Some of the most consequential government appointments come with little public ceremony. On June 28, 2025, the Government of India appointed Parag Jain, a 1989-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Punjab cadre, as Secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), the country’s external intelligence agency.
His two-year tenure began on July 1, 2025, when he succeeded Ravi Sinha.
The appointment placed Jain at the head of an organisation whose work centres on gathering and assessing intelligence beyond India’s borders. It also marked a significant stage in a career that began in the police service and extended into the country’s intelligence establishment.
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The Official Record Behind the Officer
Born on January 1, 1967, Parag Jain joined the Indian Police Service on December 25, 1989. He holds a Master’s degree in History and an MBA in Public Service.
His career in the Indian Police Service eventually led him into the world of intelligence, where much of the work remains outside the public domain.
Unlike officers whose careers unfold through public-facing administrative positions, the work of an intelligence chief is defined by a different relationship with public scrutiny. The office is visible; much of the work conducted through it is not.
From Policing to National Security
Before becoming R&AW chief, Jain served in several policing positions, including Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Chandigarh, and Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Ludhiana, in Punjab.
His career subsequently included assignments connected with India’s intelligence work abroad, including Canada and Sri Lanka, as well as work relating to Jammu and Kashmir.
At the Aviation Research Centre
Immediately before his appointment as R&AW chief, Jain headed the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), an organisation associated with aerial surveillance and technical intelligence.
There, he handled the Pakistan desk, along with administrative and personnel responsibilities within the intelligence establishment.
The ARC assignment is an important part of his professional trajectory. It connects his policing background with the technical and intelligence-related responsibilities associated with his leadership role at R&AW.
His appointment followed a period of heightened attention to India’s security environment, particularly in relation to cross-border terrorism and developments in the neighbourhood.
Operation Sindoor and the Intelligence Question
India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025 brought the role of intelligence agencies into focus, with Jain’s experience at the Aviation Research Centre preceding his appointment as R&AW chief.
Jain was heading the Aviation Research Centre before taking over as R&AW chief in July 2025, assuming leadership of the agency at a significant time for India’s national security.
In November 2025, Jain was also assigned additional charge as Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat. The additional responsibility placed another national-security assignment alongside his leadership of R&AW.
The Significance of the Appointment
Jain’s professional journey offers a clear narrative: an IPS officer from the Punjab cadre moved through policing and intelligence assignments before being entrusted with leadership of India’s external intelligence agency.
As R&AW chief, Jain occupies a position in which the quality of information, the assessment of threats and the protection of national interests carry enormous weight. The public may never see the full record of the work undertaken under his leadership.
His appointment, however, places him at the centre of one of the most consequential responsibilities in India’s national-security establishment.
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