The central government has appointed Parag Jain, a 1989-batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre, as the new Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) chief. Jain will succeed Ravi Sinha, whose current term concludes on June 30.
Centre has appointed Parag Jain, 1989‑batch IPS officer of Punjab cadre, as new Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) chief. He will succeed Ravi Sinha, whose current term concludes on June 30. Jain is set to assume office on July 1, 2025, for a fixed two‑year tenure. pic.twitter.com/hc9PuDJoKj
— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2025
Parag Jain will assume office on July 1, 2025, for a fixed term of two years.
The appointment of the new RAW chief comes at a key juncture as India deals with the growing nexus between Pakistan and China in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
Jain is presently the head of the Aviation Research Centre (ARC). During Operation Sindoor, the ARC provided the Indian Air Force (IAF) with precise intelligence on terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. These included key headquarters of terror outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
ARC also shared coordinates of terrorist launch pads belonging to Jaish, Lashkar, and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). ARC played a vital role in monitoring Pakistani aircraft and airspace during the operation, enabling the IAF to carry out major strikes. These strikes successfully targeted and destroyed nine terrorist facilities and eleven Pakistani airbases.
ARC was established during the 1962 war with China and now operates as the technical (aviation) wing of R&AW. Its core responsibilities include aerial surveillance, reconnaissance of enemy military and sensitive installations, and image intelligence. Much like the Air Force, ARC operates its own reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters to support these missions.
