NEW DELHI, June 29: Parag Jain, a 1989-batch Indian Police Service officer from the Punjab cadre, has been appointed as the new chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s external intelligence agency. He will take charge on July 1, succeeding incumbent Ravi Sinha, whose tenure ends today.
Jain will serve a fixed term of two years as the head of India’s premier spy agency. His appointment comes at a critical time, with heightened strategic sensitivities in India’s neighbourhood and overseas.
Known for his operational sharpness and strategic calm, Jain played a pivotal role in Operation Sindoor, launched in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives. The high-stakes intelligence-led operation was widely credited with swiftly neutralising threats and restoring coordination across intelligence and security apparatuses.
Currently heading the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), an arm of R&AW responsible for aerial surveillance and reconnaissance, Jain has been a key figure in enhancing the agency’s airborne intelligence capabilities.
His career in Punjab during the peak of insurgency saw him serve as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in several volatile districts, earning him a reputation for ground-level tactical acumen and counter-terror expertise.
Within R&AW, Jain has extensively handled the Pakistan desk, with crucial tenures in Jammu and Kashmir, including during the sensitive period surrounding the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, sources in the intelligence establishment confirmed.
He has also served in Indian diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka and Canada, where he oversaw and tracked Khalistani-linked terror modules and their transnational operations. His role in monitoring and countering overseas threats earned him recognition for preemptive intelligence coordination across international jurisdictions.
Officials describe Jain as a meticulous planner with deep institutional memory and a sharp eye for operational detail—qualities that many believe will be critical as India faces complex regional and global security challenges.
His appointment is seen as a strategic choice aimed at bolstering external intelligence coordination, cross-border surveillance, and counterterror operations with global footprints.
