V. Balachandran
Former Special Secretary R&AW
Vappala Balachandran, commonly referred to as V. Balachandran, is a former Special Secretary of India's Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW).
He was originally an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer commissioned in the Maharashtra cadre, likely in the 1960 batch; he retired in 1995.
Known Academic History: Schooling in Madras.
Known Professional History:-
Different IPS postings in Maharashtra Police including a major part in Mumbai (1960-76)
Absorbed into R&AW (1976)
Initially part of different area studies under Analysis Division for 10-15 years where he studied terrorism viz Pakistan, Sri Lanka (LTTE) and North East insurgency
Principal Staff Officer (PSO) to Secretary R&AW A.K. Verma (1987-1990)
Served under the following 10 chiefs:-
R.N. Kao (1973-76)
K. Sankaran Nair (1977)
N.F. Suntook (1977-83)
G.C. Saxena (1983-86)
S.E. Joshi (1986-87)
A.K. Verma (1987-90)
G.S. Bajpai (1990-91)
N. Narasimhan (1991-93)
J.S. Bedi (1993)
A.S. Syali (1993-96)
Career Highlights:-
As PSO to Verma, he was instrumental in facilitating Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's access to highest level Chinese officials prior to his 1988 visit, an effort that took around two years
From 1992-93, he led Indian intelligence teams for annual dialogue with the US
In 1995, he organised the first discreet talks between Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and the chief ‘rebel’ Naga group, paving the way for a ceasefire
Post retirement, he was a member of the two-man High Level Committee appointed by the Government of Maharashtra to enquire into the police handling of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack
References
'India and China at Odds in the Asian Century', Hurst Publishers, https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/india-and-china-at-odds-in-the-asian-century/
'Former Senior Indian Intelligence Officer - R&AW's Special Secretary Vappala Balachandran', SpyCast, The Cyber Wire, https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/spycast/603/transcript
'What made AK Verma a great intelligence officer', DailyO, https://www.dailyo.in/politics/ak-verma-raw-indian-army-pakistan-china-cold-war-afghanistan-najeebullah-12744