Parag Jain, Mastermind of Operation Sindoor, Kashmir Veteran, Appointed RAW Chief

SRINAGAR: Parag Jain, the intelligence officer widely credited with planning and guiding Operation Sindoor, has been appointed as the new chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), the country’s external intelligence agency. A 1989-batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre, Jain will assume office on July 1 for a fixed two-year term, succeeding Ravi Sinha, who demits office on June 30.

Known within intelligence circles as a “neighbourhood specialist” with rare dual mastery in human and technical intelligence, Jain currently heads the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), R&AW’s highly classified surveillance and SIGINT arm. His tenure at ARC was marked by robust coordination of aerial imagery, border monitoring, and electronic intercept operations, particularly during the lead-up to Operation Sindoor.

On May 7, India launched missile strikes on nine militant launch pads across Pakistan, including the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. According to intelligence officials, the mission’s success rested on the actionable intelligence gathered under Jain’s supervision, a feat that has now earned him the agency’s top post.

Jain’s elevation is as much a recognition of his steady rise through the ranks as it is of his long-standing involvement in some of India’s most sensitive national security operations. He is not new to Kashmir. Following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Jain was briefly posted in the Valley during what was arguably one of its most scrutinised and fragile phases. Officials familiar with his work say he was involved in the critical task of stabilising ground intelligence operations at a time when surveillance, coordination, and conflict-prevention were paramount.

Earlier in his career, Jain served in Punjab during the violent years of militancy. He was SSP Chandigarh and DIG Ludhiana, both of which required high-level counter-insurgency and operational command.

Jain also served overseas in two key Indian missions — Sri Lanka and Canada — both of which saw him deal with high-risk intelligence landscapes. In Sri Lanka, he was India’s station chief during the turbulent post-Rajapaksa period, when the island nation was emerging from economic collapse and political chaos. Intelligence sources credit Jain with stabilising India’s engagement with Colombo following the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July 2022 and the JVP’s rise to power in the 2024 elections.

In Canada, Jain monitored Khalistani separatist networks and flagged their growing influence early on. Sources say his on-ground assessments contributed significantly to India’s diplomatic and intelligence response to pro-Khalistan activism abroad.

Despite his extensive résumé, Jain has maintained a low public profile throughout his nearly 20-year stint in R&AW. Known for his quiet efficiency and clarity of thought, he has risen through the ranks the traditional way — through field tenures, operational credibility, and technical finesse.

“He doesn’t seek attention. He lets results speak for themselves,” a senior official from the Cabinet Secretariat told reporters. “His appointment reflects a preference for continuity, competence, and calm judgment at a time of rising strategic pressures.”

Jain was promoted to the rank of Director General of Police (DGP) in Punjab in January 2021, although he remained on central deputation. His deep familiarity with border states, intelligence management, and emerging regional fault-lines is now expected to serve R&AW as it recalibrates its posture amid shifting power dynamics in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives.

A formal statement from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet said, “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Parag Jain, IPS, to the post of Secretary, Research & Analysis Wing, under the Cabinet Secretariat for a tenure of two years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.”