Executive Summary
Parag Jain’s appointment as the new chief of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) reflects Prime Minister Modi’s hardened “new normal” stance towards Pakistan and likely a more assertive, outward-facing approach to transnational security threats. [source]
His previous leadership of the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), the aerial surveillance and SIGINT unit of the R&AW, positions him well to continue Delhi’s efforts to modernise its security apparatus. Jain’s experience with Kashmir suggests Delhi chose him to reinforce a more assertive stance towards Islamabad. Additionally, his extensive experience with counterinsurgency in Punjab and foreign postings points to a renewed emphasis on transnational intelligence operations. In particular aimed at countering the resurgence of the Khalistan separatist movement.
Jain’s extensive counterinsurgency experience and repeated promotions across decades indicate that he has earned the trust of senior BJP leadership as someone who understands the operational realities of India’s internal and external threats. Despite the recent portrayal of Jain as a calm and composed officer in Indian media, his implication in the 1993 extrajudicial killing of a young Sikh and experience in Canada suggest a familiarity with the darker side of Indian statecraft. [source, source, source]
Profile
Professional Path:
Much of the specifics of Parag Jain’s career path are not available in public records, but a rough timeline of his professional path follows.
Jain joined the Punjab cadre of the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1989. A time when Sikh Khalistan separatists, backed by Pakistan, embroiled the region in conflict. Early in his career, he served in Bhatinda, Mansa and Hoshiarpur. From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s he would serve as the Senior Superintendent of Police in Chandigarh and then Deputy Inspector General of Ludhiana, both major urban centres in Punjab during a volatile period where Jain earned a reputation for his HUMINT and counterterrorism expertise.
Jain operated in Canada from 2015 to 2018. There, he monitored the Sikh diaspora and elements of the Khalistan secessionist movement. Jain served in Kashmir in 2019 during mass unrest over New Delhi’s revocation of the region’s autonomy. In 2021, Jain was promoted to the rank of Director General of Police in Punjab.
Jain served in Sri Lanka in 2024 and reportedly played a critical role in shaping New Delhi’s proactive involvement during a period of political transition and intense Sino-Indian competition. Around this time he began heading the ARC. As ARC chief, Jain reportedly delivered targeting intelligence for India’s Operation Sindoor strikes inside Pakistan. [source, source, source, source, source]
Education:
Parag Jain holds an MA in History from an unspecified institution and an MBA in Public Service from the University of Birmingham in the UK. [source]
Awards and Honours:
In 2005 Jain was awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service. [source]
Controversies:
Ensaaf has identified Jain as involved in the 1993 murder of 19-year-old Sukhdev Singh in police custody. During this period, relations between the Punjab police and the Sikh community were strained amid the heavy casualties linked to the Khalistan separatist movement. There has been no response from the Indian government regarding Singh’s death. [source, source]
In 2016, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) identified Parag Jain as engaging in “undeclared intelligence activities.” CSIS reported that Indian intelligence interfered in Canadian elections and targeted the Sikh Indo-Canadian diaspora. Khalistan secessionists are active in Canada, a movement with which Jain had direct experience from his time in Punjab. [source, source]