New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday decided to extend the tenure of Intelligence Bureau (IB) director Tapan Kumar Deka for another year, beyond June 30, a key development that comes amid heightened tensions with Pakistan.
Tapan Deka, India's 28th Director of the Intelligence Bureau, has been granted a second extension of a year. (Assam Police/X)
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“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension in service of Shri Tapan Kumar Deka (1998 batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre) as Director, Intelligence Bureau for a period of one year beyond June 30, 2025 or until further orders, whichever is earlier, in relaxation of the provisions of FR (Fundamental Rules) 56 (d) and Rule 16 (1A) of All India Services (Death cum Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958,” according to an order issued by the ACC.
Officials who didn’t want to be named said the government is looking for continuity in the key posts as the central intelligence and investigation agencies are currently working on various important matters related to terrorism, cyber-warfare, financial crimes etc.
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Deka was appointed the IB chief for a fixed tenure of two years in 2022. He was given his first extension for a year in June last year.
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Deka was appointed the IB chief for a fixed tenure of two years in 2022. He was given his first extension for a year in June last year.
Earlier this month, the ACC extended the tenure of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director - Praveen Sood, by one year. A decision to give an extension to Sood was taken by a high-powered committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna, and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi after it failed reach a consensus.
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An officer cited above said that IB is currently playing a major role in dealing with the terror attacks as well as infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also assisting in gathering intelligence on Naxals as security forces are carrying out regular operations to end the left-wing extremism by March 2026, a target set by Union home minister Amit Shah.
Deka is an Afghanistan-Pakistan expert, who has over two decades of experience in tracking Jehadi and Islamic extremism while working in the premier intelligence agency.
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Having worked at various positions including joint director and special director, head of subsidiary intelligence bureau (SIB) Assam and Operations unit, Deka has closely worked on terrorism in Kashmir, activities of Indian Mujahideen, banned outfit – SIMI (Students’ Islamic Movement of India), Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad etc.
A second officer cited above said - “An expert on Islamic radicalisation, Deka oversaw the crackdown on Pakistan backed homegrown outfit - Indian Mujahideen between 2008 and 2015. He was also at the forefront of investigation and intelligence gathering post 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and has substantial experience in dealing with issues in the north-east and Pakistan backed terrorism activities in Kashmir.”
Deka has also closely worked on al Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and their activities in Afghanistan-Pakistan region, and their impact on India, said the first officer, who has closely worked with the IB chief for years.
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Before he was appointed as IB chief in 2022, Deka was handling Kashmir terrorism in IB.
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.
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Home/India News/Intelligence Bureau director and counterterror expert Tapan Deka gets second extension amid tension with Pakistan
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