Amazing Facts About RAW

‘DHARMO RAKSHATHI RAKSHITHA’ is RAW’s motto that translates to one who does not follow dharma is destroyed and while the one who follows it is protected by dharma itself.

After there were intelligence failures during the 1962 sino-India war and the India-Pakistan war in 1965, RAW came into existence. 

Under Operation Cactus, the Indian Armed Forces helped the government of Maldives in the neutralisation of the coup attempt.

The Indian Armed Forces’ mission to capture the authority of the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir, which sparked the Siachen conflict, was codenamed Meghdoot.

Professional Training Period 

Officials from RAW are deployed all over the world to learn self-defence techniques and how to use advanced technology. These include the United Kingdom, the United States, and Israel. Applicants for RAW can be picked from anywhere in the country with an IQ more than the average, whether they are university students or those on the street. RAW is exempt from the provisions of the Right to Information Act since it is not accountable to any other government agency.

As a general rule, the basic training lasts little more than 10 days and exposes students to real-world information and spy situations. Students learn about economics, finance, space science, information security, energy security, and other fields of science and technology. They also take exams. The recruit is taught how to speak a second language and how to do geostrategic analysis during their training. To broaden one’s knowledge base, case studies from other intelligence services are also available. In addition, the member is taught that intelligence agencies do not decide who is an ally and who is an adversary; rather, the country’s actions define this distinction.

After completing ‘Basic Training,’ the recruit is deployed to a Field Intelligence Agency (FIB). It takes about a year and a half for a student to complete their training here, during which time they get a taste of what it’s like to work in the cold and carry out secret operations. Under realistic conditions, they are trained in infiltration and exfiltration. As part of their training, they learn how to evade capture and how to cope with questioning in the event that they do become a victim of law enforcement. Recon, building contacts, and other intelligence-related skills are all mastered by them. New recruits are sent back to the University for further polishing following field training.

RAW and the Bangladesh Liberation War 

Intelligence collecting and covert operations skills were transferred to R&AW from the IB in Pakistan and China. These didn’t meet the standards of the intelligence services of the West and Israel. Some key faults were uncovered in 1962 when China invaded India, when Pakistan and India went to war in 1965, and when North-East operations were being conducted.

R&AW was established on September 21, 1968, under the leadership of late IB foreign intelligence chief Rameshwar Nath Kao, who was chosen by Indira Gandhi. When it was formed, he gave it two major tasks: to gather intelligence on Pakistan and China and to undertake covert operations in East Pakistan. In barely over two years, the R&AW was able to build an effective covert operations capability. Indira Gandhi resolved to help the people of East Pakistan win independence from Pakistan and initiated the programme.

Operation Cactus 

Indian National Congress member Rejaul Karim Laskar argued that if India had not intervened in the attempted coup in the Maldives, external authorities would have been tempted to respond with force or even establish bases in the Maldives, which would have been counterproductive to India’s national interest because the Maldives was located in India’s backyard. “Operation Cactus” was launched by India as a result.

Indian Air Force evacuated members of the 50th Independent Parachute Brigade from Agra Air Force Station and flew them straight to Malé International Airport on Hulhule Island on November 3, 1988, to begin the operation. First, the Indian paratroopers seized control of the airstrip and then utilised stolen boats to cross to Malé and rescue President Gayoom. The paratroopers returned a portion of the government to President Gayoom’s administration within a few hours.

Operation Meghdoot 

On April 13, 1984, the Indian Army seized possession of the strategically important Siachen Glacier and continued to garrison the world’s highest battleground under the most extreme circumstances possible.

The Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir was the aim of the operation that began in 1984. Prior to the Siachen conflict, this military operation was notable in that it was the first attack on the highest battlefield on the globe. As a result of the military operation, the Indian Army gained control of the whole Siachen Glacier.

Op Meghdoot, the Army’s longest-running operation, is still continuing strong after 36 years on the strategically important Siachen Glacier; it honours a story of extraordinary bravery, heroism and commitment on the nation’s highest and coldest battleground.

Conclusion

It is the job of RAW to gather intelligence on military matters as well as economic, scientific, and political affairs in both covert and overt ways. Operation Cactus, a joint effort between the Indian and Maldivian militaries, was vital in the defeat of the attempted coup. Meghdoot was the codename given to the Indian Army’s operation to seize control of the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir, which caused the Siachen War.