Research and

Analysis Wing

The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW

or RAW) (IAST: Anusaṃdhān Aur Viśleṣaṇ
Viṅg) is the foreign intelligence agency of
India. It was established in 1968
following the intelligence failures of the
Sino-Indian War, which persuaded the
Government of India to create a
specialised, independent agency
dedicated to foreign intelligence
gathering;[2] previously, both domestic
and foreign intelligence had been the
purview of the Intelligence Bureau.[3]
 Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)

Wing overview

Formed 21 September 1968

Headquarters CGO Complex, New

Delhi, India[1]
28°35′19.0″N
77°14′16.3″E

Motto धम र त र त:
(The law protects
when it is protected)

Employees Classified

Annual budget Classified

Minister responsible Narendra Modi, Prime

Minister of India
Wing executive Samant Goel, IPS,
Secretary

Parent Wing Cabinet Secretariat

Child agencies The Aviation Research

Centre
Radio Research Center
Electronics and
Technical Services
National Technical
Research
Organisation
Special Frontier Force
Special Group

During the nine-year tenure of its first

Director, Rameshwar Nath Kao, R&AW
quickly came to prominence in the global
intelligence community, playing a role in
major events such as the accession of
the state of Sikkim to India.[4] The
agency's primary function is gathering
foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism,
counter-proliferation, advising Indian
policymakers, and advancing India's
foreign strategic interests.[5][6][7] It is also
involved in the security of India's nuclear
programme.[8][9] Many foreign analysts
consider the R&AW to be an effective
organisation and identify it as one of the
primary instruments of India's national
power.[10][11]

Headquartered in New Delhi, R&AW's

current chief is Samant Goel.[12] The
head of RAW is designated Secretary (R)
in the Cabinet Secretariat, and is under
the direct command of the Prime
Minister, and reports on an
administrative basis to the Cabinet
Secretary of India, who reports to the
Prime Minister.

History
Background: 1923–68

Prior to the inception of the Research

and Analysis Wing, overseas intelligence
collection was primarily the responsibility
of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which was
created by the British raj. In 1933,
sensing the political turmoil in the world
which eventually led to the Second World
War, the Intelligence Bureau's
responsibilities were increased to include
the collection of intelligence along India's
borders.

In 1947, after independence, Sanjeevi

Pillai took over as the first Indian Director
of the IB. Having been depleted of trained
manpower by the exit of the British after
Indian independence, Pillai tried to run
the bureau on MI5 lines. In 1949, Pillai
organised a small foreign intelligence
operation, but the Indian debacle in the
Sino-Indian War of 1962 showed it to be
ineffective. Foreign intelligence failure
during the 1962 Sino-Indian War led then-
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to order
a dedicated foreign intelligence agency
to be established.[5][7] After the Indo-
Pakistani war of 1965, the Chief of Army
Staff, General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri,
also called for more intelligence-
gathering.[5][6] Around the end of 1966
the concept of a separate foreign
intelligence agency began to take
concrete shape.

Formation of RAW in 1968 to

present

The Indira Gandhi administration decided

that a full-fledged second security
service was needed. R. N. Kao, then a
deputy director of the Intelligence
Bureau, submitted a blueprint for the new
agency.[13] Kao was appointed as the
chief of India's first foreign intelligence
agency, the Research and Analysis
Wing.[14]:259 The R&AW was given the
responsibility for strategic external
intelligence, human as well as technical,
plus concurrent responsibility with the
Directorate-General of Military
Intelligence for tactical trans-border
military intelligence up to a certain depth
across the Line of control (LOC) and the
international border.[5][7]
The framework of Indian intelligence

R&AW started as a wing of the main

Intelligence Bureau with 250 employees
and an annual budget of 20 million
(US$289,302.00). In the early seventies,
its annual budget had risen to 300 million
(US$4.3 million) while its personnel
numbered several thousand. In 1971, Kao
had persuaded the Government to set up
the Aviation Research Centre (ARC). The
ARC's job was aerial
reconnaissance.[15][16] It replaced the
Indian Air Force's old reconnaissance
aircraft, and by the mid-1970s, R&AW,
through the ARC, had high quality aerial
pictures of the installations along the
Chinese and Pakistani borders. In 2007,
the budget of R&AW is speculated to be
as high as US$450 million[17][18] to as low
as US$100 million.[19]

Slowly other child agencies such as The

Radio Research Center and Electronics &
Tech. Services were added to R&AW in
the 1970s and 1990s. In the 1970s, the
Special Frontier Force moved to R&AW's
control, working to train Bengali
rebels.[14]:262 In 1977, R&AW's operations
and staff were dramatically cut under the
premiership of Morarji Desai, which hurt
the organization's capabilities[20] with the
shutting of entire sections of R&AW, like
its Information Division.[21] These cuts
were reduced following Gandhi's return.

In 2004 Government of India added yet

another signal intelligence agency called
the National Technical Facilities
Organisation (NTFO), which was later
renamed as National Technical Research
Organisation (NTRO). While the exact
nature of the operations conducted by
NTRO is classified, it is believed that it
deals with research on imagery and
communications using various
platforms.[5][6][6]
The Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC),
under the Cabinet Secretariat, is
responsible for coordinating and
analysing intelligence activities between
R&AW, the Intelligence Bureau and the
Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). In
practice, however, the effectiveness of
the JIC has been varied.[22] With the
establishment of the National Security
Council in 1999, the role of the JIC has
been merged with the NSC. R&AW's legal
status is unusual, in that it is not an
"Agency", but a "Wing" of the Cabinet
Secretariat. Hence, R&AW is not
answerable to the Parliament of India on
any issue, which keeps it out of reach of
the Right to Information Act.[23][24] This
exemption was granted through Section
24 read with Schedule II of the act.[25]
However, information regarding the
allegations of corruption and human
rights violations has to be
disclosed.[25][26]

Objectives
The present R&AW[27] objectives include:

Monitoring the political, military,

economic and scientific developments
in countries which have a direct
bearing on India's national security and
the formulation of its foreign policy.
Moulding international public opinion
and influence foreign governments
 with the help of the strong and vibrant
Indian diaspora.
Covert Operations to safe guard India's
National interests.
Anti – Terror Operations and
neutralising terror elements posing a
threat to India.

In the past, following the Sino-Indian war

of 1962 and due to India's volatile
relations with Pakistan, R&AW's
objectives had also consisted the
following:

To watch the development of

international communism and the
schism between the two big
communist nations, the Soviet Union
 and China. As with other countries,
both these powers had direct access
to the communist parties in India.
To control and limit the supply of
military hardware to Pakistan, from
mostly European countries, America
and more importantly from China.[5][6]

Organisational structure

Organisational structure of R&AW.

R&AW has been organised on the lines of

the CIA.[28] The head of R&AW is
designated Secretary (R) in the Cabinet
Secretariat. Most of the previous chiefs
have been experts on either Pakistan or
China.[29] They also have the benefit of
training in either the USA or the UK, and
more recently in Israel.[30] The Secretary
(R), is under the direct command of the
Prime Minister, and reports on an
administrative basis to the Cabinet
Secretary, who reports to the Prime
Minister. On a daily basis the Secretary
(R) also reports to the National Security
Adviser. Reporting to the Secretary (R)
are:[31][32]

An Additional Secretary responsible for

the Office of Special Operations and
intelligence collected from different
countries processed by large number
of Joint Secretaries, who are the
functional heads of various specified
desks with different regional
divisions/areas/countries: Area one –
Pakistan; Area two – China and
Southeast Asia; Area three – the
Middle East and Africa; and Area four
– other countries. Two Special Joint
Secretaries, reporting to the Additional
Secretary, head the Electronics and
Technical Department which is the
nodal agency for ETS, NTRO and the
RRC.
The Directorate General of Security has
two important sections – the Aviation
 Research Centre is headed by one
Special Secretary and the Special
Services Bureau controlled by two
Special Secretaries.[33]

The internal structure of the R&AW is a

matter of speculation, but brief overviews
of the same are present in the public
domain. Attached to the Headquarters of
R&AW at Lodhi Road, New Delhi are
different regional headquarters, which
have direct links to overseas stations and
are headed by a controlling officer who
keeps records of different projects
assigned to field officers who are posted
abroad. Intelligence is usually collected
from a variety of sources by field officers
and deputy field officers; it is either
preprocessed by a senior field officer or
by a desk officer. The desk officer then
passes the information to the Joint
Secretary and then on to the Additional
Secretary and from there it is
disseminated to the concerned end user.
R&AW personnel are called "Research
Officers" instead of the traditional
"agents". There is a sizeable number of
female officers in R&AW even at the
operational level. In recent years, R&AW
has shifted its primary focus from
Pakistan to China and have started
operating a separate desk for this
purpose.[31]

List of Secretaries
 Took
No. Name Left office Notes
office

Founder of R&AW, ARC • Bangladesh Liberation

War • Operation Smiling Buddha • Amalgamation of
1 R. N. Kao 1968 1977
Sikkim • ELINT operation with the CIA against
China

Resigned from service in protest of downgrading

K. Sankaran
2 1977 1977 the designation of Head of R&AW as Director,
Nair
R&AW instead of Secretary (R).

Founder Director of RRC, ETS • Executed operation

N. F. Lal Dora • He had the unique distinction of working
3 1977 1983
Suntook under Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai and Charan
Singh.

Collaborated with the Intelligence Agencies of

Girish
United States, the erstwhile USSR, China, Iran,
4 Chandra 1983 1986
Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, etc. • Kanishka Bombing
Saxena
• Operation Blue Star

Continued collaboration with Intelligence Agencies

• During his tenure, the post of Director of RA&W
5 S. E. Joshi 1986 1987
was re-designated as Secretary (R) and this
designation has continued since then.

6 A. K. Verma 1987 1990 Operation Cactus • Indian Peace Keeping Force

7 G. S. Bajpai 1990 1991 Counter Insurgency operations

N.
8 1991 1993
Narasimhan

Chief during 1993 Mumbai bombings • Specialist in

9 J. S. Bedi 1993 1993
China, Pakistan and counter terrorism.

Increased economic surveillance • Emphasis on

10 A. S. Syali 1993 1996
advanced training and more recruitment

11 Ranjan Roy 1996 1997 Negotiation on Farkhor Air Base

12 Arvind Dave 1997 1999 Kargil War • Operation Shakti

13 A. S. Dulat 1999 2000 Negotiated with IC 814 hijackers[34][35]

13
Vikram 31 March Founder of National Technical Facilities
14 December
Sood 2003 Organisation
2000
15 C. D. Sahay 1 April 31 Revamped ARC • Inauguration of R&AW
2003 January headquarters at Lodhi Road, New Delhi
2005

Was instrumental in setting up of Nuclear

1 31
P. K. H. Command Authority (India) • negotiated the end of
16 February January
Tharakan Nepalese Civil War by persuading warring parties
2005 2007
to sign the Comprehensive Peace Accord.[36]

1 31 Investigation of Samjhauta bombings• Tenure

Ashok
17 February January marred by many allegations of nepotism and
Chaturvedi
2007 2009 corruption.

1 30
18 K. C. Verma February December Investigation of 2008 Mumbai attacks
2009 2010

30 29
Sanjeev
19 December December
Tripathi
2010 2012

30 30
20 Alok Joshi December December
2012 2014

31 31
Rajinder
21 December December
Khanna
2014 2016

Anil 1 January 26 June

22
Dhasmana 2017 2019

Samant 26 June
23 Incumbent
Goel 2019

Most of the Secretaries of Research and

Analysis Wing have been Indian Police
Service (IPS) officers. R. N. Kao and K.
Sankaran Nair belonged to the Imperial
Police (IP), of the British colonial days
which was renamed as the Indian Police
Service after Indian Independence in
1947. N. F. Suntook had served in the
Indian Navy, then in the Indian Police
Service and in the Indian Frontier
Administration Service. Vikram Sood was
from the Indian Postal Service (IPoS)and
was later permanently absorbed in the
RAS cadre.[37] Now he acts as Advisor to
Fair Observer.[38] A. S. Dulat was an
Indian Police Service officer deputed
from the Intelligence Bureau, while K. C.
Verma is an ex-Intelligence Bureau
officer. All the chiefs have been experts
on China or Pakistan except for Ashok
Chaturvedi, who is an expert on Nepal.[29]
 Designations at R&AW
Class I / Group A Officers Group B / C Officers

Secretary (R) Senior Field Officer

Special Secretary/Additional Secretary Field Officer

Joint Secretary Deputy Field Officer

Director/Deputy Secretary/Attache Assistant Field Officer

Recruitment
Initially, R&AW relied primarily on trained
intelligence officers who were recruited
directly. These belonged to the external
wing of the Intelligence Bureau.
Candidates are recruited from the Indian
Armed Forces, Police, Indian Ordnance
Factories Service,[39] and Indian Revenue
Service Officers.[40][41] Later, R&AW
began directly recruiting graduates from
universities. However owing to
allegations of nepotism in
appointments,[42] in 1983 R&AW created
its own service cadre, the Research and
Analysis Service (RAS) to absorb talent
from other Group A Civil Services, under
the Central Staffing Scheme.[43] Direct
recruitment at Class I executive level is
from Civil services officers undergoing
Foundation course at Lal Bahadur Shastri
National Academy of Administration. At
the end of the course, R&AW conducts a
campus interview. Based on a selection
of psychological tests and the interview,
candidates are inducted into R&AW for a
lien period of one year. During this period,
they have an option of rejoining their
parent service (if they wish to) after
which they can be permanently absorbed
into the Research and Analysis Service.
Delhi-based security think tank Institute
for Defence Studies and Analyses noted
in one of its reports that R&AW suffered
from the 'tail-end syndrome' where the
'bottom of the entrance lists' of those
qualifying the UPSC examinations were
offered jobs.[44] Additionally, recruitment
is also by lateral deputation from the
Officer corps of Armed Forces or Group
A Civil Service Officers.[45] The Civil and
Defence Service Officers permanently
resign their cadre and join the RAS.[46]
However, according to recent reports,
officers can return to their parent cadre
after serving a specific period in the
agency if they wish to.[47] Most of the
secretaries have been officers from the
IPS and other posts are held by IRS and
IFS officers. R&AW also employs a
number of linguists and other experts in
various fields.[48] The service conditions
of R&AW officers are governed by the
Research and Analysis Wing
(Recruitment, Cadre and Service) Rules,
1975.[49]

Training

Basic training

Basic training commences with 'pep

talks' to boost the morale of the new
recruit. This is a ten-day phase in which
the inductee is familiarised with the real
world of intelligence and espionage, as
opposed to the spies of fiction. Common
usages, tradecraft techniques and
classification of information are taught.
Financial and economic analysis, space
technology, information security, energy
security and scientific knowledge is
imbibed to the trainees. The recruit is
made to specialise in a foreign language
and introduced to Geostrategic analysis.
Case studies of other agencies like CIA,
KGB, ISI, Mossad and MI6 are presented
for study. The inductee is also taught
that intelligence organisations do not
identify who is friend and who is foe, the
country's foreign policy does. Basic
classroom training in tactics and
language are imparted to R&AW officers
at the residential Training and Language
Institute in Gurgaon.[50][51][52] A multi-
disciplinary school of economic
intelligence is also being set up in
Mumbai to train intelligence officers in
investigating economic crimes like
money laundering for terror purposes
etc.[53]

Advanced training

After completing 'Basic Training' the

recruit is now attached to a Field
Intelligence Bureau (FIB). His/her training
here lasts for 1–2 years. He/she is given
firsthand experience of what it was to be
out in the figurative cold, conducting
clandestine operations. During night
exercises under realistic conditions,
he/she is taught infiltration and
exfiltration. He/she is instructed to avoid
capture and if caught, how to face
interrogation. He/she learns the art of
reconnoitre, making contacts, and, the
numerous skills of operating an
intelligence mission. At the end of the
field training, the new recruit is brought
back to the school for final polishing.
Before his deployment in the field, he/she
is given exhaustive training in the art of
self-defence mainly Krav Maga, and the
use of technical espionage devices.
He/she is also drilled in various
administrative disciplines so that he
could take his place in the foreign
missions without arousing suspicion.
He/she is now ready to operate under the
cover of an Embassy to gather
information, set up his own network of
informers, moles or operatives as the
task may require. Field and arms training
is provided in the Indian Military
Academy Headquarters at
Dehradun.[7][54] The training model has
been criticised as being 'archaic and too
police-centric' and not incorporating
'modern technological advances in
methods of communication' etc.

Functions and methods

Activities and functions of R&AW are
highly confidential and declassification
of past operations are uncommon unlike
agencies like CIA, MI6 and Mossad who
have many of their activities declassified.
The Secretary (R) reported to the Vohra
Committee that R&AW offices abroad
have limited strength and are largely
geared to the collection of military,
economic, scientific, and political
intelligence. R&AW monitors the
activities of certain organisations abroad
only insofar as they relate to their
involvement with narco terrorist
elements and smuggling arms,
ammunition, explosives, etc. into
India.[55] It does not monitor the activities
of criminal elements abroad, which are
mainly confined to normal smuggling
without any links to terrorist elements.
However, if there is evidence to suggest
that certain organisations have links with
Intelligence agencies of other countries,
and that they are being used or are likely
to be used by such countries for
destabilising India's economy, it would
become R&AW's responsibility to monitor
their activities.[5][6]

The primary mission of R&AW includes

aggressive intelligence collection via
espionage, psychological warfare,
subversion, sabotage, and
assassinations.[56] R&AW maintains
active collaboration with other secret
services in various countries. Its
contacts with FSB of Russia, NDS, the
Afghan agency, Israel's Mossad, the CIA
and MI6 have been well-known, a
common interest being Pakistan's
nuclear programme.[57] R&AW has been
active in obtaining information and
operating through third countries like
Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Hong
Kong, Myanmar and Singapore.[5]

R&AW obtains information critical to

Indian strategic interests both by overt
and covert means. The data is then
classified and filed with the assistance of
the computer networks. International
business houses, information technology
sector and media centres can easily
absorb R&AW operatives and provide
freedom of movement.[5][6] A task force
report prepared by a New Delhi-based
security think tank highlighted that R&AW
operatives have inadequate non-official
cover for overseas operations which
'limits access to spot real targets' and
causes issues on handling 'high-value
assets'.[44]

Operations
Some of the known activities and
operations of RAW are as follows:
ELINT operations aimed at China

Electronic signals intelligence operations

aimed at China:[58] After China tested its
first nuclear weapons on 16 October
1964, at Lop Nur, Xinjiang, India and the
USA shared a common fear about the
nuclear capabilities of China.[59] Owing to
the extreme remoteness of Chinese
testing grounds, strict secrecy
surrounding the Chinese nuclear
programme, and the extreme difficulty
that an Indian or American would have
passing themselves off as Chinese, it
was almost impossible to carry out any
HUMINT operation. So, the CIA in the late
1960s decided to launch an ELINT
operation along with RAW 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
the 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.[60] The
monitoring device was near successfully
implanted on Nanda Devi, when an
avalanche forced a hasty withdrawal.[61]
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.[62] However, the actual
data is not conclusive.

In more recent time, under a security

agreement with Mongolia, R&AW along
with NTRO have set up cybertapping
infrastructure on the main internet
communication cable in Mongolia which
links rest of the world to China. Giving
India unparalleled access to monitor and
intercept outgoing and incoming internet
traffic from China.[63]
Bangladesh liberation and
aftermath

Liberation of Bangladesh and its

aftermath:[64][65] In the early 1970s the
army of Pakistan launched military
crackdown in response to the
Bangladesh independence
movement.[66][67] Nearly 10 million
refugees fled to India. R&AW was
instrumental in the formation of the
Bangladeshi guerilla organisation Mukti
Bahini and responsible for supplying
information, providing training and heavy
ammunition to this organisation. It is
also alleged that R&AW planned and
executed the 1971 Indian Airlines
hijacking as a false flag operation to ban
overflight by Pakistani aircraft and
disrupt Pakistani troop movement in East
Pakistan.[7] Special Frontier Force, the
paramilitary wing of R&AW actively
participated in military operations
especially in the Chittagong Hill
Tracts.[68] The war ended in the
successful creation of Bangladesh.
However, four years later Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman was assassinated on 15 August
1975 at his residence.[69] RAW operatives
claimed that they had advance
information about Mujib-ur-Rahman's
assassination but Sheikh Mujib tragically
ignored inputs.[13] He was killed along
with 40 members of his family. R&AW
thus failed to prevent the assassination
which led to the loss of a charismatic
leader who was appreciative of India for
its help. Later, R&AW successfully
thwarted plans of assassinating Sheikh
Hasina Wazed, daughter of Mujibur
Rahman, by Islamist extremists.[70]

Operation Smiling Buddha

Operation Smiling Buddha was the name

given to India's nuclear programme. The
task to keep it under tight wraps for
security was given to RAW.[71] 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.[6]

Amalgamation of Sikkim

In 1947 Sikkim became a protectorate

under India, which controlled its external
affairs, defence, diplomacy and
communications. It is alleged that in
1972 R&AW was authorised to install a
pro-Indian democratic government
there.[6][72] After widespread rioting and
demonstration against the King of Sikkim
in 1975 a referendum was held in which
97.5% of the electorate (in a nation where
59% of the population could vote) voted
to join the Indian Union. On 16 May 1975,
Sikkim officially became the 22nd state
of the Indian Union, and the monarchy
was abolished.[73]

Kahuta's Blueprint

The Blueprint of Khan Research

Laboratories in Kahuta:[74][75] Kahuta is
the site of the Khan Research
Laboratories (KRL), Pakistan's main
nuclear weapons laboratory as well as an
emerging centre for long-range missile
development. The primary Pakistani
missile-material production facility is
located at Kahuta, employing gas
centrifuge enrichment technology to
produce Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU).
R&AW first confirmed Pakistan's nuclear
programs by analysing the hair samples
snatched from the floor of barber shops
near KRL; which showed that Pakistan
had developed the ability to enrich
uranium to weapons-grade quality. RAW
agents knew of Kahuta Research
Laboratories from at least early 1978,[76]
when the then Indian Prime Minister,
Morarji Desai, accidentally thwarted
R&AW's operations on Pakistan's covert
nuclear weapons program. In an
indiscreet moment in a telephone
conversation one day, Morarji Desai
informed the then Pakistan President,
Zia-ul-Haq, that India was aware of
Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.
According to later reports, acting on this
"tip-off", Pakistani Intelligence eliminated
RAW's sources on Kahuta, leaving India
in the dark about Pakistan's nuclear
weapons program from then on.[6][7][77]

Operation Lal Dora

In February 1983, Mauritian Prime

Minister Anerood Jugnauth requested
assistance from Mrs Indira Gandhi in the
event of a coup by rival politician Paul
Bérenger. In March 1983, Gandhi ordered
the Indian Army and Navy to prepare for
a military intervention against a possible
coup against the Jugnauth government.
But the military intervention was put off
by Mrs. Gandhi, after a squabble between
the Indian Navy and Army, on who would
lead the operation. Instead, she chose to
task the Research and Analysis Wing's
then chief, Nowsher F. Suntook, with
supervising a largely intelligence-led
operation to reunite the Indian
community of Mauritious whose
fracturing along ideological and
communal lines had allowed Mr.
Berenger to mount a political
challenge.[78]

Operation Meghdoot

R&AW received information from the

London company which had supplied
Arctic-weather gear for Indian troops
from Northern Ladakh region some
paramilitary forces that Pakistan too had
bought similar Arctic-weather gear.[79]
This information was shared with Indian
Army which soon launched Operation
Meghdoot to take control of Siachen
Glacier with around 300[79] acclimatised
troops were airlifted to Siachen before
Pakistan could launch any operation
resulting in Indian head start and
eventual Indian domination of all major
peaks in Siachen.[79]

Kanishka Bombing case

The Kanishka Bombing case:[80][81][82] On
23 June 1985 Air India's Flight 182 was
blown up near Ireland and 329 people
died. On the same day, another explosion
took place at Tokyo's Narita airport's
transit baggage building where baggage
was being transferred from Cathay
Pacific Flight No CP 003 to Air India
Flight 301 which was scheduled for
Bangkok. Both aircraft were loaded with
explosives from Canadian airports. Flight
301 got saved because of a delay in its
departure. This was considered as a
major setback to R&AW for failing to
gather enough intelligence about the
Khalistani terrorists.[83][84]
Special Operations

In the mid-1980s, R&AW set up two

covert groups, Counterintelligence Team-
X(CIT-X) and Counterintelligence Team-
J(CIT-J), the first directed at Pakistan[85]
and the second at Khalistani groups.[86]
Rabinder Singh, the RAW double agent
who defected to the United States in
2004, helped run CIT-J in its early years.
Both these covert groups used the
services of cross-border traffickers to
ferry weapons and funds across the
border, much as their ISI counterparts
were doing. According to former RAW
official and noted security analyst B.
Raman, the Indian counter-campaign
yielded results. "The role of our cover
action capability in putting an end to the
ISI's interference in Punjab", he wrote in
2002, "by making such interference
prohibitively costly is little known and
understood." These covert operations
were discontinued during the tenure of IK
Gujral and were never restarted.[87] As
per B Raman a former RAW Additional
Secretary, such covert operations were
successful in keeping a check on ISI and
were "responsible for ending the
Khalistani insurgency".[88] He also notes
that a lack of such covert capabilities,
since they were closed down in 1997, has
left the country even more vulnerable
than before and says that developing
covert capabilities is the need of the
hour.[89]

Operation Cactus

Operation Cactus in Maldives:[90] In

November 1988, the People's Liberation
Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE),
composed of about 200 Tamil
secessionist rebels, invaded Maldives. At
the request of the president of Maldives,
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the Indian
Armed Forces, with assistance from
RAW, launched a military campaign to
throw the mercenaries out of Maldives.
On the night of 3 November 1988, the
Indian Air Force airlifted the 6th
parachute battalion of the Parachute
Regiment from Agra and flew them over
2,000 km to Maldives. The Indian
paratroopers landed at Hulule and
restored the Government rule at Malé
within hours. The operation, labelled
Operation Cactus, also involved the
Indian Navy. Swift operation by the
military and precise intelligence by R&AW
quelled the insurgency.[6]

Operations in Sri Lanka

Covert operations in Sri Lanka:[91][92]

RAW started training the LTTE to keep a
check on Sri Lanka,[93] which had helped
Pakistan in the Indo-Pak War by allowing
Pakistani ships to refuel at Sri Lankan
ports. However, the LTTE created a lot of
problems and complications and the
then Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi
was forced to send the Indian Peace
Keeping Force (IPKF) in 1987 to restore
normalcy in the region. The disastrous
mission of the IPKF was blamed by many
on the lack of coordination between the
IPKF and RAW. Its most disastrous
manifestation was the Heliborne assault
on LTTE HQ in the Jaffna University
campus in the opening stages of
Operation Pawan. The site was chosen
without any consultation with the RAW.
The dropping paratroopers became easy
targets for the LTTE. A number of
soldiers were killed. The assassination of
Rajiv Gandhi is also blamed as a fallout
of the failed RAW operation in Sri
Lanka.[94]

Anti-Apartheid Movement

R&AW trained the intelligence officers of

many independent African countries and
assisted the anti-apartheid struggles in
South Africa and Namibia. Retired R&AW
officers were deputed to work in training
institutes of intelligence agencies of
some African states.[95]

Operation Chanakya
Operation Chanakya in Kashmir:[96] This
was the RAW operation in the Kashmir
region to infiltrate various ISI-backed
Kashmiri separatist 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 separatist
groups.[97][98] RAW was successful not
only in unearthing the links between the
ISI and the separatist groups, but also in
infiltrating and neutralising the militancy
in the Kashmir valley.[99][100][101] RAW is
also credited for creating a split in the
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.[102] Operation
Chanakya also marked the creation of
pro-Indian groups in Kashmir like the
Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen, Muslim
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
separatists.[5]

Overthrowing monarchy in Nepal

In 1990, RAW launched a covert

operation to overthrow the absolute
monarchy system in Nepal. The
operation involved building unity among
various political parties in Nepal against
the Monarchy and raising covert assets
for the purpose.[103]

Against Jamat-e-Islami in
Bangladesh

Covert operation against Jamat-e-Islami

terror camps in Bangladesh:[104] Months
after Begum Khaleda Zia swept
Bangladesh election in February 1991,
India's external spy agency Research &
Analysis Wing (R&AW) was alarmed over
increased harassment of pro-India
politicians, large-scale radicalisation and
meticulously planned infiltration of
trained jihadis into Indian territory by
Jamaat-e-Islami, that was operating as a
semi-autonomous political force under
the newly elected government of
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).In
early 1992, after gathering accurate leads
on Jamaat cells, tactics and networks,
the R&AW spies launched a daring
operation in the Bangladesh sanctuary
and dismantled terror camps using
resilient tradecraft and a determined
group of assets handpicked by a R&AW
handler. Several Jamaat terror training
camps located along the border and their
facilities in the Satkhira, Khulna,
Chittagong, Rajshahi and Jessore
districts were bombed by the R&AW
assets. RAW also targeted an ISI safe
house in the capital city Dhaka, bringing
down the entire building. The operation
helped the Indian security establishment
to put a lid on the radical organisation’s
infiltration into India for the time being.

Help to the Northern Alliance

After the rise of Pakistan backed Taliban

in Afghanistan, India decided to side with
the Northern Alliance[105] By 1996, R&AW
had built a 25-bed military hospital[106] at
the Farkhor Air Base.[107] This airport was
used by the Aviation Research Centre, the
reconnaissance arm of RAW, to repair
and operate the Northern Alliance's aerial
support. This relationship was further
cemented in the 2001 Afghan war. India
supplied the Northern Alliance high
altitude warfare equipment worth around
US$8–10 million.[108][109] R&AW was the
first intelligence agency to determine the
extent of the Kunduz airlift.[110][111]

Kargil War

R&AW was heavily criticised in 1999,

following the Pakistani incursions at
Kargil. Critics accused R&AW of failing to
provide intelligence that could have
prevented the ensuing ten-week conflict
that brought India and Pakistan to the
brink of a full-scale war.[112] While the
Army has been critical of the information
they received R&AW has pointed the
finger at the politicians, claiming they
had provided all the necessary
information. However, R&AW was
successful in intercepting a telephonic
conversation between Pervez Musharraf,
the then Pakistan Army Chief who was in
Beijing and his chief of staff Lt. Gen.
Mohammed Aziz in Islamabad.[113] This
tape was later published by India to prove
Pakistani involvement in the Kargil
incursion.[113][114] In 2011, a think tank
report[115] stated that RAW had warned in
its October 1998 assessment that
Pakistan Army might launch a limited
swift offensive with possible support of
alliance partners, however the
government ignored such
reports.[116][117][118]

Operation Leech

Surrounded by Arakanese and dense

forest, Myanmar had always been a
worrisome point for Indian intelligence.
India has sought to promote democracy
and install friendly governments in the
region. To these ends, RAW cultivated
Burmese rebel groups and pro-
democracy coalitions, especially the
Kachin Independence Army (KIA). India
allowed the KIA to carry a limited trade in
jade and precious stones using Indian
territory and even supplied them
weapons. It is further alleged that KIA
chief Maran Brang Seng met the RAW
chief in Delhi twice. However, when the
KIA became the main source of training
and weapons for all northeastern rebel
groups, R&AW initiated an operation,
code named Operation Leech, to
assassinate the leaders of the Burmese
rebels as an example to other groups. in
1998, six top rebel leaders, including
military wing chief of National Unity Party
of Arakans (NUPA), Khaing Raza, were
shot dead and 34 Arakanese guerrillas
were arrested and charged with
gunrunning.[6][119]

War on Terror
Although R&AW's contribution to the War
on Terror is highly classified, the
organisation 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. RAW's role in the War on Terror
may increase as US intelligence has
indicated that it sees RAW 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
former President, General Pervez
Musharraf.[7][120]

2008 Mumbai attacks

About 2–6 months before 26/11 Mumbai

attacks R&AW had intercepted several
telephone calls through SIGINT[121] which
pointed at impending attacks on Mumbai
Hotels by Pakistan-based terrorists,[122]
however there was a coordination failure
and no follow up action was taken.[123]
Few hours before the attacks, a RAW
technician monitoring satellite
transmissions picked up conversations
between attackers and handlers, as the
attackers were sailing toward Mumbai.
The technician flagged the conversations
as being suspicious and passed them on
to his superiors. RAW believed that they
were worrying and immediately alerted
the office of the National Security
Advisor. However the intelligence was
ignored.[124] Later, just after the terrorists
had attacked Mumbai, RAW technicians
started monitoring the six phones used
by the terrorists and recorded
conversations between the terrorists and
their handlers.[125] On 15 January 2010,
in a successful snatch operation R&AW
agents nabbed Sheikh Abdul Khwaja, one
of the handlers of the 26/11 attacks,
chief of HuJI India operations and a most
wanted terror suspect in India, from
Colombo, Sri Lanka and brought him over
to Hyderabad, India for formal arrest.[126]

Snatch operations with IB

In late 2009, investigative journal The

Week ran a cover story on one of India's
major clandestine operations that the
R&AW ran with Intelligence Bureau to nab
terrorists infiltrating India, via Nepal and
other neighbouring countries.[127] To
bypass the lengthy extradition process,
R&AW conducts snatch operations to
nab suspects from various foreign
countries. The suspect is brought to
India, interrogated in black sites, later
shown as arrested at an airport or border
post and is usually produced before a
court. With emergence of Nepal as a
terror transit point R&AW and the IB
started closely monitoring the movement
of suspected terrorists in Nepal.
According to The Week, in last decade
there has been close to 400 successful
snatch operations conducted by R&AW
and/or IB in Nepal, Bangladesh and other
countries. Some famous snatches netted
Bhupinder Singh Bhuda of the Khalistan
Commando Force, Lashkar militant Tariq
Mehmood and Abdul Karim
Tunda,[128][129] Sheikh Abdul Khwaja, one
of the handlers of the 2008 Mumbai
attacks, Yasin Bhatkal founder leader of
the proscribed terrorist organisation
Indian Mujahideen etc. most of the
suspects are kept at Tihar Jail.[130]

2015 Sri Lankan presidential

election

It was alleged by the Sri Lankan

newspaper The Sunday Times, that
R&AW had played a role in uniting the
opposition, to bring about the defeat of
Mahinda Rajapaksa. There had been
growing concern in the Indian
government, on the increasing influence
of economic and military rival China in Sri
Lankan affairs. Rajapaksa further upped
the ante by allowing 2 Chinese
submarines to dock in 2014, without
informing India, in spite of a stand still
agreement to this effect between India
and Sri Lanka. The growing Chinese tilt
of Rajapaksa was viewed by India with
unease. Further, it was alleged, that a
RAW agent, helped coordination of talks
within the opposition, and convincing
former PM Ranil Wickremasinghe not to
stand against Rajapaksa, but to choose a
common opposition candidate, who had
better chances of winning. The agent is
also alleged to have been in touch with
Chandrika Kumaratunga, who played a
key role in convincing Maithripala
Sirisena to be the common
candidate.[131] However these allegations
were denied by the Indian
Government[132] and the Sri Lankan
Foreign Minister Mangala
Samaraweera.[133]

Controversies
Criticism

From its inception R&AW has been

criticised for being an agency not
answerable to the people of India (R&AW
reports to Prime Minister only). Fears
arose that it could turn into the KGB of
India. Such fears were kept at bay by the
R&AW's able leadership (although
detractors of R&AW and especially the
Janata Party have accused the agency of
letting itself be used for terrorising and
intimidating opposition during the 1975–
1977 Emergency). The main controversy
which has plagued R&AW in recent years
is over bureaucratisation of the system
with allegations about favouritism in
promotions, corruption, ego clashes, no
financial accountability,[44] inter-
departmental rivalry, etc.[134][135][136][137]
R&AW also suffers from ethnic
imbalances in the officer level.[138] Noted
security analyst and former Additional
Secretary B. Raman has criticised the
agency for its asymmetric growth; "while
being strong in its capability for covert
action it is weak in its capability for
intelligence collection, analysis and
assessment. Strong in low and medium-
grade intelligence, weak in high-grade
intelligence. Strong in technical
intelligence, weak in human intelligence.
Strong in collation, weak in analysis.
Strong in investigation, weak in
prevention. Strong in crisis management,
weak in crisis prevention."[139][140]

Corruption cases

In the edition of 8 February 2010

Outlook Magazine reported on former
R&AW Chief, Ashok Chaturvedi, using
Government of India funds to take his
wife along on international trips. After
retirement, Chaturvedi had a
diplomatic passport issued for himself
and his wife. Per Outlook Magazine:
"Only grade 'A' ambassadors—usually
IFS officers posted in key countries like
the UK and US—are allowed to hold
diplomatic passports after retirement.
The majority, who do not fit that bill,
hold passports issued to ordinary
citizens. In fact, all former R&AW
chiefs Outlook spoke to confirmed they
had surrendered their diplomatic
passports the day they retired. And
their spouses weren't entitled to
diplomatic passports even while they
were in service."[141]
In September 2007, R&AW was
involved in a controversy due to a high-
profile CBI raid at the residence of
Major General (retired) V K Singh, a
retired Joint Secretary of R&AW who
has recently written a book on R&AW
where it was alleged that political
interference and corruption in the
intelligence agency has made it
vulnerable to defections. One of the
instances of corruption mentioned in
the book was the preference given by
R&AW departments towards
purchasing intelligence from the Rohde
and Schwarz company.[142] A reason
for such corruption as explained by the
author is that "...R&AW was not
answerable to any outside agency – the
control of the Prime Minister's Office
was perfunctory, at best – many
officers thought that they were not only
above the law but a law unto
themselves."[143] A case under the
Official Secrets Act has also been filed
against V K Singh.[144]
On 19 August 2008 the R&AW Director
(Language) who was also head of the
R&AW Training Institute in Gurgaon
from 2005[145] tried to commit suicide
in front of Prime Minister's Office,
alleging inaction and wrong findings to
a sexual harassment complaint filed
against a Joint Secretary, who was on
deputation to R&AW.[146][147] She was
discharged from duty on the ground
that she was mentally unfit[148] and
that her identity was disclosed.[149] She
was later separately charged with
criminal trespass,[150] human
trafficking[151] and for her repeated
attempts to commit suicide.[149] The
Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT)
ordered R&AW to reinstate her[152]
however R&AW filed an appeal against
the CAT order which is pending before
Delhi High Court.[153] On 20 January
2011 she was sent for psychological
evaluation[154] and medical detention
by a Delhi High Court judge when she
tried to strip herself in the court
protesting over the slow pace of her
trial.[155][156] The psychological
evaluation report stated that 'she may
be suffering a mental problem due to
loss of job and her continuous run-ins
at the courts, but she was certainly not
suffering from any permanent or grave
mental disorder.'[149] On 15 December
2014, the Supreme Court of India
quashed the 2008 media release,
which proclaimed Ms. Bhatia as
mentally unstable, on the ground that it
affected the "dignity, reputation and
privacy of a citizen".[157]
A senior technical officer was arrested
by CBI on graft charges, on 4 February
2009. The scientist, a Director level
employee, worked in the division that
granted export licenses to companies
dealing in "sensitive" items, including
defence-related equipment. He was
accused of demanding and accepting
a bribe of ₹100,000 from a Chennai
based manufacturer for obtaining an
export license.[158][159]
In September 2009, seven Additional
Secretaries from the RAS cadre had
gone on protest leave after A. B.
Mathur, an IPS officer, superseded
them to the post of Special
Secretary.[160][161] Over the years the
tussle between the RAS cadre and
officers on deputation from IPS cadre
has caused friction in the working of
the agency.[162]
Defections and spy scandals

In the early 1980s, K.V. Unnikrishnan, a

1962 batch IPS officer, who was
posted at R&AW station in Colombo
was honey-trapped by CIA. Between
1985 and 1987 when he was deputed
as the station chief at Chennai,
coordinating Sri Lanka operations, he
gave away information to his handler
on training and arming Tamil groups
including LTTE, the Indian
government's negotiating positions on
the peace accord with Sri Lanka and
the encryption code used by the
agency. He was caught by IB counter-
intelligence in 1987, spent a year in
Tihar jail and was dismissed from IPS
cadre.[163][164][165]
In 2004, there was a spy scandal
involving the CIA.[166] Rabinder Singh,
Joint Secretary and the head of
R&AW's South East Asia department,
defected to America on 5 June 2004.
R&AW had already become suspicious
about his movements and he was
under surveillance for a very long time.
Soon he was 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 were attributed to weak
surveillance, shoddy investigation, and
lack of coordination between the
Counter Intelligence and Security,
Intelligence Bureau (IB) and R&AW.[167]
According to unconfirmed reports,
Singh has surfaced in Virginia,
USA.[168] Recently in an affidavit
submitted to the court, R&AW deposed
that Singh has been traced in New
Jersey.[7][169] It has been speculated in
the book Mission R&AW that although
the CIA was found directly involved in
compromising Singh and Unnikrishnan,
at least eight other R&AW officers
managed to clandestinely migrate and
settle in foreign countries like the US
and Canada with the help of their spy
agencies.[170]
In 2007, there was a spy scandal
involving Bangladesh.[171] A
Bangladeshi DGFI agent concealed his
nationality before joining R&AW, and
was known by the name of Diwan
Chand Malik in the agency. He was
known to have some important intel
which was damaging for the national
security. He joined the agency in 1999
and used to live in East Delhi. A case of
cheating and forgery was filed against
him at the Lodhi Colony police station
on the basis of a complaint by a senior
R&AW official.[172]
On 25 March 2016, Pakistan claimed
that they arrested a RAW operative by
the name of Kulbhushan Jadhav who
was operating in Balochistan province
under the covername Hussain
Mubarak Patel. Pakistan claimed that
he was carrying a passport under that
fake identity and used to operate a
jewellery shop in Chahbahar, Iran. He is
believed to be a serving commander-
ranked officer in Indian
Navy.[173][174][175] According to a
section of Pakistani media, he was
involved in terrorist incidents in
Karachi and Balochistan, most notably
the terrorist attack on a bus full of Shia
passengers in Safoora Goth,
Karachi.[176] However, Indian MEA said
that though Jadhav was an Indian
Navy officer who retired prematurely,
but he has no link with the
government.[177] The Indian High
Commission has also sought consular
access to Jadhav but Pakistan has not
agreed to it [178] and Pakistan leaked
some information without realising
glaring loopholes in the same. The
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also
dismissed Pakistan's claim and stated
them as mere rumours.[178] According
to an Indian official, Jadhav owns a
cargo business in Iran and had been
working out of Bandar Abbas and
Chabahar ports. "It appears that he
 strayed into Pakistani waters. But there
is also a possibility that he was lured
into Pakistan sometime back and fake
documents were created on him.[178]

Notable officers
Rameshwar Nath Kao, founder director
K. Sankaran Nair, former director
B. Raman
Ravindra Kaushik

In popular culture
Unlike in the Western cultural sphere,
which has portrayed its foreign
intelligence agencies (such as the CIA
and MI6) in different media forms, Indian
authors and actors have been shy to
explore the area of espionage, especially
R&AW, until the 1990s. Unlike CBI, the
federal investigative agency of India,
whose existence is known to the majority
of people, R&AW receives little to no
attention from the populace, which
seems to be unaware of the existence of
such an organisation or even India's
internal intelligence agency, the
Intelligence Bureau (IB). Excessive
secrecy surrounding activities and rare
declassification of the information are
considered to be the major reasons
behind this.
Books have been written by former chiefs of RAW.

Vikram Sood, a former head of RAW can be seen in

the photograph, during the book launch of his book
The Unending Game, in New Delhi.[179] Another RAW
chief A. S. Dulat has also recently published books
chronicling certain tales of RAW such as The Spy
Chronicles.[180][181]
Nevertheless, there were films which
refer to 'agents' and 'espionage', like
Aankhen (1968, Ramanand Sagar
Production, starring Dharmendra, Mala
Sinha),[182] Prem Pujari starring Dev
Anand in 1970, Hindustan Ki Kasam
(starring Raaj Kumar, Priya Rajvansh in
1973) and Highway (starring Suresh Gopi,
Bhanupriya) including some modern
films such as Romeo Akbar Walter(RAW)
in 2019 . However, since the late 1990s
and early 2000 the following Bollywood
and other regional films have openly
mentioning R&AW and its allied units,
with the intelligence agencies at the
centre of the plot.
 Name of the
Year Director Plot synopsis and highlights
film

In this Malayalam film Suresh Gopi plays the role of an

1998 Highway Jayaraaj
undercover R&AW officer investigating a bomb blast.

Focuses on covert operations by R&AW operative

Such a Long Sturla played by Naseeruddin Shah to finance the Bangladeshi
1998
Journey Gunnarsson rebels. Based on the novel of the same name written by
Rohinton Mistry.[183]

Sunny Deol plays the role of a R&AW officer who almost

single-handedly derails plans by Pakistan-based jihadi
The Hero: Love
2003 Anil Sharma terrorists to get hold of a nuclear weapon in
Story of a Spy
Canada.[184] The film was third highest grosser of the
year.

In the original Tamil film Arjun Sarja plays the role of an

undercover officer working to thwart ISI activities in
2003 Ottran Ilankannan
India. The film was later dubbed in Telegu and titled as
Goodachari No. 1.

Jammel Khan essaying the role of a fictional R&AW

agent Atul Bhatnagar helps army special officer played
2004 Asambhav Rajiv Rai
by Arjun Rampal in rescuing Indian President taken
hostage in Switzerland by Islamic militants.[185]

Shweta Bhardwaj played the role of Lisa Lobo, a R&AW

Mission Apoorva agent in Istanbul, who helps journalist Vikas Sagar,
2008
Istaanbul Lakhia played by Zayed Khan, in foiling the anti-India terrorist
attempts by a terror group.

Maan Gaye Sanjay Rahul Bose plays a R&AW officer (Arjun Rastogi) who
2008
Mughal-e-Azam Chhel attempts to thwart explosives delivery in the city.

R&AW led by Irrfan Khan is shown as undertaking a

covert program much in the lines of the Bourne series
Kabeer
2008 Chamku to build up a black team composed of Bobby Deol as
Kaushik
Jaived Pratap Singh aka Chamku, Riteish Deshmukh as
Arjun Tiwari and others for political assassinations.

2008 Dasavathaaram K. S. Kamal Hasan essayed the role of a Telugu R&AW

Ravikumar operative in the original Tamil film.[186] The film was
later dubbed into a Hindi version titled Dashavatar
 where the ethnicity of the R&AW operative was changed
to Bengali.[187][188]

The film portrays Sachiin J Joshi as a R&AW officer who

Prashant has to go undercover beyond enemy lines to save the
2011 Aazaan
Chadha country from the threat of biological warfare. It is one of
the most expensive B-grade films in Bollywood.[189]

Saif Ali Khan plays the titular character of a James

Sriram Bondesque R&AW officer who foils a false flag
2012 Agent Vinod
Raghavan operation to start a nuclear war between India and
Pakistan.

Salman Khan plays the titular role of an accomplished

R&AW field officer who falls in love with an ISI agent
played by Katrina Kaif and both desert their agencies. It
2012 Ek Tha Tiger Kabir Khan was alleged that the film is inspired by the life of
Ravindra Kaushik,[190] a deep penetration agent of
R&AW.[191] The film is the one of the highest-grossing
Bollywood films of all time.

Vikram plays the central role of a R&AW agent retrieving

2012 Thandavam A. L. Vijay
a WMD.

Arjun Rampal, Irrfan Khan and Huma Qureshi play a

Nikhil
2013 D-Day R&AW snatch team in a fictitious operation to capture
Advani
Dawood Ibrahim alive and bring back to India.

John Abraham plays an Army officer absorbed into

R&AW to head covert operations in Jaffna shortly after
Indian peace-keeping force was forced to
Shoojit withdraw.[192][193] As he journeys to Sri Lanka, with the
2013 Madras Cafe
Sircar intention of disrupting the LTF rebels, he becomes
entangled in rebel and military politics and[194] uncovers
a conspiracy to assassinate "a former Indian prime
minister" which he fails to prevent.[195]

Kamal Haasan again played the character of a R&AW

Kamal agent in this multilingual film, which explores the R&AW
2013 Vishwaroopam
Hasan operation in Afghanistan and US to bring down
terrorists affiliated to Al Queda.

2014 Bang Bang! Siddharth An authorised remake of Knight and Day, the film
Anand portrayed Hrithik Roshan as intelligence agent Rajveer
Nanda assigned to lead a joint operation of 'Indian
 Secret Service' (a fictional organisation loosely based
on R&AW) and MI6 to stop a wanted terrorist Omar
Zafar (played by Danny Denzongpa) from stealing Koh-i-
Noor Diamond from Tower of London.

Akshay Kumar plays an action hero character partly

inspired from Jack Bauer and the Mission impossible
Neeraj film series. He leads a covert operation team of an
2015 Baby
Pandey Indian intelligence agency and helps in abducting and
exfiltration of a Hafiz Muhammad Saeed-esque target
from Saudi Arabia.[196]

Saif Ali Khan plays role of disgraced army officer trying

to regain his honour and Katrina Kaif plays role of
deepcover R&AW officer. In the film they are tasked by
R&AW with 'out of the book' assassination of
2015 Phantom Kabir Khan
masterminds of 26/11 attacks namely Hafiz
Muhammad Saeed and Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi in
Pakistan and David Coleman Headley in a US prison. A
spiritual sequel to Agent Vinod.

Jatt Ambarsariya alias Diljit Singh (Diljit Dosanjh) lives a

dual life as a R&AW agent and insurance agent. He is
Mandeep
2016 Ambarsariya put on a mission to save the honest and idealistic Home
Kumar
Minister of Punjab from a drug mafia who is plotting the
minister's murder.

When multiple R&AW agents are killed in coordinated

Abhinay attacks around the world, John Abraham playing role of
2016 Force 2
Deo Mumbai Police officer is brought in to investigate the
threat.

It is a spin-off prequel to the 2015 film Baby with

Taapsee Pannu reprising her role as Shabana. She is
sent to kill Mikhail, an international arm dealer who has
2017 Naam Shabana Shivam Nair
been on the radar of several intelligence agencies with
the help of other R&AW agents, Ajay Singh (Akshay
Kumar) and Om Prakash Shukla (Anupam Kher).

2017 Tiger Zinda Hai Ali Abbas Sequel to 2012 film Ek Tha Tiger, Salman Khan reprises
Zafar his titular role of the R&AW officer, who is brought out of
retirement to rescue Indian and Pakistani nurses held
hostage by Islamic terrorist (modelled on ISIS) in Iraq.
 The film became a major commercial success and one
of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.

The film is based on the book Calling Sehmat, the real

Meghna
2018 Raazi life story of a R&AW officer, portrayed by Alia Bhatt, who
Gulzar
is married to a Pakistani military official.[197][198]

Uri: The A dramatised account of the 2016 Uri attack's

2019 Aditya Dhar
Surgical Strike retaliation by India of which RAW is a part.

Romeo Akbar Robbie The film stars John Abraham as a RAW Agent. The
2019
Walter Grewal movie is based on true events.[199]

An excommunicated RAW agent Kabir Anand returns to

Ribhu a covert mission with analyst Isha and another sleeper
2019 Bard of Blood
Dasgupta agent Veer Singh to rescue four RAW agents captured in
Balochistan.[200]

The thriving entertainment channels in

India have started to tap into the theme
of Intelligence agencies. 2612 which
used to air on Life OK, featured Cabir
Maira as a R&AW agent Anand Swami
who helps a STF officer Randeep Rathore
to save the country from a terrorist
attack. Time Bomb 9/11, a series aired on
Zee TV, featured Rajeev Khandelwal in
the role of a R&AW field officer who
attempts to defuse a nuclear bomb set in
India, as well as saving the life of the
Indian prime minister. Zee Bangla
featured a serial named Mohona where
the chief protagonist is a R&AW officer.
Sajda Tere Pyar Mein a series on Star
Plus, features Shaleen Bhanot in the role
of a R&AW officer who asks a young
woman named Aliya for help in catching
a spy named Mahendra Pratap. The
Indian version of 24 has a host of
characters affiliated to R&AW. The 2018
webseries Sacred Games has a RAW
agent played by Radhika Apte.[201]

Some academic commentators have

linked the increasing surfeit of Indian
films and TV series on espionage thriller
genre, where an Indian hero staves off
impending global catastrophe, as a
marker of an aspirational Pax Indica not
based on 'older paradigms of
internationalism based on universal
brotherhood and non-violent pacifism
associated with Gandhi and Nehru' but
on the motif of an increasingly assertive
potential superpower.[202][203]

See also
Intelligence Bureau (India)
Mass surveillance in India
List of Indian intelligence agencies

References
 original on 17 July 2013. Retrieved
15 July 2013.
196. Dubey, Bharati. "No 'Baby' in
Pakistan?" . Archived from the
original on 23 January 2015.
Retrieved 23 January 2015.
197. "That spy princess!" . The Hindu. 3
May 2008. Archived from the
original on 23 August 2018.
Retrieved 29 January 2019.
198. Faisal, Shah (27 May 2018). "What a
spy thriller teaches us about
patriotism and empathy" . The
Times of India. Retrieved 29 January
2019.