"R&AW's Founding and Its Role in the 1971 War"
Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)
India's external intelligence agency, established in 1968.
Intelligence Bureau (IB)
India's domestic intelligence agency, handling internal security matters.
India's external intelligence architecture took shape gradually after independence. The Intelligence Bureau (IB), inherited from the colonial period, was built for domestic surveillance and lacked the mandate or expertise for operations abroad. Intelligence gaps exposed during the 1962 Sino-Indian War led to the creation of the Aviation Research Centre (ARC) for aerial intelligence and the Special Frontier Force (SFF) for covert operations along the northern borders. The 1965 war with Pakistan further exposed the absence of a dedicated external agency. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her adviser P N Haksar then tasked Rameshwar Nath Kao, an Intelligence Bureau officer who had earlier headed the ARC, with designing a new organisation. The result, named by the Cabinet Secretariat, was the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), established in 1968. Unlike the IB, which drew mainly on police officers, R&AW was designed to recruit varied expertise capable of operating abroad without attracting attention.
R&AW's mandate covers external intelligence collection, covert action, and strategic analysis, distinguishing it from the IB's domestic focus. Because it was created through an executive decision of the Cabinet Secretariat rather than a specific Act of Parliament, R&AW, like the IB, functions without a dedicated statutory charter defining its powers or a formal parliamentary oversight mechanism. This is different from the Central Bureau of Investigation, which derives its authority from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. The absence of a similar law for intelligence agencies has long been flagged as a gap in India's security governance, with intelligence functioning largely as an extension of executive authority rather than as a legally accountable institution answerable to a specific statute. …
Analyse the multidimensional challenges posed by external state and non-state actors, to the internal security of India. Also discuss measures required to be taken to combat these threats.
With reference to India's intelligence and investigative agencies, consider the following statements:
1.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
2.The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) functions under a dedicated Act of Parliament that defines its powers and parliamentary oversight.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Match List-I (Organisation) with List-II (Associated Fact) and select the correct answer using the code given below:
List-I
A.Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)
B.Intelligence Bureau (IB)
C.Aviation Research Centre (ARC)
D.Special Frontier Force (SFF)
List-II
1.India's domestic/internal intelligence agency
2.Raised for covert operations along India's northern borders after the 1962 war
3.India's external intelligence agency, established in 1968
4.Developed aerial intelligence capability after the 1962 Sino-Indian War
Consider the following statements about the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW):
1.It was established in 1968 as India's dedicated external intelligence agency.
2.Its first chief was R.N. Kao, a former Intelligence Bureau officer.
3.R&AW derives its powers from a specific Act of Parliament.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Arrange the following events in chronological order:
1.Establishment of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)
2.Surrender of the Pakistani Army in Dhaka leading to the creation of Bangladesh
3.Raising of the Special Frontier Force (SFF)
Select the correct sequence:
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