SENIOR IPS officer Ravi Sinha, widely respected in the intelligence community for his professional competence and an expert on India’s n e i g h b o u r i n g countries, was appointed as the head of external spy agency RAW on Monday. He will succeed Samant Goel who completes his four-year stint on June 30. Being the number two in the organisation, where he has served for more than two decades, Sinha has been credited with making a significant progress in employing modern technology in the process of Intelligence gathering.

 

In his new role, Sinha is expected to integrate technological and human intelligence dimensions to address the challenges of today’s times. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of 59- year-old Sinha, a 1988-batch IPS officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, as the Secretary RAW for a tenure of two years, according to an order issued by the Ministry of Personnel. Considered a specialist on countries in India’s immediate neighbourhood, Sinha’s appointment comes at a time when Pakistan is politically and economically unstable, Sikh extremism is being fanned from abroad and attempts are being made in the North-East, especially in Manipur, to promote violence. Sinha is at present heading the operations wing of the Researchand Analysis Wing (RAW).His batch mateTapan Deka is heading the Intelligence Bureau.

 

An alumnus of St Stephen’s College in Delhi, Sinha has worked in a wide range of fields and brings to his new role an impressive bank of experience and know ledge. He is known to haveasound grip on developments in India’s neighbourhood, besides Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast and areas hit by the LeftWing Extremism where he has severed at different points in time. His predecessor Goel was appointed RAW chief fortwo years in June 2019. He was later given two extensions of one year each in 2021 and June 2022. Goel is believed to have played a key role in planning the February 2019 surgical strike in Pakistan’s Balakot.