The Center has appointed 1993-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Mahesh Dixit as head of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), people aware of the developments said on Thursday.
IB is the country’s premier domestic spy agency that collects intelligence on various issues, including terrorism and conflicts in different regions, threat assessments related to government policies, counter-espionage, and assisting other agencies and police forces.
As an Andhra Pradesh cadre officer, Dixit is currently serving as a Special Director in IB and has been supervising important operations in various sectors.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mahesh Dixit, IPS (AP:93), Special Director, Intelligence Bureau, as Director, Intelligence Bureau, Deputy Shri Tapan Kumar Deka, IPS, for a period of two years from the date of his assumption of office or until further orders, whichever is earlier, by granting extension in service….”
Dixit will take charge of the agency after the term of the current president, Tapan Deka, ends on June 30.
Deka, a 1988 batch officer, will be appointed IB President in 2022 for a fixed term of two years. After that, he received two one-year extensions.
The officials said Dixit has extensive operational and intelligence experience to handle internal security challenges. He headed the sensitive intelligence sub-office in Kashmir and played a key role in maintaining security after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, besides dealing with regional security threats.
One of the officers mentioned above said that the IB is currently playing a major role in dealing with terrorist threats as well as infiltration cases in Jammu and Kashmir. It also helps in gathering intelligence on various other national security fronts, including cross-border arms and drug smuggling, maritime security, and related issues.
