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Senior RAW officials engaged in showdown for elite post
A power struggle to occupy the top post in the elite spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is affecting the country's fight against terror, sources have said.
Three top officials in the rank of Special Secretary are "lobbying hard" to succeed incumbent RAW chief Ashok Chaturvedi, who is retiring at the end of this month, they said.
"The secretaries are fighting among themselves and it is affecting our work," said a senior RAW official, on condition of anonymity.
The three officers PV Kumar, Rana Banerjee and Sanjiv Tripathi are the top contenders for the job. It is also claimed that officials close to the trio have joined them and are propagating the agenda of their candidate.
Though, Chaturvedi is reportedly backing one of the officers, RAW insiders denied any favouritism on the part of its chief.
"The PMO is aware of the fight and nothing has been kept back," a source said. Tripathi is a former IPS officer and heads the Aviation Research Centre. Kumar looks after electronics and technical services and Banerjee, a former IAS officer, is in charge of counter-terrorist intelligence.
Sources also said that the government may choose an "outsider" to head the organisation or extend Chaturvedi's tenure.
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| RAW is India's external spy agency, which was formed in 1968. Its primary function is collection of external intelligence, counter-terrorism and covert operations. In addition, it is also responsible for obtaining and analysing information about foreign governments, corporations and persons in order to advice Indian foreign policymakers. Until the creation of RAW in September 1968, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) handled both internal and external intelligence. |
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