Parag Jain is an officer of the Indian Police Service who will take the helm as Secretary of India's external intelligence agency, the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), effective 1 July 2025 for a two-year term slated to end on 1 July 2027. He hails from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
He was commissioned as a Regular Recruit (RR) in the Punjab Cadre in 1989. His wife Seema Jain is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (Punjab Cadre, 1991 batch).
Known Academic History:-
MA History from Unknown Institution (?-?)
MBA (Public Service) from the University of Birmingham, UK (?-?)
Known Professional History:-
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Chandigarh, Tarn Taran and Mansa (?-?)
Joint Director Vigilance and Commandant of the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) (?-?)
Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Ludhiana Range, Punjab (2004-?)
Inspector General (Computer and Telecommunication), Punjab (?-2008)
Inspector General (Headquarters), Punjab (2008-10)
Permanent Secondment to the Central Government/ R&AW with multiple stints including two overseas postings to Canada and Sri Lanka (2010-). Promoted to Joint Secretary in 2012. Promoted to Additional Director General/ equivalent in 2019. Promoted to Director General/ Additional Secretary in 2021; during this term, he also led the Aviation Research Centre (ARC)
Secretary R&AW (2025-)
Served under the following 7 chiefs in R&AW:-
K.C. Verma (2009-10)
Sanjeev Tripathi (2010-12)
Alok Joshi (2012-14)
Rajinder Khanna (2014-16)
Anil Kumar Dhasmana (2017-19)
Samant Kumar Goel (2019-23)
Ravi Sinha (2023-25)
Miscellaneous:-
Parag served in an operational role during the peak of militancy in Punjab, with postings in Bathinda, Mansa and Hoshiarpur
As Inspector General (IG) of Punjab Police, he led the state's response during public riots following the death of Sant Rama Nand and the severe injury to Sant Niranjan Dass in a targeted attack on a Sikh temple in Vienna, Austria. His intervention helped contain the unrest before it escalated (2009)
Despite being transferred to the Centre/ R&AW in 2010, he allegedly overstayed his allotted accommodation in Chandigarh. The Haryana Estate Office issued multiple notices for violating allotment rules (2011)
He reportedly played a key intelligence role during the 2019 ‘reorganisation’ of Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K) by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), aiding internal security planning around the illegal abrogation of Article 370. He had previously served in IOJ&K and later handled the Pakistan Desk
During his posting in Canada, he monitored Khalistan-related activities and repeatedly cautioned New Delhi about the growing threat, warning that the issue was evolving into a 'dangerous' situation
As head of the ARC during India's 'Operation Sindoor', he allegedly provided strike coordinates to the Indian Air Force (2025)
Assessment
Parag joins former R&AW chief Samant Kumar Goel and A.K. Sharma as another officer on long-term deputation to the Centre from the Punjab cadre. His experience in Punjab, IOJ&K and Canada indicates he was deliberately groomed to take a tough stance on the Khalistan issue and Pakistan.
With extensive field and technical intelligence management experience, he was undoubtedly a strong candidate to succeed Ravi Sinha as R&AW Secretary. The BJP appears to be particularly impressed by his activities during Modi 2.0 in IOJ&K and recent Pakistan-focused work in the ARC where he facilitated intelligence-based cooperation with the Ministry of Defence.
Two of his former R&AW superiors are now part of Modi 3.0; Alok Joshi serves as Chairman of the reconstituted National Security Advisory Board since April 2025 while Rajinder Khanna (Joshi’s successor as R&AW chief) has been an Additional National Security Adviser alongside Ajit Doval since July 2024.
References
'Centre Appoints Parag Jain As New RAW Chief, To Take Charge On July 1', ABP News, 28 June 2024, https://news.abplive.com/news/india/centre-appoints-parag-jain-as-new-raw-chief-to-take-charge-on-july-1-1783761
'Parag Jain is city DIG', Ludhiana Tribune, 3 June 2004, https://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040603/ldh1.htm
'Freedom fighters remembered', Ludhiana Tribune, 16 August 2006, https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060816/ldh1.htm
'Top Punjab cops shifted', Times of India, 28 August 2008, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/top-punjab-cops-shifted/articleshow/3414704.cms
'Violence in India over guru's death', CNN, 26 May 2009, https://web.archive.org/web/20090527122419/https://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/26/india.austria.violence/
'Retention of ‘de-earmarked’ govt houses against rules Admn notice to 7 IAS, IPS officers', Chandigarh Tribune, 5 April 2011, https://archive.vn/SunS0
'5 DGPs in 10 months — why Punjab Police ‘musical chairs’ has triggered alarm', ThePrint, 18 July 2022, https://theprint.in/india/governance/5-dgps-in-10-months-why-punjab-police-musical-chairs-has-triggered-alarm/1040188/
'Punjab's 1991-batch IAS officer Seema Jain empanel as central secretary come into effect', True Scoop, 7 July 2022, https://www.truescoopnews.com/newsdetail/punjabs-top-three-ips-officers-wives-get-empanelled-as-central-secretaries-check-names
Sugam Singhal, 'Meet Parag Jain, RAW's new chief and a ‘super sleuth' who enabled precision strikes during Operation Sindoor', Live Mint, 28 June 2025, https://www.livemint.com/news/india/meet-parag-jain-raws-new-chief-and-a-super-sleuth-who-enabled-precision-strikes-during-operation-sindoor-11751103427536.html
'RAW’s new chief: Who is Parag Jain, the man behind India’s PoK strikes?', Mathrubhumi, 28 June 2025, https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/india/parag-jain-appointed-raw-chief-operation-sindoor-neighbourhood-specialist-vttvtust
Hemant Waje, 'IPS officer, who played key role in Op Sindoor, to head RAW', Rediff, 28 June 2025, https://www.rediff.com/news/report/pakistan-expert-parag-jain-appointed-new-raw-chief/20250628.htm