Indian Intelligence Agencies
Internal Security
Intelligence Bureau. Joint Intelligence Committee . Central Bureau of Investigation. All India Radio monitoring service.
External Intelligence
Research and Analysis Wing. Aviation Research Centre. National Technical Facilities Organisation . The Radio Research Center Electronics and Technical Services.
Defence
Defence Intelligence Agency. Directorate of Millitary Intelligence. Directorate of Naval Intelligence. Directorate of Air Intelligence Image Processing and Analysis Centre. Directorate of Signals Intelligence. Joint Cipher Bureau .
Economic Intelligence
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. Economic Intelligence Council. Central Economic Intelligence Bureau.
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India has a number of intelligence agencies. The most well known are the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s external intelligence agency and the Intelligence Bureau, the internal intelligence agency. Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... The Intelligence Bureau is Indias internal intelligence agency. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into National Security Council (India). ... The CBI emblem. ... Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)[1] is Indias external intelligence agency. ... // Aviation Research Centre (ARC),is a part of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of the Cabinet Secretariat. ... KH-4B Corona satellite NTFO is a secret agency under Research and Analysis Wing in India. ... It is a agency under Research and Analysis Wing. ... An intelligence agency is a governmental organization devoted to gathering of information by means of espionage (spying), communication interception, cryptoanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public sources. ... Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)[1] is Indias external intelligence agency. ... The Intelligence Bureau is Indias internal intelligence agency. ...

History

Introduction

Espionage, euphemistically called the second oldest profession of the world finds a mention in the Indian Vedas, one of the most - if not the most - ancient of the human texts. References to espionage are also discernible in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Greece and China. The Chinese sage Sun Tzu is considered by European scholars to be the first to study and analyse the whole question of espionage on scientific lines, and to set it down in a text book Ping Fa, The Art of War. This view is, however, not substantiated by cogent facts since there is ample proof of the greater antiquity and soundness of the system of Secret Services enunciated by the early Indians.

Varuna, one of the chief gods of the Vedic pantheon is considered to be a forerunner of Secret Services. Magha, one of the most erudite and lucid poets and pragmatic thinkers, unequivocally asserted that statecraft cannot exist without the assistance of espionage. He writes:-

'The statecraft in which even a single step is not taken in contravention of the science of dandaniti {(i.e. the law of danda (the rod)} which provides decent living (to the officers) and in which liberal grants are given in recognition of services rendered, does not shine to advantage without (the employment of ) spies, just as the science of grammar does not shine without Papasa Bhasya (the introductory portion of Patanjali's Mahabhasya), though it is provided with Nyasa (a commentary of that name) which strictly follows the words of the Sutras (of Panini), a good vrtti (explanatory work) and an excellent Bhasya (advance work of explanation, discussion and criticism)'.

- (Sisupala - vadha, 2.112)

Secret Agencies in ancient India were not conceived of as an instrument of oppression but as a tool of governance. Secret agents were considered as 'eyes of the king'.

Indian history illustrates that ancient Indians had gained great expertise in this secret art. The techniques and operational methods adopted by them were highly advanced, and can be usefully emulated today. From the spasas of Varuna, the fore-runners of the modern globe-trotting spies (the etymological affinity of the two terms is noticeable) to Chanakya's final manifestation of this art in the Arthasastra which is in fact a systematic codification of a wide variety of scattered information copiously found in the Epics, - the Mahabharata and the Ramayana - the Puranas and literary works of Bhasa, Kalidasa, Magha and Bana; and the Tamil Sangam literature, transcends unprecedented heights in this discipline.

The vision of the Arthashastra, is truly breath taking, its practical utility timeless and the clarity of its exposition unique. The techniques of manipulating public opinion and creating disinformation, propounded by Chanakya anticipated modern intelligence systems by several centuries. No wonder then that the nearly 2500 years old lessons in deceit, guile, hypocrisy, machination, and gore taught by that Master strategist, Chanakya alias Kautilya (literally meaning 'crooked') was adopted in toto by India and its chief intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

While laying the foundation stone of RAW, India's late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi approvingly quoted Louis F Hallis, when she said that its objectives should be the 'Ability to get what one wants by whatever means: eloquence, reasoned arguments, bluff, tirade, threat or coercion, as well as, by arousing pity, annoying others, or making them uneasy'.

The organization and structure of RAW will be discussed in the second part of this paper. But to appreciate its working we must, first examine the origin and organization of India's ancient secret agencies.

Origin and Organization of Secret Agencies in Ancient India

The origin and development of Secret Agencies in ancient India is linked to the geopolitical conditions of the times when India was dotted with small states attempting to grab each other's territory and wealth. The art of espionage was thoroughly mastered, and almost all ancient Indian literary sources exhaustively dealt with this system. Spying came to be regarded as an indispensable feature and integral part of an efficient administration and of a sound foreign policy. It kept the rulers posted with the activities, afflictions, and operations of political adversaries: their disloyal and disgruntled elements, fifth columnists and foreign agents in their midst, also the strength and intentions of all foreign power. Espionage was considered to be as important an institution as diplomacy, and was sought to be governed by certain definite rules and usages. In Chanakya, the secret service department became a permanent feature of the state and was organised in the most 'uninhibited manner'.

While Chanakya presents a highly developed and complicated system of governance including an all-pervasive espionage system, references to it are found in pre-Mauryan literature, too. The Mahabharata refers to a mythological tradition on the origin of the dandaniti and the art of espionage, which was handed down from the past. It expounds 'Brahma, the creator, himself composed a work comprising 1,00,000 chapters relating to dharma (religion), artha (economy), kama (sexual desire) and moksa (spiritual salvation) - the four aspects of life.' Brahma's compilation, according to the Great Epic, included subjects of behaviour towards counsellors, of spies, the indication of princes, of secret agents possessed of diverse means, of envoys, and agents of other kinds, conciliation, fomenting discord, gifts and chastisement; deliberations including counsels for producing disunion; the three kinds of victory, first, that which served righteously, secondly, which was won by wealth, and, thirdly, the one obtained by deceitful ways; chastisement of two kinds, namely, open and secret; the disorder created in the hostile troops; inspiring the enemy with fear; the means of winning over persons residing in the enemy territory; and finally, the chastisement and destruction of those that are strong.'

No other civilization can claim such an antiquity for the techniques of war, diplomacy, intrigue and espionage and on such compulsive terms.

In short, Varuna and other deities of the Vedic pantheon heavily depended on their secret agents. Manu, Kamandaka, Yajnavalkya and Chanakya, besides the later digest writers, deliberated on the art of espionage, while Chanakya perfected the art and recommended the organisation of secret agencies in the most unabashed manner. Professor Ghoshal suggests that the Mauryas followed the Arthasastra tradition in four respects, i.e. precautions in recruiting spies, countrywide espionage, safeguards against false reports by secret agents and enlistment of the services of loose women.

Organization

The modest origin of secret agents in the form of Varuna's spasas brought about the imperative need for effective and vigorous espionage in an institutionalized form. The blue-print on espionage prepared by Chanakya has remained a model for successive generations. Various aspects of the organization of a secret agency as discussed in complete detail in the Arthasastra are briefly touched upon here.

• Category of Agents. The Arthasastra mentions two wings of 'secret service', viz. 'samstha' and 'sancara'. The agents belonging to 'samstha' were stationed in the Establishment financed by the State, whereas the 'sancaras' moved from place to place depending on professional requirements. The spymasters of the two wings headed their respective cadre of agents, and controlled their operations. The members of one group were not aware of the existence of the other. This classification of Chanakya has been followed in India throughout the successive centuries.

• Recruitment of Secret Agents. A study of Arthasastra, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Manusmriti, Kamandaka and Sukra reveals that there was no fixed source of recruitment of secret agents. Modern intelligence services generally resort to three main sources of recruitment, the academic world, the armed services and the under-world. This was also the pattern followed in ancient India.

• Training. After recruitment, the secret agents were put through a rigorous training in the techniques of adopting disguises, changing appearances, science of signalling, secret writing, detection and identification of criminals, manipulating public opinion and creating dissensions in the enemy ranks.

• Control and Supervision. The complicated, comprehensive, all-pervasive and ubiquitous institution of spies in ancient India necessitated very close and personal supervision of the ruler or his most reliable officers. It must have been difficult for the king to personally handle the comprehensive and complicated department of intelligence. According to the Arthasastra, the department of external affairs, which was covering military intelligence was managed by the king with the help of his foreign minister and the Commander-in-Chief. The agents detailed to cover the senior officers of the central government certainly reported to the king directly. In the far-flung areas of extensive kingdoms and in view of poor means of communication, the action specially in times of war had to be taken by men on the spot and not by the king who may be at a place far distant from the field of action. In foreign countries the spies were kept under the control and supervision of ambassadors who scrutinised their reports and directed intelligence operations. According to Chanakya, the institution of spies as an organization did not function under a unified command. The spies and secret agents worked under their respective heads of department, and also directly under the king

Research and Analysis Wing

Main article: Research and Analysis Wing

The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) of Cabinet secretariat was formed on September 21, 1968 and handles India's external covert intelligence gathering. Although its budget is not known, 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,Shyam dhiman and the his new intelligence called XXXintelligence is also working as it partner.The official work of xxx is to advice the raw in some special task which is kept secret from general public. Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)[1] is Indias external intelligence agency. ... This article is considered orphaned, since there are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Keralas Director General of Police P K Hormis Tharakan, who belongs to the 1968 batch of the Indian Police Service, took over as the new chief of the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), the external intelligence agency on February 1. ...

Intelligence Bureau

Main article: 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. The Intelligence Bureau is Indias internal intelligence agency. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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.

Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA)

Defence Intelligence Agency 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). The Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA, is a major producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense. ... Raw describes material that is in its natural unprocessed form, or has not had the final stages of processing. ...

Joint Cipher Bureau

Main article: Joint Cipher Bureau

The Joint Cipher Bureau works closely with the IB and RAW. It is responsible for cryptanalysis and encryption of sensitive data. Joint Cipher Bureau 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 primrily 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 of 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. Sources and Methods

• Military Intelligence in India: An Analysis BHASHYAM KASTURI : The Indian Defence Review, 1997
• Cryptography Technology and Policy Directions in the Context of NII Gulshan Rai, R.K.Dubash, and A.K.Chakravarti. Information Technology Group Dept. of Electronics Govt. of India December , 1997

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

Main article: Joint Intelligence Committee (India)

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. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into National Security Council (India). ...

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 our adversaries.

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. Chakrata, located at an elevation of 5,500-6,500 feet, approx. ... , Dehradun (Hindi: देहरादून)  , also sometimes spelled Dehra Doon, is the capital city of the Uttarakhand state (earlier called Uttaranchal) in India, and the headquarters of Dehradun District. ... , Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ... Tinsukia is a city in the north east of India. ... Assam   (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a north eastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a part of Guwahati. ... , Cuttack   (derived from the Sanskrit word Kataka, which signifies a military camp or a fort or a Government seat protected by an army) is one of the oldest cities in India and the Business Capital of Orissa. ... , Orissa   (Oriya: ଓଡ଼ିଶା), is a state situated on the east coast of India. ... Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, located in the city of New Delhi, India is one of Indias main domestic and international gateways. ... , Delhi (Hindi: , Punjabi: , Urdu: ) sometimes referred to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. ... Farkhor Air Base is the only Indian overseas military base, situated at Farkhor/Ayni in Tajikistan. ... Farkhor district or Nohiya-i Farkhor (Tajik/Persian: Ноҳияи Фархор/ناحیۀ فرخار) is a district in Khatlon province, Tajikistan. ...

Directorate of Air Intelligence

Main article: Directorate of Air Intelligence (India)

The DAI is responsible for air and satellite reconnaissance missions.

Directorate of Navy Intelligence

Main article: Directorate of Naval Intelligence (India)

This is the Indian Navy’s intelligence arm. The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. ...