The Big Brother That Watches Over Us

Our magazine, The Goan in School just brought out a special issue on secret services around the world. As a part of the issue, I got a chance to interview a former officer of India's internal intelligence agency, the Intelligence Bureau. It was an interesting conversation and I couldn't resist sharing the article here.  

 Considering India’s strategic situation, security has been a serious concern for the country and this has called for the need of a powerful and efficient intelligence apparatus. Today, at a time when we are fighting unconventional threats such as terrorism, it is important that the nation’s internal intelligence mechanism should be sound and capable. Associate Director of Fomento Resources and former officer of the Intelligence Bureau Mr Suresh Kumar Nair spoke to us at length about the strengths and weaknesses of India’s primary internal intelligence agency, the IB.

 Our perception of the world of spies is often shaped by the TV and movies which tend to romanticise the profession, say Mr Nair but the reality is very different. Intelligence consists mainly of two parts. First is “operation” where information is collected by various means from various sources. The second is “analysis” where people in the Bureau try to assess the quality and credibility information and decide where and how to use it.

“Checking this credibility of information is very important” say Mr Nair. “And there are times when only 15 per cent of the total information given by an agent can be genuine and valuable.” The IB does a good job at collecting the information but the agency needs to improve its analyses capabilities, says the former intelligence officer.

In the IB, the agents operating on field are supposed to pass on the information to their superiors without analysing it. Analysis is done only at senior levels and this can at times be problematic, says Mr Nair. “Therefore, the field units must develop some analyses capabilities so that the quality of information can also improve and the higher officials can be better informed about the situation on the ground.”

Here, Mr Nair cites the example of Kargil war. In case of Kargil, the field agents reported the transgressions from across the Indo-Pakistan border, but the analyses division thought it was the usual infiltration activity by terrorists whereas in reality it was Pakistani soldiers trying to enter and hold on to Indian territory.

True, it has had its share of failures, but Indian intelligence has improved tremendously with the passage of time, the Fomento Director states. A major driver behind this is the improvement in information and communication technology. Things such as satellite imagery have multiplied manifold the power of Indian intelligence agencies. “For example the incidents such 26/11 did not repeat. This shows that we are really improving.”

Here a frequently asked question is that when the IB is gaining power to efficiently combat terrorism, what is the need for a new agency such as the National Investigation Agency? Wouldn’t giving the IB more powers be better?

No, says Mr Nair.  “The NIA is an important milestone in Indian counterterrorism mechanism. The IB does not have enforcement powers that NIA has. This enables the NIA to take up investigations into cases related to national security. If the IB is given enforcement powers, the IB officials will come before the public eye. This is not advisable because the first rule of intelligence is that spies should remain unseen.” Hence, the IB agents can only collect and give information and the NIA can then act upon it, informs the former IB operative.

Commenting on the factors that limit the efficiency of the IB, Mr Nair notes that India has a diverse society and it presents a unique security challenge. There have been instances where political interests and interference have affected effectiveness of Indian agencies. “There has to be a better accountability mechanism if Indian intelligence has to improve” he says.

Intelligence agencies have to be always on guard and always evolving because communication technology has aided the rise in the magnitude of terrorism. To combat it, we need comprehensive security processes, and stringent laws to punish people identified as perpetrators of terror, says the veteran security professional. 

(First published in The Goan in School dated November 27, 2015)

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