Ravi Sinha becomes new chief of India’s external intelligence agency RAW

Prior to his promotion, he was leading the operational wing of the intelligence agency. He will succeed Samant Kumar Goel.

• Shubham
• 19 June, 2023

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By: Shubham Ghosh

IN A recent official order, Senior IPS (Indian Police Service) officer Ravi Sinha has been appointed as the new chief of India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Sinha will succeed Samant Kumar Goel, whose four-year tenure concludes on June 30. Sinha, a 1988 batch Indian Police Service officer from the Chhattisgarh cadre, is currently serving as the Special Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Sinha’s appointment for a two-year term as the Secretary of RAW.

Having spent over two decades with RAW, Sinha brings extensive experience and expertise to his new role. Prior to his promotion, he was leading the operational wing of the intelligence agency. Sinha is renowned for his specialization in matters related to the neighboring regions, particularly Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the northeast of India. He has also worked extensively in various other countries.

Sinha assumes the position during a time when Sikh extremism is being propagated from certain nations, presenting unique challenges that he will need to address. His predecessor, Samant Kumar Goel, was appointed as the RAW chief in June 2019 for a two-year term and subsequently received two one-year extensions in 2021 and June 2022. Goel, who possesses expertise in Jammu and Kashmir affairs, played a pivotal role in the planning of the February 2019 surgical strike in Balakot, Pakistan.

The surgical strike was conducted in response to the Pulwama terror attack, where 40 CRPF personnel were killed by a suicide bomber belonging to the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). On February 26, 2019, the Indian Air Force targeted a JeM terrorist training camp in Balakot as a means of retaliation and to deter future attacks. Sinha will now assume the responsibility of leading RAW during a critical period, ensuring the agency’s effectiveness in safeguarding India’s national security interests.

(With agency inputs)