicose image. Last year, as 11 alleged militants were killed in a wave of unclaimed attacks in Pakistan, favored Indian TV stations celebrated the “professional” killing of Khalistanis outside India’s borders. Among those killed was Paramjit Singh Panjwar, 63, a leader of a militant group called the Khalistan Commando Force, who was shot dead last May near a park in Lahore by two gunmen who fled on motorcycle, according to media reports.

Resolving the matter internally

Even as the alleged RAW assassination plots reached their final stages, officials in both the United States and Canada remained unaware of the full dimensions of the conspiracy.

In Canada, Nijjar’s death was at first assumed to be a case of score-settling between rival Sikh and criminal factions in British Colombia. In the United States, the Pannun plot was for weeks treated as a DEA case.

It wasn’t until Gupta’s arrest that U.S. officials obtained evidence that an officer in India’s spy service was behind the conspiracy, officials said. Devices seized from Gupta provided a trove of new intelligence, including his extensive communications with Yadav, officials said.

Shortly afterward, in July, the White House convened a series of “deputies committee” meetings led by deputy national security adviser Jon Finer and involving Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Deputy CIA Director David Cohen.

Those assembled confronted evidence of a grave violation of U.S. sovereignty by a nation seen as increasingly indispensable in the global competition with China. After weeks of deliberations, administration officials settled on a plan they hoped would ward off future plots without causing deeper ruptures with India.

In early August, the administration dispatched CIA Director Burns to New Delhi to confront his counterparts with intelligence on the Pannun plot and give Modi’s government a chance to resolve the matter internally. The United States would refrain from punitive responses but pushed India to hold those responsible accountable. The message was reinforced in subsequent closed-door conversations, including a private meeting in New Delhi in September between Modi and Biden, officials said.

There would be no expulsions of RAW officers or economic sanctions against India. A deal to sell up to $4 billion in U.S. armed drones to India, briefly put on pause, was allowed to proceed when key congressional leaders signed off. Justice Department officials opted for at least the time being not to file charges against Yadav.

The approach has struck some as too accommodating. Several current and former officials noted that, in contrast to the decision on Yadav, the United States has in recent years filed charges against Russian and Iranian intelligence officers in alleged plots on American soil.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the India case, saying it is an “ongoing matter.”

The treatment of India does, however, have echoes of how the United States dealt with Saudi Arabia after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was implicated in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post contributing columnist who was killed and dismembered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

White House officials defend their actions, saying that in private meetings Modi and his closest advisers have taken the matter seriously and pledged accountability. Officials noted that Yadav could still be charged and other penalties imposed if New Delhi fails to follow through on these commitments.

Canada, which has the world’s largest Sikh population outside India, took a more forceful approach. In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused India of complicity in the killing of Nijjar and expelled RAW’s station chief in Ottawa.

Relations between the countries went into a tailspin. Canada withdrew 41 diplomats from India after Modi’s government threatened to revoke their legally protected status. Canadian officials who traveled to New Delhi for meetings with Doval and others said they were greeted with denials of Indian involvement and lectures on alleged Sikh terrorism.

Canadian intelligence agencies saw a surge in communications from Indian officials in Delhi to Indian diplomats in Ottawa conspicuously professing ignorance about who was responsible for Nijjar’s killing — exchanges that Canadian officials came to regard as disinformation intended to be intercepted and confuse investigators, officials said.

The standoff eased over the ensuing months, officials said, as Modi officials facing U.S.-provided evidence came to realize that their denials were untenable.

‘The New India’

There are indications that India planned a broader wave of killings in the United States and Canada.

Yadav had told Gupta there were “three or four” other people RAW wanted dead once Nijjar and Pannun had been assassinated, according to the affidavit. Gupta, in turn, told a U.S. agent posing as a hit man that there are “so many targets.”

In the past two years, at least five Sikh activists in the United States and five in Canada were warned by law enforcement to take precautions. Among them was Pritpal Singh in Fremont, Calif., who said he was visited by FBI agents days after Nijjar was killed.

India continues to treat the matter with a mixture of indignation and resignation.

The government appointed a special panel to investigate the attacks and report its findings to the United States. A U.S. delegation that traveled to New Delhi several weeks ago for an update on the probe, however, returned with little evidence of meaningful progress. Indian officials gave no indication that their investigation would implicate senior officials in Modi’s government, said officials briefed on the trip, and pressed their U.S. visitors to supply more information supporting their allegations.

Goel stepped down as RAW chief on June 30 — the day Gupta was taken into custody. Weeks earlier, Goel had sounded confident about securing a contract extension, a friend said.

RAW has called back officers in Washington, San Francisco and elsewhere with ties to Goel. But others remain overseas, including operatives assigned to the consulate in Vancouver whom Canadian officials said they suspect of having provided logistics or intelligence support to Nijjar’s assailants. An investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is ongoing.

Some in India have bristled at what they perceive as a Western double standard. Citing the campaigns of targeted killings carried out by the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, they question why Delhi should not be entitled to take similar measures against those it deems terrorists.

Western officials reject the comparison, noting that U.S. counterterrorism operations, including drone strikes, were largely confined to ungoverned territories — not major cities in partner democracies.

For Modi, the assassination allegations appear to have only bolstered his political standing.

Almost a year after he was feted at the White House, the Indian prime minister is poised to clinch a third term in national elections that began this month. At a recent campaign rally in Rajasthan state, Modi told thousands of cheering supporters, “Today, even India’s enemies know: This is Modi, this is the New India.”

“This New India,” he added, “comes into your home to kill you.”

Cate Brown, Souad Mekhennet and Aaron Schaffer in Washington, Karishma Mehrotra in New Delhi and Ladka Bauerova in Prague contributed to this report.

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5 The Research and Analysis Wing

• Published: March 2024
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The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s external intelligence agency, has been in operation for over five decades, yet the organization has no constitutional status in India. There is no official history of R&AW, and the little that is known about this organization can be gleaned from a handful of memoirs authored by former serving officers focused largely on covert operations. This chapter focuses primarily on the organizational aspects of the R&AW and aims to provide a clearer institutional account of one of India’s principal security institutions. This chapter is based on a careful survey of media reports on and analyses of the organization, government reports, and interviews with former officers and experts. The chapter is divided into three sections. The first outlines the history and the core objectives of the R&AW. The second shines a light on its governance, including its organizational structure, recruitment policies, external oversight, and human and financial capital. In the concluding section, the authors analyse the agency’s need for change and reform.

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'RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations' showcases India’s shadow warriors

Peace is an illusion because India is constantly at war in the shadows. Just as soldiers in uniform guard our borders, a different kind of highly trained and motivated soldiers crisscross the world in various guises with deceptively innocuous code names; meeting sources, activating sleeper spies and double agents, deploying honey traps, conferring with fellow spooks in cafes and safe houses, and bribing informers with clandestine funds—all to protect the nation. They are the unsung heroes of India’s formidable spy agency R&AW who unearth dark plots against the country and destroy traitors and at great personal risk. RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations illustrates their daring exploits.

During the Cold War years, Indira Gandhi had brought India firmly into the Soviet Union’s orbit and the US supported Pakistan as a anti-Communist gambit. Set in the turbulent ’70s to the ’90s, R&AW spooks toppled dictators like General Ershad in Bangladesh and Fiji’s Colonel Rabuka by organising public protests and trading loyalties of people in their inner circles respectively. India had carved Bangladesh out of East Pakistan, which America opposed vehemently; President Richard Nixon even sent the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise to the Bay of Bengal to intimidate India.

After Mujibur Rahman’s assassination, the ISI and CIA moved into Bangladesh. The Hindu refugee problem was a strain on India’s economy and Ershad’s pro-ISI, pro-CIA stance wasn’t helping. So unexpected were the R&AW-engineered protests that Ershad was forced to resign and a neutral government came in his place. In Fiji, where local Indians were being persecuted by nationalist Rabuka, R&AW used foreign contacts in Australia, New Zealand and the UK to launch a successful operation to oust him. The mission was almost compromised when the mistress of a Fiji bureaucrat who was spying for India informed the authorities.

R&AW also created immense goodwill in many countries; it helped a top Afghan politician and former warlord to escape the Taliban and even got his relative a job in Turkey. R&AW spooks relentlessly bribed, cajoled and blackmailed India’s enemies. At great danger to himself, a daring agent bought information from a mole among Khalistani terrorists who were preparing to attack Delhi, which were averted by the intel. The agency even managed to recruit the prime minister of an important Baltic nation. R&AW had support from most prime ministers, except Pakistan-friendly Morarji Desai, who had dismantled foreign operations and turned over imbedded agents to ISI.

Since intelligence inputs play a significant role in shaping policy, the spymasters saw firsthand political leaders in action. The book describes how Rajiv Gandhi stood in front of Deng Xiaoping like a schoolboy in front of a principal, though he was assured that he had nothing to fear from the Chinese. A chapter describes how Narasimha Rao’s taciturn “Okay” meant the mission had the go-ahead. R&AW’s main enemy continues to be Pakistan’s ISI, which has been playing a cat and mouse game for decades. It also faced a formidable enemy at home—Indian diplomats who exposed their identities abroad and bureaucrats who interfered with operational budgets. These are some of their stories.

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPTS

OPERATION SRI LANKA

Permanent Friends, Permanent Interests

In Sri Lanka, R&AW played a double game, helping the Sri Lankan Army to destroy the LTTE while protecting Indian assets against the Tigers and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s hit men. According to a R&AW spymaster in Colombo, MEA bungled and allowed the Chinese to get a foothold in the island.

Avinash Sinha arrived at Colombo Fort Café on the morning of 3 December 2005, looking forward to what he had been told was the best Sri Lankan breakfast in the city. Avinash, a R&AW operative, perhaps a few autumns younger than Kosala Ratnayake, had returned to Colombo that October after three years. He had recruited Kosala, a top functionary in the Sri Lankan government, over several wet evenings in January 2002. That was when the Sri Lankan regime had been seriously engaging with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for peace talks.

Satellite Spycraft: Avinash said that the R&AW had penetrated Sri Lanka’s northern province deeply, especially districts like Jaffna, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Mannar. ‘Our assessment was solid and as the war loomed large over the horizon, our primary objective was to evacuate as many Tamils as possible. But that was just a foggy dream. Under tremendous pressure from the Tigers, the Tamil populations had decided to remain and we couldn’t do anything about it,’ said Avinash.

The Indian government had taken a principled decision to support the Sri Lankan army offensive because the entire international community had been outraged by the LTTE’s string of suicide bombings. According to Avinash, between late 2007 and May 2009 when Sri Lanka declared total victory against the LTTE, the R&AW provided satellite imagery of all the Tigers’ camps in the north and east provinces to the Sri Lankan military.

The intelligence included the Tigers’ military formations as well as civilian populations so as to avoid casualties. ‘It was not LTTE alone that killed our assets,’ said Pawan Arora, a R&AW officer. ‘We later learnt that the Sri Lankan army had also been involved in hitting our informers. Just before the final and massive offensive in April 2009, some important assets were evacuated from Jaffna on a ship headed to the Maldives... At Kilinochchi in the northern province of Sri Lanka, he revealed, a compound that housed some R&AW informers had just one survivor that month and a white cat.

MEA Bungling on China: R&AW agents began to enquire in Beijing and Islamabad about Colombo’s plan. The liaison unit, working with friendly foreign intelligence agencies, reported that China had secretly provided arms and ammunition to the Sri Lankan army during the civil war and was now ready to invest more than $2 billion in Sri Lanka…China had not only provided fighter jets to the Sri Lankan army, it had also trained the pilots with the help of Islamabad.

Avinash said: ‘When we warned the India foreign service about the Chinese, a senior officer told me not to worry. Let China build the roads, he said, and we will ply our buses on those roads. When we complained about him, he was immediately removed and shifted to some insignificant position at the Delhi headquarters.’ The officer codenamed ‘PAS’ was fond of scotch and the Indian spies had reported on various occasions that he was more interested in attending high-spirit parties than protecting and preserving India’s interests in Sri Lanka. ‘Once he was trapped by our spies and subsequently confronted with the evidence, we wanted him out of Sri Lanka. He was a compromised man,’ Avinash said, quoting a report that the R&AW had ciphered to New Delhi.

THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS MAID

There is no single documented account of Operation Satori carried out with the help of an Indian maid named Sundari. The 55-year-old Tamil and Sinhalese-speaking woman worked to rescue and evacuate R&AW sources. Although the R&AW knew the weaknesses of Sri Lankan intelligence, they realised that Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s spies were also keeping an eye on the northern and eastern provinces, scouting for prize catches. Within a week, fictitious papers were arranged for Sundari through Kosala that would allow her to travel inside the battle zone freely to help the badly wounded in their makeshift hospitals. Sundari was pivotal to Operation Satori.

Though she was not a conventional spy, she was a thorough professional. With the help of Asanka, an ambulance driver, and Ramanuj, an animal activist, she managed to rescue several leaders who were R&AW recruits and thus on Rajapaksa’s hitlist. The area where Sundari operated was darkened via Photoshop before images were shared with the Sri Lankan army and its intelligence unit, and Kosala had bribed certain senior personnel in the army so that people could safely be smuggled out of the war zone.

R&AW AGENTS began to enquire in Beijing and Islamabad about Colombo’s plan. The liaison unit, working with friendly foreign intelligence agencies, reported that China had secretly provided arms and ammunition to the Sri Lankan army during the civil war and was now ready to invest more than $2 billion in Sri Lanka.

PARIS/LONDON

Operation Hornet

R&AW launched an operation in Paris and London to neutralise UK-based Pakistani national Abdul Khan who was sheltering extremists and planning attacks in India with the help of ISI and renegade Indian businessmen Balwant, Harbakhsh Singh, BN Sandhu, Avtaar Sethi and Harpreet Ahuja. Indian agent Sanjeev Jindal was given clearance by his pop star of spies boss Anuj Bharadwaj to swing into action. With foreign operatives Clarke and Sophie, he foiled the plot and Khan was shot dead.

Target ISI Terror Trio: At the Café de Flore on Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris, in November 1984, Sanjeev Jindal was lost in thought.... ‘Sir, we need to launch an operation… My information suggests ISI chief Akhtar Abdur Rahman is directly supervising the operation….’

Sophie’s Choice: This was the beginning of Operation Hornet. Jindal had already identified the spy to be posted in London. The officer codenamed Mohan Narayanan had earlier worked in Prague. Sometime in late January 1985, Jindal was at Café Aida in Landstrasse, Vienna. He had waited for almost a week for this meeting with his old informer Sophie Klor. Jindal, known by a different name at the time, had dumped her two years earlier at the end of an operation he had run in Austria. It is not unusual for an intelligence officer to dump her or his source or informer once the job is done. There are no permanent relationships in the world of espionage.

Everyone has an expiry date. But Sophie was perhaps an exception. Like the R&AW’s other subconscious agents in Europe in the 1980s and 1990s, she transferred money to moles, trained new assets in the target country and occasionally ran assets on behalf of the handler. But renewing contact with a subconscious agent was something he had never done before. ‘Just be honest with me. I am getting worried about your sudden reappearance,’ said Sophie. ‘Do you know where Harpreet Ahuja is?’ Jindal asked. ‘The Indian guy who worked with our organisation? He left about a year ago. Why are you looking for him?’ ‘I want you to dig him out for me,’ Jindal said, placing an envelope containing $10,000 on the table. ‘Don’t worry. Harpreet has always been nice to me.’ Sophie winked at him and left the café.

Greedy Gardener: The London team, Narayanan and Clarke, had used cash to lure Abdul Khan’s gardener, a Pakistani named Tariq Siddiqui. The list included officials from the ISI, the Pakistani army and Pakistan’s civil servants, as well as Sandhu and the two aides who were supposedly Sandhu’s bodyguards and another Indian… Harbakhsh Singh. He also passed on classified information about Sandhu’s and Harbakhsh’s impending visit to Islamabad in February. After Narayanan paid him $5,000, Tariq promised to give him the letter. One document about a money transfer from a bank was significan, the details about the key players arriving at Khan’s house gave the R&AW top brass valuable insights into the ISI’s plans and intentions.

At their meeting at Café Aida, Sophie recounted her hunt for Harpreet Ahuja. It had taken her to Salzburg, Bregenz and finally to Innsbruck... She told Jindal about going out with Ahuja on a date. ‘My priorities are clear. I can’t let this man slip out of our hands,’ Jindal said.

Recruiting the Mole: Jindal recruited Ahuja in Austria that April. Upon agreeing to work for the R&AW as a spy, Ahuja was given the codename Einsiedler. But before the British could act, Harbakhsh disappeared from London overnight. Jindal and Bhardwaj suspected that he had been evacuated by the ISI before British security officials could interrogate him on his links with militants and Pakistan. A source based in Pakistan informed Bhardwaj about the arrival of Harbakhsh and his family in Rawalpindi, in the neighborhood of Islamabad.

Arm twisting Terror’s Banker: Sethi took a circuitous route to Paris in order to avoid ISI surveillance on his movements. Bhardwaj, Jindal and Narayanan held two day-long meetings with the dangerous financier of terrorism in India. In Jindal’s words, Sethi sang nonstop. He shared the smallest details of the Sandhu-Khan network, revealing the role of ISI officers posted under diplomatic covers in London. The ISI had a special detachment in London for the India operation and a team of six officers had been deployed to create and continue sponsoring terrorist networks to carry out activities inside India. At the time, an ISI officer named Mahmood was running Sandhu and Khan. Sethi said he was not aware if the ISI was handling any other anti-India module.

He provided a list of the officers, profiles of people connected to Khan and Sandhu, and above all, names of recruits in India who he believed were staunch supporters of the network. In the meantime, he forwarded the names of the Indian module to the R&AW headquarters. Jindal was informed sometime in April that eighteen people on the list had been neutralized in a covert operation and they had launched a manhunt for nine others. The conversation among the network involving Khan, Sandhu and the ISI officers revealed a plan to expand the operation and the Pakistani intelligence officers assured substantial sums of money for the attacks. In July and August, Bhardwaj was informed by his contacts in British counterintelligence agencies that the Pakistanis had been told to shut shop.

The Knockout Round: New plans were made every day to ambush Khan’s remaining network but none worked out because Bhardwaj was against covert action in British territory. In the first week of May 1987, Narayanan informed him that Abdul Khan was planning to visit his hometown, Lahore, sometime in June. His plan was to meet the newly appointed ISI chief, Lt General Hamid Gul. Jindal and Bhardwaj decided that Abdul Khan had to be killed in Lahore. The terror financier was gunned down by two motorcycle-borne men as he entered his house that fateful day in June. He was shot nine times in the head and the neck. The Lahore police believed that the killing was the result of an old business rivalry but the ISI knew it was the R&AW that had chased and killed the fountainhead of terror. At his burial, a R&AW asset noticed that flowers had been sent from Hamid Gul.

THE LONDON team, Narayanan and Clarke, had used cash to lure Abdul Khan’s gardener, a Pakistani named Tariq Siddiqui. The list included officials from the ISI, the Pakistani army and Pakistan’s civil servants, as well as Sandhu and the two aides who were supposedly Sandhu’s bodyguards and another Indian… Harbakhsh Singh.

JINDAL RECRUITED Ahuja in Austria that April. Upon agreeing to work for the R&AW as a spy, Ahuja was given the codename Einsiedler. But before the British could act, Harbakhsh disappeared from London overnight.

From Kabul to Kathmandu, from London to Paris and Innsbruck, to Islamabad and Colombo, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) ran exciting operations using money, analysis, psy-ops, wet work and the occasional honey trap. A new book by Yatish Yadav brings to light some of the daring exploits of India’s spies and spymasters.

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Explained: Why RAW shut down its North American bases

I ndian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has reportedly closed its stations in North America for the first time since 1968. This comes as criminal charges were brought against an Indian citizen for planning to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. According to federal prosecutors in Manhattan, a man named Nikhil Gupta, aged 52, collaborated with an Indian government employee responsible for security and intelligence to plan the assassination the New York City resident who heads the Sikhs for Justice outfit.

The global attention on RAW has increased, particularly since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of being connected to the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb in June. India strongly rejected the allegations and requested Canada to provide evidence. Canada, which expelled the chief of RAW's station, claimed to have shared evidence with its allies but decided not to release it publicly.

According to a recent report by Reuters, Indian intelligence officials and analysts have expressed concerns about increased global monitoring on RAW in the wake of the Vancouver incident. The report mentioned that it interviewed six Indian security and intelligence officials, both retired and serving, who have knowledge of RAW. These officials revealed that after the devastating Mumbai attacks in 2008 that claimed the lives of 166 individuals, RAW was motivated to take on a more proactive role in international affairs. The officials requested anonymity as they were discussing sensitive subjects.

According to four officials, RAW has gradually expanded its influence in Western nations since 2008. One official, who is currently serving, mentioned that a significant reason behind this shift was India's inability to extradite a US citizen who was convicted for his role in the Mumbai attack. This incident served as a crucial motivation for RAW to strengthen its presence in the Western countries.

Last week, Pakistan expressed worry about the substantial growth of India's undercover operations, which include spying and carrying out assassinations beyond its own territory. Pakistan condemned these actions as clear breaches of international law. According to sources in intelligence, a recent report by ThePrint disclosed that two senior officials from RAW were instructed to leave their positions in important cities in the Western countries during the summer. The names of these officers were not disclosed in the report to protect their identities, as they are still working for the agency.

As per the report, the decision to expel the officers was just one of several actions taken to express discontent with what the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom perceived as violations of the informal agreements that guide the operations of RAW in their respective countries.

According to the sources, the report stated that the officials asked to leave their posts were the chief of RAW's station in San Francisco and the deputy head of its operations in London. The report said that the closure of RAW’s stations in San Francisco and Washington DC, along with the expulsion of its station chief in Ottawa, Pavan Rai, meant that the agency is now without representation in North America for the first time since it was established in 1968 under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Prosecutors in the US have stated that Nikhil Gupta, who is suspected of being involved in drug dealing, was allegedly approached by someone claiming to be affiliated with the Indian intelligence services. This individual offered Gupta a sum of money, possibly up to $150,000, to organize the assassination of an unidentified lawyer and activist associated with the Khalistan movement.

According to sources, US officials informed their counterparts in New Delhi that RAW was involved in a plot to assassinate Pannun, a prominent activist and lawyer associated with the Khalistan movement. The report also mentioned that the decision to expel the RAW officer in San Francisco was made because there were concerns that the United States would not cooperate with Indian intelligence if the agency continued to conduct offensive operations in the Western region.

Media sources have reported that British intelligence expressed discontent on multiple occasions regarding RAW's growing participation in Sikh diasporic politics in the country. This was during the tenure of former chief Goel, who was an IPS officer from Punjab and had previously been involved in anti-Khalistan terrorist operations before joining RAW.

The report also includes a statement from an anonymous senior RAW officer who mentioned that if the situation worsens significantly, it could possibly involve the ambassador or high commissioner. However, it is worth noting that things have never reached this level before.

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• Recently, India’s  Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) completed 53 years in service to the nation.
• Established in 1968, to handle the nation’s international intelligence affairs, RAW came into force after the China-India War in 1962.
• At present, the intelligence arm operates under the aegis of the Prime Minister’s Office.
• RAW provides intelligence support to various significant operations on foreign soil.
• RAW works in cooperation with the Intelligence Bureau or other Indian intelligence agencies.
• After the 1962 China-India war and Indo-Pakistani war in 1965 , India established a separate and distinct external intelligence organization – the Research and Analysis Wing.
•  creation of Bangladesh in 1971, 
• the defeat of Pakistan during the Kargil conflict of 1971, 
• the accession of Sikkim in 1975,
• and the increase of India’s support to Afghanistan.

Working mechanism of RAW  

• RAW collects military, economic, scientific, and political intelligence through covert and overt operations. 
• It also monitors terrorist elements and smuggling rings that transport weapons and ammunition into India.
• It primarily focuses on India’s neighbours. The collected inputs by RAW also help Indian officials, which are further used in national security policy and revise the foreign policy.

Attached Bodies

• The Aerial Reconnaissance Centre (ARC) collects high-quality overhead imagery of activities and installations in neighbouring countries.
• Special Frontier Force:

The inspector general of a paramilitary force of India, the Special Frontier Force reports to the director-general of security for RAW. While the force has functions independent of RAW, it is often fielded to support covert and overt RAW missions.

Source: AIR                                      

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Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)

Recently, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of senior IPS officer Ravi Sinha as the chief of India’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) for a period of two years.

About research and analysis wing (r&aw).

• It was established in 1968 to handle the India’s international intelligence affairs.
• It came into force after the China-India War in 1962.
• At present, the intelligence arm operates under the aegis of the Prime Minister’s Office.
• Working mechanism : It collects military, economic, scientific, and political intelligence through covert and overt operations.
• The agency is also charged with monitoring terrorist elements and smuggling rings that transport weapons and ammunition into India.

Genesis of RAW

• Until 1968, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) was responsible for India’s internal intelligence and also handled external intelligence.
• However, after the 1962 China-India war and the Indo-Pakistani war in 1965, India established a separate and distinct external intelligence organization – the Research and Analysis Wing.
• In 1968, then India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi appointed R. N. Kao as the first director of RAW.

Q1) What is the role of Intelligence Bureau of India?

The IB is responsible for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence related to threats to India's internal security. This includes activities such as monitoring terrorist organizations, extremist groups, and other elements posing a threat to law and order within the country.

Source:   RAW’s Ravi Sinha who headed operations is now the agency’s new chief

Secret Intelligence Documents Show Global Reach of India’s Death Squads

Leaked Pakistani intelligence backs up Canada’s claim of an Indian assassination program.

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The Indian government’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, or RAW, has been planning assassinations targeting Sikh and Kashmiri activists living in foreign countries, according to secret Pakistani intelligence assessments leaked to The Intercept.

The intelligence documents identify a series of threats against people living in Pakistan from RAW, which Pakistani security officials believe is working in conjunction with local criminal and dissident networks to carry out assassinations and other attacks. According to the documents, RAW is targeting individuals and religious institutions alleged to support an armed insurgency in the disputed territory of Kashmir, as well as militant Sikh activists living in Pakistan and wanted by the Indian government.

The documents offer compelling substantiation for the sensational claim that India has been carrying out a transnational assassination program against its political enemies. The Canadian government first made headlines in September with the accusation that Indian intelligence agents orchestrated the assassination of Sikh Canadian activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. Nijjar was gunned down outside a gurdwara — a Sikh temple — this summer in Surrey, British Columbia.

FBI Warned Sikhs in the U.S. About Death Threats After Killing of Canadian Activist

In October in Britain, the family of activist Avtar Singh Khanda called for an inquest into his sudden death, alleging that he had been poisoned by Indian intelligence agents following a series of public threats to his life. In September, The Intercept reported on threats to Sikh activists in the U.S. after the FBI warned a number of Sikh Americans about intelligence showing that their lives were in danger after the killing of Nijjar. In 2022, a 75-year-old Sikh Canadian man named Ripudaman Singh Malik, who had been acquitted of involvement in a deadly bombing of an Air India flight in 1985, was shot to death in front of his family business in Canada under circumstances that remain unclear. Despite these accusations of involvement in international assassinations, which have caused increased friction in India’s foreign relations, so far little intelligence — Canadian, Pakistani, American, or otherwise — has been made publicly available about these killings.

According to a Pakistani intelligence assessment, this summer RAW was also targeting two Sikh activists in Pakistan for assassination in the cities of Lahore and Islamabad. One alleged target in Islamabad is unnamed, while another is Lakhbir Singh Rode, a prominent Sikh separatist leader living in Pakistan since the 1990s who has long been accused of terrorism by India’s government. Rode was involved in a movement that aimed to create an independent nation in the region of Punjab known as Khalistan in the 1980s and ’90s. That campaign was crushed by a brutal counterinsurgency that claimed the lives of thousands of Sikhs, while forcing many more into exile.

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Rode’s son, a Canadian citizen named Bhagat Singh, is, like his father, prominent in the diaspora movement for Sikh separatism. He told The Intercept that his father has long been living under threat from Indian intelligence. 

“It is a well-known fact that he has been on the Indian government’s hit list for years,” Singh said, adding that he was also warned by Canadian intelligence about threats to his own life following the assassination of Nijjar this summer, which he presumes are from Indian intelligence.

“When [Nijjar] was killed, the response from many of us to our governments was, ‘We told you so,’” added Singh, referring to the community of diaspora Sikh activists. “But there is also a lot of anger that a foreign government could simply come here and murder a Canadian citizen.”

The Pakistani, Indian, and Canadian embassies did not provide comment for this story. The pace of suspected attacks inside Pakistan against individuals wanted by India appears to have accelerated in recent weeks. On November 13, India media reported the killing of another militant connected to an Islamist group in Karachi. The possible assassination followed the killings of two other Islamist militants wanted by India that had taken place recently in Pakistan’s tribal regions and the disputed territory of Kashmir . While covered in great detail by the Indian press, these killings have gone almost unmentioned in Pakistan, where local media and civil society are under de facto military control following the removal of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The lack of attention to the suspected assassinations of both political dissidents and militants has prompted calls for more pressure on India from some members of its diaspora. 

“Anyone who speaks out against the Indian government anywhere in the world is under threat,” said Singh.

The secret documents , which were produced by Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau, a civilian-controlled security agency somewhat akin to the FBI, show serious concern that Indian intelligence will carry out more killings on its soil in the future.

In May, the Pakistan Intelligence Bureau warned that Indian intelligence agents based in two other countries, the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan, are being activated to carry out operations in Pakistan, suggesting that Indian operatives have a footprint throughout the region. In September, an Intelligence Bureau document again warned that the Indian government’s intelligence agency was planning “terrorist attacks” and assassinations against targets inside Pakistan: RAW agents were operating from a militant training camp in the Afghan city of Spin Boldak, it said, “to target wanted / prominent Sikh personalities in Pakistan.”

The documents are marked “Not to be disclosed/Communicated to any unauthorized person,” and The Intercept is not publishing them in full in order to protect the source who provided them. The documents specifically name threats to militants involved in the Kashmiri and Sikh separatist causes, as well as conservative Islamic movements in Pakistan. One document states that, “it has been learnt through reliable sources that hostile intelligence agency (RAW) with the collaboration of sub-nationalist groups / anti-state activists and local criminal networks is already planning to carry out terrorist attacks on the marakiz / masjid / religious seminaries / leaders / notables of Ahl-e-Hadith sect linked with organizations remained active in the Kashmir Jihad.” 

Inside Pakistan, a spate of assassinations and other attacks in recent years targeted people alleged to be involved in Sikh and Kashmiri separatism as well as Islamist militancy inside India. This October, the Pakistani government arrested people it says were involved in targeted killings of suspected militants inside Pakistan. The killings were attributed in public statements to a “hostile spy agency,” a common reference to Indian intelligence in Pakistani official communications. This summer, a former commando in Pakistan’s elite Rangers paramilitary unit was also arrested on accusations of running a network carrying out assassinations of accused militants on behalf of RAW.

“Usually, the truth of these things are only fully known decades later, but India has a long history of these types of actions.”

“The general perception in the West is that India can do no wrong and that when Pakistan accuses India of doing these types of things, they’re just being paranoid. But that is not borne out by history,” said Arif Rafiq, a scholar at the Middle East Institute and specialist on Pakistan. “Usually, the truth of these things are only fully known decades later, but India has a long history of these types of actions. When you piece it all together, it seems clear that there is a campaign today by India’s government to take an offensive strategy against these groups.”

The Pakistani government has periodically accused RAW of involvement in bombings and targeted killings inside Pakistan, including attacks against Chinese nationals working in the country and bombings targeting militant leaders wanted by India. These attacks have often been claimed publicly by separatist or extremist groups at war with the Pakistani state, including in the restive provinces of Balochistan and Sindh, that Pakistan accuses of being supported by India. The Indian government, for its part, has denied involvement in these operations or patronage of Pakistan-based militant groups, while accusing Pakistan of supporting Sikh and Kashmiri militants who have fought against it in the past.

This March, the Atlantic Council, an American think tank, published an anonymous article titled, “Who is Behind the Killings of Kashmiri Militants in Pakistan?” The article pointed to the recent killings of several former Kashmiri insurgents living in Pakistan whom the author claimed had been murdered by Indian intelligence in attacks that were left unsolved, attributed to Pakistan-based separatist groups, or deemed by the police to have been robberies gone wrong. Many of the killings targeted people who had been involved in fighting during the peak of the 1990s-era insurgency in Kashmir, but had later settled down to live and work inside Pakistan. 

The article warned that the killings by Indian intelligence may torpedo attempts at rapprochement between India and Pakistan by inviting reprisals from militant groups themselves, stating, “While militant groups that have operated in Kashmir are not as strong as they used to be, they still possess significant capabilities to strike back. The assassination of their former comrades, whether perceived or real, may trigger an angry response, thus endangering peace and stability in the region.” The article also cited a former militant criticizing Pakistan’s military establishment for turning a blind eye to the killing of ex-militants on its soil as the Kashmir dispute has lost priority in Pakistan’s foreign policy.

The anonymously authored article was subsequently pulled from the Atlantic Council website. The article was replaced with a note stating it had been removed “because it did not go through the Atlantic Council’s standard editorial process prior to publication.” 

Members of Pakistan’s Sikh community take part in a protest in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Sept. 20, 2023, following the killing in Canada of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Rode, the individual named as a target in Pakistani intelligence documents, is the nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Sikh militant leader of the 1980s separatist insurrection. That family connection has kept him on the radar of Indian authorities, who announced the confiscation of land belonging to Rode in India this fall amid a broader crackdown on diaspora Sikh dissidents and their families.

Rode, who is living in Lahore, was described in a Pakistani intelligence document as having already been surveilled by Indian intelligence agents at a housing complex and gurdwara in the city. Information about his place of residence and the gurdwara that he frequents are included in the report, which suggests that he and another Sikh activist are at imminent risk from Indian agents or locals acting under Indian instruction. The documents warn Pakistani officials to use “heightened vigilance” and “foolproof security measures” to guard them. 

According to family members, threats to Rode have increased in recent years, forcing him to go deeper into seclusion. His son, Bhagat Singh, says that surveillance photographs of his father’s car and residence had previously been sent to Pakistani authorities by Indian intelligence, as part of a demand by India to Pakistan to turn him over.

Singh said that he himself had been placed on Canada’s no-fly list after the Indian government accused him of involvement in planning terrorist attacks in India. Singh, who is seeking legal means to remove himself from the list, strongly rejects these accusations, saying that they are part of an international campaign by the Indian government to silence dissidents in its diaspora.

“The Sikh diaspora holds protests and lobbies Western governments to speak up against the Indian government, and it is for this that we are being targeted,” Singh said. “They don’t have to prove anything in court when they make these accusations. They simply label anyone as a terrorist who fights for their rights or says that they don’t want to live under their rule anymore after what has been done to them.”

“They don’t have to prove anything in court when they make these accusations. They simply label anyone as a terrorist who fights for their rights.”

Though the Khalistan movement has been mostly suppressed in Indian Punjab, supporters have continued to rally for the cause in the diaspora, including from Pakistan and Western countries. As a result of recent protests in Western countries, some of which have resulted in vandalism and threats to Indian consular staff, the Indian government has angrily accused foreign states of nurturing the Khalistan movement in exile. Many Sikhs themselves reject what they say is an attempt by the Indian government to extend its political authority over them even as they live and gain citizenship in foreign countries.

“The diaspora is an extension of people from Punjab,” said Harinder Singh, senior fellow at the Sikh-related public education organization the Sikh Research Institute. “When dissent is being crushed, even at the level of using extrajudicial killings inside Punjab, the people who manage to escape will of course find ways to talk about these issues from abroad.”

In addition to high-profile suspected murders in Western countries, recent years have also seen at least two killings of supporters of the Khalistan movement in Pakistan. In May, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, the leader of a Pakistan-based Sikh militant organization was shot to death by an assailant on a motorcycle while out for a walk near his home in Lahore. His killing came two years after the murder of another Sikh activist in Pakistan named Harmeet Singh, who was also shot to death in Lahore near the same gurdwara frequented by Rode.

“India has been carrying out activities like this in South Asia for years. The only difference is that today they have been discovered doing it in a Western democracy,” said Harinder Singh. “Despite many hypocrisies among Western democracies, one thing that they still do take very seriously is a foreign power taking the lives of their own citizens.”

Following the assassination of Nijjar in Canada this summer, Pakistan again publicly alleged that India was running a “network of extra-territorial killings” that had now gone global. The Indian government has responded angrily to accusations from Canada and other Five Eyes countries that it is running a transnational assassination program. 

But as more details on the scope and nature of its operations come to light, the crisis over the killing of Nijjar, and potentially other Sikh dissidents, seems unlikely to disappear. The targeting of Rode and other Sikhs in foreign countries suggest that India is taking a more aggressive stance in targeting perceived enemies across borders, including through violent means.

“These killings show that India feels emboldened and that it has the geopolitical space to take these kinds of risks. There has never been an instance where it has been held to account for its excesses,” said Middle East Institute’s Rafiq. “Frankly, nobody would care if they were only killing people in Pakistan. It’s only until something happens on the other side of the world that people start paying attention.”

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How To Join RAW India (Research And Analysis Wing)

• February 28, 2024
• 180 Comments

Have you ever wondered how to join RAW and become part of India’s elite external intelligence agency? The Research and Analysis Wing, commonly referred to by its acronym RAW, stands as the forefront of ensuring national security, engaging in critical operations that safeguard India from external threats. Since its inception in 1968, RAW has evolved to become a pivotal player in India’s strategic interests, handling tasks that range from gathering political and military intelligence to performing anti-terror operations.

For individuals who aspire to serve their country in a capacity that transcends conventional frontiers, understanding the full form of RAW, its significant role in protecting India’s security interests, and the agency’s remarkable history, including its role in the formation of Bangladesh and its strategies during the Kargil War, is an essential first step. Raw India’s exploits resonate not just within our nation’s borders but have echoed across continents, influencing global geopolitical landscapes.

Embarking on a journey to join RAW demands a comprehensive grasp of the agency’s meticulous recruitment and training process. Our article aims to shed light on the eligibility criteria you must meet and the precise steps you need to undertake to be considered for a role as a RAW agent.

As a trusted beacon for defense aspirants, we recognize your ambition to rise above the ordinary and we strive to mentor you on how to become a RAW agent, uncovering details such as the RAW agent salary and career progression within the agency. Joining RAW is not just about harnessing skills; it’s about embodying a sense of purpose that aligns with national pride and duty.

We will navigate through each phase—from the recruitment process to the rigorous training that shapes exceptional RAW agents—ensuring that your pursuit of joining RAW, India’s esteemed intelligence ward, is illuminated with clarity and ambition. Let us inspire and equip you with all you need to realize your potential and embark on a career marked by valor and intelligence, synonymous with RAW’s legacy of excellence.

Understanding RAW and Its Function

As we delve into the essence of RAW, India’s premier intelligence agency, it’s pivotal to comprehend its core functions and the magnitude of its operations. Established in 1968, under the aegis of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, RAW’s inception was a strategic move to bolster India’s intelligence capabilities, particularly in foreign territories. The full form of RAW, which stands for Research and Analysis Wing, encapsulates its mission to conduct research and analysis that is critical to the nation’s safety and strategic interests.

Key Objectives and Functions of RAW:

• Monitoring Developments:  RAW’s primary mandate involves keeping a vigilant eye on political, military, economic, and scientific advancements in countries that could impact India’s security. This surveillance is crucial in preempting any threats and formulating strategic responses.
• Counter-Terrorism:  The agency is at the forefront of tracking terrorist factions and disrupting smuggling networks that funnel illicit arms into the country, thereby fortifying India’s defense against internal and external threats.
• Covert Operations:  RAW agents are trained to execute covert operations with the aim to safeguard India’s national interests. These operations are often shrouded in secrecy but are vital in maintaining the country’s sovereignty and security.

Notable Achievements and Structure:

• Historical Impact:  The agency has been instrumental in several key operations, including the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971 and the integration of Sikkim in 1975, showcasing its pivotal role in shaping India’s geopolitical narrative.
• Direct Reporting:  Unlike other intelligence bodies, RAW maintains a direct reporting line to the Prime Minister, facilitated through the Joint Intelligence Committee, ensuring swift and confidential communication of sensitive information.
• Organizational Hierarchy:  At the structural core, RAW is comprised of the Office of Special Operations, Additional Secretaries, and a dedicated Aviation and Special Services division, all collaborating to fulfill the agency’s expansive mission.

Challenges and Operational Reach:

• Equipment and Manpower:  Despite being ranked among the top five intelligence agencies globally, RAW faces significant challenges, such as a severe staff shortage, with an estimated 40% deficit in personnel as of 2013.
• Strategic Bureaus:  The agency extends its intelligence network through 10 field formations, known as Special Bureaus, strategically positioned in major cities near India’s borders, to gather vital intelligence from neighboring nations.
• Military Hardware Control:  A significant aspect of RAW’s objectives includes monitoring and curtailing the flow of military hardware to Pakistan, predominantly sourced from the United States, China, and Europe, thereby maintaining a balance of power in the region.

In our pursuit of understanding how to join RAW and the full form of RAW, we recognize that aspiring RAW agents must align with the agency’s unwavering commitment to national security. With this knowledge of RAW India, we can appreciate the gravity and prestige associated with becoming a RAW agent. As we continue our exploration, we will uncover the steps on how to become a RAW agent, the raw agent salary, and the profound career paths that lie ahead for those who dare to dream of serving their nation at the highest level of intelligence and valor.

Eligibility Criteria for Joining RAW

Embarking on the esteemed journey to join RAW, India’s premier intelligence agency, necessitates meeting a set of stringent eligibility criteria. These prerequisites are designed to ensure that only the most capable and dedicated individuals are entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding our nation’s security and interests. As aspirants like you seek to understand how to become a RAW agent, it is imperative to familiarize yourself with the fundamental requirements:

• Must be an Indian citizen.
• Should have a clean record with no criminal background or pending court cases.
• A graduation degree from a recognized university is mandatory.
• Proficiency in at least one foreign language is highly beneficial.
• Candidates often emerge from esteemed positions within the Civil Services, having cleared the rigorous Civil Service Exam, including roles in the IAS, IPS, or IRS.
• Recruitment also extends to meritorious individuals from Indian armed forces such as the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
• Individuals with significant experience, typically more than 20 years in service, are preferred.
• Lateral deputation is another pathway, targeting the Officers Corps of Armed Forces or Group A Civil Service Officers.
• While the exact age limit is not officially specified, candidates are generally expected to be between 25-45 years old.
• Physical fitness is paramount, given the demanding nature of RAW operations.
• Exceptional communication skills are essential for the role of a RAW agent.

As a RAW agent, you will be at the vanguard of defending national security, acquiring critical foreign intelligence, and combating terrorism. You will also play a pivotal role in influencing foreign governments and shaping public opinion globally. The raw agent salary and career trajectory reflect the high stakes and significant responsibilities of the position. With the full form of RAW symbolizing the Research and Analysis Wing, your alignment with the agency’s mission and your adherence to these eligibility criteria will be the first step in your journey towards joining RAW India’s cadre of elite intelligence professionals.

The Recruitment Process

Embarking on the path to join RAW, the Research and Analysis Wing of India, is a journey of meticulous selection and dedication. As we continue to explore how to join RAW, we now focus on the recruitment process, which is as strategic and discerning as the operations of RAW itself.

• Aspirants must first clear the UPSC Civil Services Exam, which is the gateway for various civil services in India, including the IPS and IFS, from which RAW often recruits.
• The full form of RAW stands for precision and excellence, and thus, the agency selects candidates based on stellar performance in the UPSC Exam and their adherence to the eligibility criteria.
• Direct Recruitment at the Class I executive level occurs from civil services officers who are undergoing the Foundation Course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).
• RAW agents, including most secretaries, have historically been officers from the IPS, with other posts being held by officers from the IFS and IRS.
• The selection process for RAW agents intensifies with interviews and psychological assessments conducted at the end of the LBSNAA Foundation Course to identify candidates with the right aptitude for intelligence work.
• Shortlisted candidates are then inducted to work at RAW India for a one-year period, during which their performance and adaptability to the intelligence culture are evaluated.

Eligibility and Preparation :

• Nationality and Legal Standing : Candidates must be unwaveringly loyal Indian citizens, with a clean legal record, free of any criminal background or pending court cases.
• Educational and Age Requirements : A graduation degree from a reputed institution is essential, and candidates must be less than 56 years of age, with a requisite number of years’ experience in government service.
• Language and Skills : Proficiency in at least one foreign language is highly beneficial, reflecting the global operational reach of RAW agents.

By understanding the full form of RAW and aligning with the agency’s mission, you can prepare to navigate the challenging recruitment process. Remember, the raw agent salary is commensurate with the high-stakes and significant responsibilities that come with the role. As you contemplate how to become a RAW agent, keep in mind the dedication and commitment required to serve India’s premier intelligence agency.

Training of RAW Agents

Embarking on the rigorous journey to become a part of RAW, India’s esteemed intelligence agency, involves a meticulously structured training regimen designed to hone a wide array of skills necessary for the multifaceted role of a RAW agent. We aim to provide insights into the comprehensive training process that each aspirant undergoes, reinforcing the commitment to excellence synonymous with the full form of RAW – Research and Analysis Wing.

Basic Training Curriculum

Upon selection, trainees are initiated into the world of intelligence with a robust basic training module that spans various critical areas:

• Espionage Techniques : Trainees are introduced to the art of real-world espionage, learning the nuances of clandestine operations and information gathering.
• Technological Proficiency : Space technology and information security form the backbone of modern intelligence; hence, aspirants are equipped with cutting-edge scientific knowledge.
• Analytical Acumen : A strong emphasis is placed on financial, economic, and geo-strategic analysis to develop the analytical prowess needed for high-stakes decision-making.
• Case Studies : Learning from past successes and failures, trainees study detailed case studies of other intelligence agencies to understand the dynamics of global intelligence work.

Advanced Training: Field Intelligence Bureau (FIB)

After mastering the basics, trainees advance to the Field Intelligence Bureau training, which is an intensive 1-2 year program focusing on:

• Survival Skills : Agents are trained to survive in the most hostile environments, ensuring their readiness for any situation.
• Covert Operations : Mastery in secret operation management, including infiltration and exfiltration techniques, is imparted to handle sensitive missions.
• Interrogation Resistance : Trainees learn to resist and manage interrogation scenarios, a critical skill for maintaining operational integrity.
• Operational Execution : From contact management to mission operation, agents are equipped to execute complex intelligence tasks with precision.

Pathway to Permanent Selection

The journey from trainee to a full-fledged RAW agent is marked by a series of evaluations and choices:

• Initial Induction : Candidates selected through RAS or direct recruitment at the Class 1 Executive Level undergo a year of intensive training, during which their compatibility with intelligence work is assessed.
• Optional Reintegration : At the end of the first year, trainees have the option to return to their parent service, allowing for a reevaluation of their commitment to RAW India’s mission.
• Final Selection : Those who exhibit unwavering dedication and exceptional skill are permanently inducted into the Research and Analysis Service, ready to embark on a career filled with challenges and triumphs.

Throughout the training, the raw agent salary reflects the high stakes and rigorous nature of the work. As you deliberate on how to join RAW and how to become a RAW agent, it’s clear that the path is not easy, but for those who are determined, it’s a journey of transformation into an intelligence professional of the highest caliber. The full form of RAW is a testament to the comprehensive education and preparation that each agent receives, ensuring their readiness to protect and serve with intelligence, valor, and an unwavering sense of duty.

Career Path and Roles in RAW

Embarking on a career with RAW India, the full form of RAW being Research and Analysis Wing, opens up a spectrum of roles that are pivotal to the nation’s security. Here, we outline the career path and roles within RAW, providing a roadmap for aspirants like you, who are seeking to understand how to join RAW and become integral to India’s intelligence framework.

Career Path in RAW

• The journey begins with selection into an elite government job such as IAS or IPS, followed by a national aptitude test in intelligence and psychology, and an interview process.
• Successful candidates are recruited through the Research and Analysis Service (RAS) cadre, part of the Central Staffing Scheme, and undergo a one-year training period to assimilate into RAW’s culture and operations.
• Senior Roles : Secretary/Additional Secretary (R), Joint Secretary
• Mid-level Roles : Director/Deputy Secretary/Attache
• Operational Roles : Senior Field Officer, Field Officer, Deputy Field Officer, Assistant Field Officer
• Advancement through these ranks is contingent on performance, dedication, and the successful execution of missions.
• RAW officials receive the opportunity for international training, equipping them with global intelligence perspectives and operational techniques, which are crucial for RAW agents working in diverse geopolitical landscapes.

Roles and Responsibilities in RAW

• Foreign Intelligence Gathering : As a RAW agent, you will be at the forefront of collecting sensitive information from foreign lands, which is critical for shaping India’s foreign policy and strategic decisions.
• Counter-Terrorism Operations : RAW agents play a decisive role in thwarting terrorism, ensuring the safety of India’s populace and its sovereign interests.
• Policy Advisory : Leveraging the intelligence gathered, RAW agents provide invaluable insights to policymakers, influencing decisions at the highest levels of government.
• Nuclear Security : A RAW agent’s role extends to securing India’s nuclear program, a task of profound national importance.

Maintaining Integrity and Performance

• Performance Review : RAW agents are consistently evaluated for their performance. Those who excel are rewarded with progression, while those who do not meet the standards may face forced retirement.
• Integrity Assurance : The integrity of a RAW agent is paramount. Any doubts regarding an agent’s loyalty or conduct can lead to termination, ensuring the agency remains uncompromised.

As you consider how to join RAW and how to become a RAW agent, it’s clear that the path is demanding yet rewarding. The raw agent salary and benefits are reflective of the high-stakes nature of the work. With RAW India, you are not just choosing a job; you are committing to a lifestyle of vigilance, patriotism, and excellence. Your role within RAW will be instrumental in shaping the security narrative of the nation, and as such, every step of your career will be marked by the pursuit of brilliance and an unwavering dedication to the service of India.

Some of the known activities and operations of RAW are as follows:

• ELINT operations aimed at China
• Bangladesh liberation and aftermath
• Operation Smiling Buddha
• Amalgamation of Sikkim
• Kahuta’s Blueprint
• Operation Lal Dora
• Operation Meghdoot
• Kanishka Bombing case
• Special Operations
• Operation Cactus
• Operations in Sri Lanka
• Anti-Apartheid Movement
• Operation Chanakya
• Overthrowing monarchy in Nepal
• Help to the Northern Alliance
• Operation Leech
• War on Terror
• 2008 Mumbai attacks
• Snatch operations with IB
• 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election

Different Job Roles (Designations )  in RAW

1. What is the process to become an agent in RAW India?

To pursue a career as a RAW agent, candidates must first clear the Combined Graduate Preliminary Exam (CGPE) conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). Subsequently, they need to qualify for the ‘Group A’ Civil Services exam under the Central Staffing Scheme and excel in all stages of the Civil Service examination.

2. Is it possible to join RAW without taking the UPSC exams?

Direct recruitment into RAW is not available; therefore, candidates must go through the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) examination process.

3. Where is the headquarters of RAW located in India?

The headquarters of RAW is situated in New Delhi, which serves as the capital of India and is part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is also the administrative hub for all three branches of the Government of India.

4. What is India’s primary secret intelligence agency?

India’s main foreign intelligence agency is the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).

5. How challenging is it to work for RAW?

Working as a RAW agent is not an easy task; it demands significant hard work, dedication, and a rigorous training process.

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• Comment (180)

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How can i approach for giving an information releated with POK?

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