Parag Jain appointed new R&AW chief after key role in Op Sindoor

A 1989-batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre, Parag Jain is an experienced R&AW operative who has previously worked in Canada, the hub of global Sikh separatist movement. He will take over from Ravi Sinha who retires on 30 June. Sinha did not receive an extension, contrary to the usual practice of the Modi government to grant at least one extension to top intelligence officers.

Seasoned intelligence operative Parag Jain, currently heading the Aviation Research Centre, has been appointed the new chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). He played a critical role during Operation Sindoor and has also worked in Sri Lanka. Jain was one of the key officials in Jammu and Kashmir during the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Sources in the security establishment expect Jain to bring a fresh impetus to the organisation, which has faced setbacks in the last two years. These setbacks include failures in Bangladesh resulting in the overthrow of the Sheikh Hasina government and India's failure to anticipate developments in Pahalgam despite clear indications from Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir.

Internal rivalry within the organisation has also been evident in the past two years. Under Jain's leadership, the Aviation Research Centre obtained crucial intelligence on identified targets in Pakistan. Jain's expertise in utilizing both HUMINT (human intelligence) and TECHINT (technical intelligence) gives him an advantage in critical decision-making.

With extensive ground experience in Kashmir, Jain is well-positioned to counter Pakistan's efforts to rebuild terror infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)

According to the source: ThePrint.