The external intelligence service of India RAW is considered a formidableadversary in its neighboring countries, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal,where all of them have alleged political interference and involvement inviolent activities with outlawed groups.
According to the news agency “Reuters,” this issue has now extended fromAsia to Canada, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month accusedIndian government agents of being involved in the murder of Sikh separatistleader Hardip Singh Nijjar in the Vancouver suburbs in June and followingthis accusation, the world has been closely watching India’s secretive”Research and Analysis Wing” (R&AW).
While India has vehemently denied these allegations and demanded proof fromCanada, Canada stated that it has shared this evidence with its allies butwill not make it public.
Reuters spoke to four retired and two serving Indian security andintelligence officials familiar with R&AW, who said the agency wasreoriented after the 2008 Mumbai attacks to play a more robustinternational role.
On condition of anonymity, these four officials with knowledge of sensitivedealings with neighboring countries said that R&AW has gradually expandedits reach in Western countries since 2008.
One current and one former official have high marks for R&AW’s signal andtechnical intelligence capabilities concerning their neighboring countries,but in the West, the agency relies more on human intelligence for itsoperations.
Five officials stated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shownstrong support for R&AW, similar to other national security institutions,where he has bolstered India’s defensive capabilities and strengthened itsidentity since the 2014 elections.
The head of the agency, Ravi Sinha, is the only present service officer whois publicly associated with the agency and has not responded to the requestregarding the report. Ravi Sinha reports to Modi’s office through theNational Health Advisor, Ajit Dovhal, who also has not responded to therequest.
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All officers have expressed doubt that Rataarget Killing is involved andstated that the agency has no mandate for such actions.
British intelligence officials and analysts have suggested that theconcerns over the incident in Vancouver have increased global scrutiny onRAW. According to Dhairaj Parmar, an expert on Indian intelligence at theUniversity of Hull in the UK, the current developments have undoubtedlyheightened international espionage interest in Raa. Western investigationsinto Raa’s activities can also be seen as a security concern for Delhi.
In anticipation of growing tensions with China, Western countries haveincreased military and intelligence cooperation with Delhi, and Washingtonhad agreed in 2020 to collaborate with India on sensitive mapping andsatellite data.
An official noted that Canada’s claim could make it difficult for Westerncountries to trust Raa, potentially straining diplomatic relations. SinceTrudeau’s allegations against India on a public level, Canada and India’sdiplomatic relations have soured, with India suspending new visas forCanadian citizens and demanding a reduction in its diplomatic presence inOttawa.
The diplomatic relations between Canada and India have been strained sinceTrudeau publicly accused India, and India has halted the issuance of newvisas to Canadian citizens and demanded a reduction in its diplomaticpresence in Ottawa. The Washington Post reported that Canada pushed itsallies like the United States to issue a joint statement condemning India,but it failed in its attempt.