Mission R&AW

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About the Book

This book would probably be the first eye opening account which has unlocked the main achievements and failures of Indian intelligence including IB and R&A W. There had been various assumptions, apprehensions and pretensions about the myths and realities of our intelligence among media, security analysts and in defence forces which have been threadbare for the public of this country in general and for the new generation in particular. It begins as to how the Thuggi and Dacoity' Department created by the British in 1904 took the shape of Research and Analysis Wing (R&A W) on September 21, 1968 which proved one of the most formidable intelligence agency of the world. Its founder R.N. Kao proved one of the most outstanding and legendary intelligence icon which has no parallel in the intelligence fraternity of the world. He outclassed Richard Helms of CIA and many other contemporaries of MI6 of Britain and Mossad of Israel while merging a territory of 3000 sq. miles of Sikkim within the Indian territory. There is no other example in the world intelligence as to how R&AW and its icon R.N. Kao carried out this task in the face of an imminent threat by China on its border. This book also reveals Kao's heroics in the liberation of Bangladesh which was also a monumental contribution.

This book also unfolds as to how Article 370 was enacted for the ego problem of Sheikh Abdullah by Jawaharlal Nehru and how Sheikh betrayed him later and was arrested for treason by IB. There had been numerous stories criticizing IB for its failure to provide adequate intelligence during the 1962 War with China and 1965 War with Pakistan. This book has given credible instances and information which indicate that there was no civil intelligence failure but the army bosses failed to use the inputs in the forward areas. Factual details as to how CIA hoodwinked the R&AW Joint Secretary Rabinder Singh and took him to USA through Nepal are also given in a separate chapter.

In addition to these achievements, the book has portrayed decline of the quality of intelligence which has now denigrated to a level which needs urgent reforms otherwise future of R&A W would be gloomy. Some insights of R&A W could be lethal to some individuals but in fact these are the real facts for which the author has no regret to reveal in national interest and for the attention of coming generation of intelligence officers. These revelations make a strong case for bringing the intelligence agencies of India under Parliament scrutiny like CIA of USA and other such agencies of the world democracies otherwise the happenings like attack on Parliament or 26/11 terrorist act of Mumbai are unlikely to be thwarted in future.

About the Author

The author, RK Yadav joined R&AW in 1973 as a middle level officer and was soon embroiled in its administrative affairs after Morarji Desai Government imposed a blanket ban on all sorts of activities of this agency. Strength of R&AW was reduced to two-third of its size and future prospect of the new breed of this agency was in doldrums. Staff Councils were formed in R&A W where the author represented most of its cadres to ventilate their grievances. When this forum was made defunct by the senior hierarchy of R&A W, the author formed a union in R&A W with a diehard team which enrolled almost 90 percent of its employees. This triggered an obvious confrontation after Mrs. Indira Gandhi returned to power in 1980. R&AW authorities were looking for an opportunity to settle scores with this union. Police atrocities were unleashed in November 1980 at R&AW headquarters resulting in 12-day strike in this agency which was spearheaded by the author. Around 80 employees including two ladies were either suspended or dismissed from service. The author relentlessly fought for reinstatement of these employees for seven years and got it done successfully in 1987. Even thereafter, he continued his efforts to bring transparency in the working culture of this agency where embezzlement of secret fund was rampant. In this pursuit, he unearthed some large scale siphoning off these funds which are currently under judicial scrutiny. In order to make this agency accountable to the Parliament, he has taken up this cause at various fora so that security of the nation is properly monitored by R&A W.

Preface

When I joined R&AW in 1973, I never thought I would write this book. With my simple nature and rural background I was never destined to pass judgement on people like Pakistani Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Indian General J.N. Chaudhuri, politicians and bureaucrats which I have dared to do knowing full well that I am trying to swim against the tide. Nor was I meant to critically analyse the working of intelligence wizard R.N. Kao, the founder of R&AW and take head on his 19 predecessors who helmed this organization. All this has happened due to my deeper perception of this outfit, closer proximity with Kao, better accessibility with top bosses of R&AW and my irresistible passion for the welfare of its employees. I know for certain that I would face rough weather after the launch of this book but I was made to do all this idiosyncratic depictions due to the umbrageous bureaucratic system of Indian administration in general and R&AW in particular. Further, I have used my innate outrage against this system to illustrate some of the uncanny incidents which would ablaze someone for which I should be excused and which should be taken in the right earnest. I should, however, like to take the credit which I never deserve for unfolding the unimaginable aspects of our intelligence system, leave alone certain sordid affairs which I encountered while serving in this prestigious organization.

Just after joining R&AW as a middle level officer, I was singled out from among my batch mates for posting at Jodhpur in Rajasthan. Obviously, I was agonized for this step-motherly treatment because I did not have any Godfather which is integral to one's survival in R&AW. During my stay in Rajasthan, as a young man, I witnessed a number of weird and nasty incidents in the office. Since I was on probation, I had no option but to adapt to this new working culture of our intelligence which was in sharp contrast to what we generally see in other bureaucratic set-ups. I saw corruption rampant at all levels in the office which I had neither heard nor seen before.

After spending three years in Rajasthan, I somehow got myself transferred to Delhi headquarters for which I was grateful to some of my colleagues. Fortunately, a positive Opinion was formed about my brilliance, sincerity, hard working added with

Straight-forwardness and stubborn attitude. In balance of these positive and negative aspects of my personality, I was fortunate to know that Kao's Secretariat had requisitioned my services which was a prestigious and honourable posting for every R&AW man. Arun Bhagat, who later became Director of Intelligence Bureau, was then Under-Secretary in R&AW and was in-charge of my posting, preferred to keep me with him since he was in need of a good replacement in his branch. I had a very smooth working with Arun Bhagat till he went on a foreign assignment.

Arvind Dave, who later became R&AW Chief, about whom I have given a detailed account in this book, became my new Under-Secretary. Our Director J.C. Pande, next senior to Dave, was a habitual drinker and used to start his drinking session every afternoon in his room. By evening, he used to be fully in the air and would call his juniors and rebuke them under intoxication. This was his regular practice of which I was not aware. One fine evening, he called me to clarify some official matter in his room where my next boss Sandhu along with Dave was present. He started humiliating me without any reason in the presence of my two seniors. Pande, under the influence of liquor, made some unsavoury remarks on my personality which I tolerated for five minutes and then took him to task in my rustic dialect which silenced him and made him say sorry with folded hands. Timid and greedy, Dave remained a mute spectator and did not intervene in between. That evening, I went home thinking that my days in R&AW were over since Pande was very powerful, a chum of the Chief.

Next day, I deliberately went late to the office knowing full well that I should be ready to brace the heat in view of my last evening outbursts. When I reached office, I found that some of my colleagues were eagerly searching for me at the gate. They told me that the Director was frantically looking for me. Leisurely, I entered his room thinking my life in the office would not be easy henceforth. Surprisingly it was not so. I found Pande a totally different person. He was apologetic for his misbehave for yesterday's previous day incident. I also felt sorry for my outbursts. But I requested him to post me elsewhere since that incident would continue to hound us in our daily working. Although he was averse to it due to my track record but on my persistent reasoning he agreed to transfer me.

Thereafter I was posted to China Branch. Arvind Dave, while issuing my transfer order, sent a note against me to the Director of China branch mentioning that I was temperamental, implying to harass me. This was disclosed to me by Dave's PA who was my friend. I was fully prepared to handle the adverse situation created by Dave's note. My next encounter was with P.V Kumar, Under-Secretary in China Branch, who subsequently retired as Chief of National Technical Research Organization (NTRO). Kumar could not forget this show-down till he stayed in R&AW Fortunately, I passed my time very smoothly in China Branch thereafter when I was placed with a suave person KC, Puri who deliberately assigned to me heavy task in order to utilize my talent effectively instead of resorting to confrontation on petty issues.

At that time R&AW was passing through a tumultuous period because Morarji Desai, the Janata Party Prime Minister, ordered drastic reduction of R&A W's staff strength in view of a false notion that this agency was misused by Indira Gandhi during the Emergency period in India. Full details in this regard are available in Chapter 12 'Revolt in R&AW: A chaotic atmosphere of uncertainty was prevalent in R&A W Worried about his future prospects every employee was looking for new options in life. There was no mechanism in R&AW to take care of the administrative problems of the employees. I discussed the implications of this imbroglio with some of my friends who too were scared to outline any sort of solution to this alarming situation. When they asked my opinion in this regard, I suggested that we should form a union of employees in R&A W which should work on the pattern similar to other government departments in India. Many of my friends vanished from the scene after listening the idea of forming a union in R&AW-a most sensitive department of the Government of India. I did not relent and with the help of some of my hard-core colleagues secretly formed a union in R&AW which was duly registered with Delhi government on June 30, 1980.

When the news of formation of this union broke out, there was an uproar in R&AW and the top hierarchy was hell bent to crush the founders of this outfit of which I was the first one. But they became scared when they assessed the ground realities and tried to mend fences with me. However, an untoward incident, as explained in the book, took place in R&A W when Delhi Police and CRPF were called inside the headquarters where the employees were agitating on an administrative issue. 33 employees were arrested on November 27, 1980. I was also arrested by the police and taken to Lodhi Road police station. Special arrangements were made for me by R&AW top brass for the police treatment which affected my body for several days. There was a pen-down strike for 12 days all over India resulting in suspension and dismissal of around 80 employees. This was the beginning of an end.

A dynamite was thrown on the roads of the capital of the Indian Union.

I was supposed to take care of all the suspended and dismissed employees. At the same time, I was responsible to interact with lawyers for various criminal and civil cases which were got registered against all these employees. There was a lot of hue and cry in the print media over this incident in R&A W There were allegations and counter-allegations between the union and the R&AW authorities. A state of limbo was prevailing inside the agency.

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