Tag Archive for 'IB'

Defections and spy scandels of RAW

In recent past there has been few high profile defections and scandals which have tarnished the image of R&AW as efficient agency, some of the scandals that were in news in past are:

2004 CIA Spy scandal:Rabinder Singh Joint secretary and heading R&AW’s South East Asia department had defected to America on June 5, 2004. R&AW had already become suspicious about his movements and he was under surveillance and his telephones were also tapped. He was also confronted by Counter Intelligence officials on 19 April 2004. Despite all precautions Rabinder Singh managed to defect with ‘sensitive files’ he had allegedly removed from R&AW’s headquarters in south New Delhi. This embarrassing fiasco and national security failure are attributed to weak surveillance, shoddy investigation and lack of coordination between the Counter-Intelligence and Security (CIS), IB and R&AW. According to unconfirmed reports Singh has surfaced in Virginia, USA. Recently in an affidavit submitted to the court R&AW deposed that Singh has been traced to New Jersey.

2007 Bangladeshi Spy Scandal: The man in question here was a Bangladeshi DGFI agent who concealed his nationality and was known by the name of Diwan Chand Mallik. He was known to have some important documents which are dangerous for national security. He joined in 1999 and used to live in East Delhi. A case of cheating and forgery was filed at the Lodhi Colony police station on the basis of a complaint by a senior R&AW official.

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook Post to MySpace

Major operations of RAW. Part 2

1.Disturbances in Pakistan:

The Pakistani government claims that dissent among the Balochis, tribals in the North-West Frontier Province, Waziristan, Northern Areas and rural sindhi population is due to R&AW’s interventions. Pakistan also claims that R&AW has established its training camps in Afghanistan in collaboration with the Northern Alliance in a bid to destabilise the region, as a retaliation for Pakistan’s involvement in Kashmir. It is also claimed by Pakistani authorities that approximately 600 ferraris (Baloch tribal dissidents) and members of Islamic Emirate of Waziristan were trained to handle explosives and use sophisticated weapons in these camps,While Pakistan has long complained of India-engineered terrorism on its soil, there is so far no reputable open-source account of either its scale or its course and the Indian government has steadfastly denied any involvement in the Baloch-NWFP problem.

2.Help to the Northern alliance:

After the rise of Pakistan backed Taliban in Afghanistan, India decided to side with the Northern Alliance. This relationship was further cemented in the 2001 Afgan war.By 1996 R&AW had built a 25 bed military hospital at the Farkhor Air Base, this airport was used by Aviation Research Centre, the reconnaissance arm of R&AW, to repair and operate Northern Alliance’s aerial support. India also supplied the Northern Alliance high altitude warfare equipment worth around $8-10 million. A handful of Indian defence advisers who reportedly included an officer in the rank of Brigadier, were based in Tajikistan to advise the Northern Alliane in operations against the Taliban. R&AW was the first intelligence agency to determine the extent of Kunduz airlift.

3.War on Terror:

Although R&AW’s contribution to the war on terror is highly classified, the organization gained some attention in the western media after claims that it was assisting the United States by providing intelligence on Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban’s whereabouts. Maps and photographs of terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan along with other evidence implicating Osama bin Laden in terrorist attacks, were given to US intelligence officials. R&AW’s role in the war on terror may increase as US intelligence has indicated that it sees R&AW as a more reliable ally than Pakistani intelligence. It has further come to light that a timely tip-off by RAW helped foil a third assassination plot against Pakistan’s President General Pervez Musharraf.

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook Post to MySpace

Major operations of RAW. Part 1

1. ELINT operations in Himalayas

After China tested its first nuclear weapons on October 16, 1964, at Lop Nur, Xinjiang, India and USA shared a common fear about the nuclear capabilities of China. Owing to extreme remoteness of Chinese testing grounds and strict secrecy surrounding the Chinese nuclear programme, it was almost impossible to carry out any HUMINT operation. So CIA in late 60s decided to launch an ELINT operation along with R&AW and ARC to track China’s nuclear tests and monitor its missile launches. The operation, in the garb of a mountaineering expedition to Nanda Devi involved celebrated Indian climber M S Kohli who along with operatives of Special Frontier Force and CIA most notably Jim Rhyne, a veteran STOL pilot, was to place a permanent ELINT device, a transceiver powered by a plutonium battery, that could detect and report data on future nuclear tests carried out by China. The monitoring device was near successfully implanted on Nanda Devi, however an avalanche forced a hasty withdrawal, later a subsequent mountain operation to retrieve or replant the device was aborted when it was found that the device was lost. Recent reports indicate that radiation traces from this device have been discovered in sediment below the mountain. However the actual data is not conclusive.

2.Creation of Bangladesh:

In the early 1970s the army of Pakistan prosecuted a bloody military crackdown in response to the Bangladesh independence movement. Nearly 10 million refugees fled to India. The R&AW’s Bangladesh operation began in early 1970 by sowing discord among the disgruntled population of Bangladesh (then called East Pakistan), suffering repression by the Pakistani political establishment. This led to the creation of Mukti Bahini and under its cover R&AW operatives infiltrated into East Pakistan for guerrilla operations, blowing up Pakistani assets to damage the operational mobility of their troops. R&AW emerged as a formidable intelligence agency after this success. The Bangladesh Liberation War is considered to be one of the greatest success of R&AW till date.

3.Operation Smiling Buddha:
Operation Smiling Buddha was the name given India’s nuclear programme. The task to keep it under tight wraps for security was given to R&AW. This was the first time that R&AW was involved in a project inside India. On 18 May 1974 India detonated a 15-kiloton plutonium device at Pokhran and became a member of the nuclear club.

4.Amalgamation of Sikkim:
Bodered by Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and West Bengal in the Eastern Himalayas Sikkim was ruled by a Maharaja. The Indian Government had recognized the title of Chogyal (Dharma Raja) for the Maharaja of Sikkim. In 1972 R&AW was authorized to install a pro-Indian democratic government there. In less than three years Sikkim became the 22nd State of the Indian Union, on April 26, 1975.

5.Operation Chanakya:

This was the R&AW operation in the disputed Kashmir region to infiltrate various ISI-backed Kashmiri terrorist groups and restore peace in the Kashmir valley. R&AW operatives infiltrated the area, collected military intelligence, and provided evidence about ISI’s involvement in training and funding Kashmiri terrorist groups. R&AW was successful not only in unearthing the links between the ISI and the terrorist groups, but also in infiltrating and neutralizing the militancy in the Kashmir valley. R&AW is also credited for creating a split in Hizbul. Operation Chanakya also marked the creation of pro-Indian groups in Kashmir like the Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen, Musleem Mujahideen etc. These counter-insurgencies consist of ex-militants and relatives of those slain in the conflict. Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen leader Kokka Parrey was himself assassinated by terrorists

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook Post to MySpace

List of all the Intelligence agencies operated by the Gov.t of India

Source :wikipedia

Research and Analysis Wing
The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) of the Cabinet secretariat was formed on September 21, 1968 and handles India’s external covert intelligence gathering. Although its budget is unknown, some estimates peg it at $160 million. It is believed to have about 10,000 agents in its payroll. The Chief of R&AW is designated as Secretary (R). The first to hold this post was R. N. Kao of the IB. Subsequent Secretaries have been K. Sankaran Nair, N. Suntook, G. C. Saxena, S. E. Joshi, A. K. Verma, G. S. Bajpai, N. Narasimhan, J. S. Bedi, A. S. Syali, R. Roy, A. K. Dave, A. S. Dulat, V. Sood, and C. D. Sahay. The current Secretary is P. K. Hormis Tharakan.

Intelligence Bureau
The IB was established in 1947 to assume responsibility for India’s domestic security. The IB is shrouded in secrecy and there is little public information concerning its main operations. In work sense IB has done tremendous work and has many success to its credit.It is believed that it is instrumental in breaking and averting many terrorist operations in India. IB has worked in cohesion with state police to breakdown terrorist network.

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
This agency was established on 5 March 2002 with the appointment of Lt. General Kamal Davar as the first Director General (DG). The DG reports to the Chief Of Defence Staffs (CDS). It is supposed to be the nodal agency for all defence related intelligence, thus distinguishing it from the RAW. This agency also controls the Directorate of Signals Intelligence and the Defence Image Processing and Analysis Centre (DIPAC).

Joint Cipher Bureau
The Joint Cipher Bureau works closely with the IB and RAW. It is responsible for cryptanalysis and encryption of sensitive data. The inter-services Joint Cipher Bureau has primary responsibility for cryptology and SIGINT, providing coordination and direction to the other military service organisations with similar mission. Most current equipment providing tactical intelligence is of Russian origin, including specialised direction finding and monitoring equipment.
The Joint Cipher Bureau is also responsible for issues relating to public and private key management. The cryptographic situation in India is in the early stages of development. Cryptographic products are export-controlled licenced items, and licences to India are not generally available for products of key length of more than 56 bits. The domestic Indian computer industry primarily produces PCs, and PC-compatible cryptographic products have been developed and are being used commercially. More robust cryptologic systems are not commercially produced in India, and progress in this field has been slow due to the general unavailability of technology and know-how.] Customised cryptographic products have been designed and produced by organisations in the defense sector are engaged in the implementation of cryptographic techniques, protocols and the products.

All India Radio Monitoring Service
The Central Monitoring Service of All India Radio monitors all radio broadcasts in India as well as all foreign radio broadcasts which can be received in India.
Joint Intelligence Committee
The JIC is entrusted with the tasks of coordinating intelligence between all government agencies, civilian and military. Now formed as a part of the third tier of the National Security Council Secretariat, it consists of experts on several issues who analyse intelligence inputs.

Signals Intelligence Directorate
The Signals Intelligence Directorate is a joint service organisation, manned by personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force. It has a large number of WEUs (Wireless Experimental Units) that carry out the task of monitoring military links of other countries.
The Central Monitoring Organisation(CMO) is directly under the Ministry of Defence. It has several monitoring companies, located at different locations around the country. Their job is to monitor use of radio spectrum by all users, such as Defence, Police, AIR, Railways, PSUs etc.

Aviation Research Centre
The ARC is the SIGINT (signals intelligence) arm of the RAW.It has stations in Chakrata near Dehradun in Uttarakhand, Dum Duma near Tinsukia in Assam, Charbatia near Cuttack in Orissa, Palam Airport in Delhi and at the Farkhor Air Base at Farkhor/Ayni in Tajikistan. It reports to the Director General of Security and RAW.

Directorate of Air Intelligence
The DAI is responsible for air and satellite reconnaissance missions

Directorate of Navy Intelligence
This is the Indian Navy’s intelligence arm.

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook Post to MySpace