List of Indian Intelligence agencies
Encyclopedia
India
has a number of intelligence agencies of which the best known are the Research and Analysis Wing
, India’s external intelligence agency and the Intelligence Bureau
, the internal intelligence agency of India .
at the United Nations, and as a federal defence minister who presided over the Indian rout in the hands of China during the 1962 war.Most of the service's special liaison people appointed to Delhi were "gregarious people, fond of India and good at getting on with both the DIB and their high commission colleagues," writes Professor Andrew. Even a chill in Indo-British diplomatic relations after the Anglo-French invasion of Suez which Nehru roundly condemned "had little impact on collaboration between the DIB and MI5
."
As the 1960s arrived, the relationship evidently grew feebler. There was mounting frustration inside MI5 over how it was losing out to the Soviets as India became a key ally of the Soviet Union. "In the view of the security service," writes Professor Andrew, "the DIB was increasingly unequal to coping with the Soviet intelligence presence in India, greater than in any other country in the developing world."
Two decades later, the service was taking note of the "increasing danger" of Khalistani extremism in the UK. It had, Professor Andrew writes, become a major threat during the summer and autumn of 1984. The Operation Blue Star
at Golden Temple in Amritsar by Indian troops to put down a separatist rebellion and the anti-Sikh and Khalistani riots in 1984 triggered off by the killing of premier Indira Gandhi by her khalistani bodyguards had produced an upsurge of support within the Khalistani community for the creation of an independent Khalistani state of in India.Prof Andrew reveals "plots" to kill prime minister Rajiv Gandhi during a state visit to Britain in October 1985 were unearthed by MI5. "Good intelligence, combined with the arrest of Khalistani and Kashmiri extremists, was believed to have frustrated plots to attack Rajiv Gandhi during the state visit," Professor Andrew. Real Sikhs are not wanting khalistan writes.
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 R&AW. Much of the agency's budget and operations are classified.
The DIA has control over some of the Army's prized technical intelligence assets – the Directorate of Signals Intelligence and the Defence Image Processing and Analysis Centre (DIPAC). While the Signals Directorate is responsible for acquiring and decrypting enemy communications, the DIPAC controls India's satellite-based image acquisition capabilities. The DIA also controls the Defence Information Warfare Agency (DIWA). DIWA handles all elements of the information warfare repertoire, including psychological operations, cyber-war, electronic intercepts and the monitoring of sound waves.
The Joint Cipher Bureau is also responsible for issues relating to public and private key management. Cryptographic products are export-controlled licensed items, and licenses to India are not generally available for products of key length of more than 56 bits. The domestic Indian computer industry primarily 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 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 organizations in the defense sector are engaged in the implementation of cryptographic techniques, protocols and the products.
Central Monitoring Services based in New Delhi, Jammu and Kolkata is taken over by NTRO, National Technical Research Orgnisation in 2005 and now working as open source intelligence unit.
The Central Monitoring Organisation (CMO) is directly under the Ministry of Defence. It has several monitoring companies, located at different locations around the country. Task is to monitor use of radio spectrum by all users, such as Defence, Police, AIR, Railways, PSUs etc.
’s intelligence arm.
’s intelligence arm.It is India's ofiicial FATF unit.The Directorate of Intelligence is an allied and compact investigative set up. The DGIT (Intelligence) reports directly to the Member (Inv.), CBDT. The office will be attached to the office of the Board. The Directorate will be required to take up intensive investigation of selected cases / class of cases and develop them for further action / specialized operation; study and analyze emerging trends in tax evasion, new modus operandi etc; create an economic offence data base; develop a profiling system etc. both in traditional and non traditional fields. The Directorate liaise/interact with other intelligence/investigating agencies such as FIU, NCB, ED, DRI, DGCEI, SFO, CEIB etc. The Directorate have access to all the information received by the Department viz. AIR, TDS, BCTT, STT, CIB, AST etc. Departmental national net work, Departmental records etc.
The DGIT and his directorate is located at Delhi. They have an all India jurisdiction and are assigned concurrent powers with the other DG’sIT (Inv.). To perform the assigned functions, the DGIT (Intelligence) have a compact team of selected officers: a Director of Income Tax (of the rank of Commissioner of Income Tax), two Additional Directors of Income Tax, five Deputy Directors of Income Tax (Intelligence), two ITOs, and supporting staff.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
has a number of intelligence agencies of which the best known are the Research and Analysis Wing
Research and Analysis Wing
The Research and Analysis Wing is India's external intelligence agency. It was formed in September 1968 after the poor performance of the Intelligence Bureau in the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the India-Pakistani war of 1965 convinced the then government of India that a specialized, independent...
, India’s external intelligence agency and the Intelligence Bureau
Intelligence Bureau (India)
The Intelligence Bureau also known as IB is India's internal intelligence agency and reputedly the world's oldest intelligence agency. It was recast as the Central Intelligence Bureau in 1947 under the Ministry of Home Affairs...
, the internal intelligence agency of India .
History
Soon enough, there appeared to be a convergence of interests between the newly-independent nation India and its former rulers Britain when it came to intelligence assessments. MI5 Deputy Director General Guy Liddell and TG Sanjevi, the first head of India's intelligence agency, which was curiously called Delhi Intelligence Bureau (DIB), were "united in their deep distrust of the first Indian high commissioner in London, VK Krishna Menon, the Congress party's leading left-leaning firebrand," writes Professor Andrew.Menon, an old friend of Nehru's, was a flawed man of protean talents: he studied at the London School of Economics (LSE), was the first editor at Pelican Books, Penguin's famous non-fiction imprint, and somebody with whom Nehru could discuss, according to a diplomat who knew both the men well, "Marx and Mill, Dickens and Dostoevsky." He is also remembered for a record-busting eight-hour-long speech on KashmirKashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
at the United Nations, and as a federal defence minister who presided over the Indian rout in the hands of China during the 1962 war.Most of the service's special liaison people appointed to Delhi were "gregarious people, fond of India and good at getting on with both the DIB and their high commission colleagues," writes Professor Andrew. Even a chill in Indo-British diplomatic relations after the Anglo-French invasion of Suez which Nehru roundly condemned "had little impact on collaboration between the DIB and MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
."
As the 1960s arrived, the relationship evidently grew feebler. There was mounting frustration inside MI5 over how it was losing out to the Soviets as India became a key ally of the Soviet Union. "In the view of the security service," writes Professor Andrew, "the DIB was increasingly unequal to coping with the Soviet intelligence presence in India, greater than in any other country in the developing world."
Two decades later, the service was taking note of the "increasing danger" of Khalistani extremism in the UK. It had, Professor Andrew writes, become a major threat during the summer and autumn of 1984. The Operation Blue Star
Operation Blue Star
Operation Blue Star ) 3– 6 June 1984 was an Indian military operation, ordered by Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, to remove Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar...
at Golden Temple in Amritsar by Indian troops to put down a separatist rebellion and the anti-Sikh and Khalistani riots in 1984 triggered off by the killing of premier Indira Gandhi by her khalistani bodyguards had produced an upsurge of support within the Khalistani community for the creation of an independent Khalistani state of in India.Prof Andrew reveals "plots" to kill prime minister Rajiv Gandhi during a state visit to Britain in October 1985 were unearthed by MI5. "Good intelligence, combined with the arrest of Khalistani and Kashmiri extremists, was believed to have frustrated plots to attack Rajiv Gandhi during the state visit," Professor Andrew. Real Sikhs are not wanting khalistan writes.
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
Functions under the Central Board of Excise and customs(CBEC), in the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue. Headed by Director General in New Delhi, it is presently divided into seven zones, each under the charge of an Additional Director General, and further sub-divided into Regional Units, Sub-Regional Units and Intelligence Cells with a complement of Additional Directors, Joint Directors, Deputy Directors, Assistant Directors, Senior Intelligence Officers and Intelligence Officers. For more information, click here.National Technical Reconnaissance Organization
The country's prime civilian technology intelligence agency. Modeled on the American NSA. Works in very close coordination with the Aviation Research Centre.Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA)
This agency was established on 5 March, 2002 with the appointment of Lt. General Kamal DavarKamal Davar
Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar is an Indian military officer who served as the first Director General of the Defence Intelligence Agency. Lt General Kamal Davar retired from the Indian Army in 2004 after a most distinguished service spanning four decades. He has held coveted command, staff and instructional...
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 R&AW. Much of the agency's budget and operations are classified.
The DIA has control over some of the Army's prized technical intelligence assets – the Directorate of Signals Intelligence and the Defence Image Processing and Analysis Centre (DIPAC). While the Signals Directorate is responsible for acquiring and decrypting enemy communications, the DIPAC controls India's satellite-based image acquisition capabilities. The DIA also controls the Defence Information Warfare Agency (DIWA). DIWA handles all elements of the information warfare repertoire, including psychological operations, cyber-war, electronic intercepts and the monitoring of sound waves.
Joint Cipher Bureau
The Joint Cipher Bureau works closely with the IB and R&AW. It is responsible for cryptanalysis and encryption of sensitive data. The inter-services Joint Cipher Bureau has primary responsibility for cryptology and SIGINT, providing coordination and direction to the other military service organizations with similar mission. Most current equipment providing tactical intelligence is of Russian origin, including specialized direction finding and monitoring equipment.The Joint Cipher Bureau is also responsible for issues relating to public and private key management. Cryptographic products are export-controlled licensed items, and licenses to India are not generally available for products of key length of more than 56 bits. The domestic Indian computer industry primarily 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 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 organizations in the defense sector are engaged in the implementation of cryptographic techniques, protocols and the products.
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.Central Monitoring Services based in New Delhi, Jammu and Kolkata is taken over by NTRO, National Technical Research Orgnisation in 2005 and now working as open source intelligence unit.
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 other countries.The Central Monitoring Organisation (CMO) is directly under the Ministry of Defence. It has several monitoring companies, located at different locations around the country. Task is to monitor use of radio spectrum by all users, such as Defence, Police, AIR, Railways, PSUs etc.
Directorate of Air Intelligence
The DAI is responsible for air and satellite reconnaissance missions.Directorate of Navy Intelligence
This is the Indian NavyIndian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
’s intelligence arm.
Directorate of Income Tax Intelligence
This is the Income TaxIncome tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
’s intelligence arm.It is India's ofiicial FATF unit.The Directorate of Intelligence is an allied and compact investigative set up. The DGIT (Intelligence) reports directly to the Member (Inv.), CBDT. The office will be attached to the office of the Board. The Directorate will be required to take up intensive investigation of selected cases / class of cases and develop them for further action / specialized operation; study and analyze emerging trends in tax evasion, new modus operandi etc; create an economic offence data base; develop a profiling system etc. both in traditional and non traditional fields. The Directorate liaise/interact with other intelligence/investigating agencies such as FIU, NCB, ED, DRI, DGCEI, SFO, CEIB etc. The Directorate have access to all the information received by the Department viz. AIR, TDS, BCTT, STT, CIB, AST etc. Departmental national net work, Departmental records etc.
The DGIT and his directorate is located at Delhi. They have an all India jurisdiction and are assigned concurrent powers with the other DG’sIT (Inv.). To perform the assigned functions, the DGIT (Intelligence) have a compact team of selected officers: a Director of Income Tax (of the rank of Commissioner of Income Tax), two Additional Directors of Income Tax, five Deputy Directors of Income Tax (Intelligence), two ITOs, and supporting staff.
See also
- Indian Police ServiceIndian Police ServiceThe Indian Police Service , simply known as Indian Police or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India...
- Law enforcement in IndiaLaw enforcement in IndiaLaw enforcement in India by numerous law enforcement agencies. Like many federal structures, the nature of the Constitution of India mandates law and order as a subject of the state, therefore the bulk of the policing lies with the respective states and territories of India.At the federal level,...
- Paramilitary forces of India
Further reading
- 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