The Intelligence Bureau (IB) is India's internal security and counterintelligence agency

under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was founded in 1887 as the Central Special
Branch. The IB is often regarded as the oldest extant intelligence organisation in the
world.
Until 1968, it handled both domestic and foreign intelligence after which the
Research and Analysis Wing was formed specifically for foreign intelligence; following
that, the IB was primarily assigned the role of domestic intelligence and internal
security. Tapan Deka is the current director of the IB, since June 2022.
History
The Intelligence Bureau traces its origin to the Central Special Branch, established on
23 December 1887 by the British government in India to gather intelligence on
political unrest, particularly after the formation of the Indian National Congress in
1885. Its creation followed Secret Dispatch No. 11, dated 25 March 1887, in which R.
A. Cross, the Secretary of State for India, sanctioned the proposal by Marquess of
Dufferin, the Viceroy of India, to create a system for the "collection of secret and
political intelligence in India".
Dufferin proposed utilizing the police forces in British India and political officers in
princely states for the "collection of intelligence on political, social and religious
movements". He recommended the establishment of "special agencies" at both
central and provincial headquarters, assigning local governments the responsibility of
intelligence collection and obliging them to report relevant findings to the central
government. The Provincial Special Branches, under local government control, were
tasked with sharing intelligence with the Central Special Branch.
Dufferin modelled the agency after the Third Section of Imperial Russia. To reduce
expenses, the agency shared the manpower and facilities of the existing Thuggee and
Dacoity Department, headquartered at Shimla. The General Superintendent of the
Department was entrusted with the supervision of the Central Special Branch. His
proposed annual budget was ₹46,800. Donald McCracken, a police officer from the
Punjab cadre, was appointed as its first head. McCracken was the assistant to the
General Superintendent, Colonel P. D. Henderson. The Provincial Special Branches
were attached to the offices of either the Inspector General of Police or the chief
secretary of the respective provinces.
In 1904, based on the recommendations of the Indian Police Commission (1902 –
1903) chaired by Andrew Fraser, the Central Criminal Intelligence Department—also
known as the Department of Criminal Intelligence (DCI)—was established. This
reorganization led to the abolition of the Thuggee and Dacoity Department and the
merger of the Central Special Branch into the DCI. Additionally, Criminal Investigation
Departments (CID) were created in the provinces. Initially, Provincial Special Branches
were incorporated into the CIDs, headed by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG), but
they were later separated as their functions evolved.
Section 40(2) of the Government of India Act 1919 stated that "the Intelligence
Bureau should keep the Government posted with matters relating to the security of
the Indian Empire." Reflecting this directive, the DCI was renamed the Intelligence
Bureau in 1920, a year before the Act formally came into force in 1921. In the 1920s,
the IB's role was reduced to primarily relaying intelligence to the Indian Political
Intelligence (IPI) office in London, which was responsible for analyzing intelligence,
and acted as a liaison between the IPI and the Government of India. Following the
implementation of provincial autonomy under the Government of India Act 1935, the
IB began assigning officers designated as Central Intelligence Officers to the provinces
starting in 1937.
The IB, initially also referred to as the Delhi Intelligence Bureau (DIB), was placed
under the Home Department and reported directly to the Governor-General of India.
After India gained independence in 1947, the IB came under the Ministry of Home
Affairs, with T. G. Sanjeevi Pillai becoming its first Indian director. Until 1968, the IB
was responsible for both internal and external intelligence. However, shortcomings in
its external intelligence, particularly in foreseeing Chinese movements before the
Indo-China War of 1962 led to the creation of the Research and Analysis Wing
(R&AW) in 1968, dedicated to external intelligence.
Organisation
The IB is a constitutional body under the Schedule VII of the Constitution of India.
The Union List within Schedule VII includes "Central Bureau of Intelligence". IB is also
listed in the Schedule of the Intelligence Organisations (Restriction of Rights) Act,
1985, which recognizes organisations "established by the central government for
purposes of intelligence or counter-intelligence". The IB functions under the Ministry
of Home Affairs and is headed by a Director of the Intelligence Bureau. According to
the Government of India, IB is a civilian organization without police powers.
Though IB operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in practice, the
director of the IB is a member of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and the
Steering Committee. The director has the authority to brief the Prime Minister when
necessary. The organization operates at both state and national levels. Most of the
intelligence collection is handled by Grade II officers, including Security Assistants
(constables), Junior Intelligence Officers (head constables), Assistant Central
Intelligence Officers (sub-inspectors), Deputy Central Intelligence Officers
(inspectors), and Joint Central Intelligence Officers (superintendents of police).
Higher-level coordination and management are carried out by Group A gazetted
officers, such as Assistant Director, Deputy Director, Joint Director, Additional
Director, Special Director, or Special Secretary, and the Director. At the state level, IB
officers are part of the State Special Bureau and report to a Central Intelligence
Officer, who acts as the intelligence advisor to the Governor. The IB maintains field
units and headquarters, usually under the control of Joint or Deputy Directors.
Responsibilities
Shrouded in secrecy, the IB is used to garner intelligence from within India and also
execute counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism tasks. The Bureau comprises
employees from law enforcement agencies, mostly from the Indian Police Service
(IPS) or the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) and the military. However, the Director of
Intelligence Bureau (DIB) has always been an IPS officer. In addition to domestic
intelligence responsibilities, the IB is particularly tasked with intelligence collection in
border areas, following the 1951 recommendations of the Himmat Singh Ji
Committee (also known as the North and North-East Border Committee), a task
entrusted to the military intelligence organisations before independence in 1947.
All spheres of human activity within India and in the neighbourhood are allocated to
the charter of duties of the Intelligence Bureau. The IB was also tasked with other
external intelligence responsibilities from 1951 until 1968 when the Research and
Analysis Wing was formed.
Activities and operations
Understanding of the shadowy workings of the IB is largely speculative. Many times
even members' family members are unaware of their whereabouts. One known task
of the IB is to clear licences to amateur radio enthusiasts. The IB also passes
intelligence between other Indian intelligence agencies and the police. The bureau
also grants the necessary security clearances to Indian diplomats and judges before
they take the oath. On rare occasions, IB officers interact with the media during a
crisis. The IB is also rumoured to intercept and open around 6,000 letters daily. It also
has an email spying system similar to the FBI's Carnivore system. The bureau is
authorised to conduct wiretapping without a warrant.
The IB was initially India's internal and external intelligence agency. Due to lapses on
the part of the Intelligence Bureau to predict the Sino-Indian War of 1962, and later
on, intelligence failure in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, it was bifurcated in 1968
and entrusted with the task of internal intelligence only. The external intelligence
branch was handed to the newly created the Research and Analysis Wing.
The IB operated a counterintelligence programme to prevent the CIA from gathering
information about the preparations and activities related to the Indian nuclear
weapons project, before the Pokhran-II nuclear tests.
The IB had mixed success in counterterrorism. It was reported in 2008 that the IB had
been successful in busting terror modules. It alerted the police before the Hyderabad
blasts and gave repeated warnings of a possible attack on Mumbai through the sea
before the 2008 Mumbai attacks. On the whole, however, the IB came in for some
sharp criticism by the media after the relentless wave of terror attacks in 2008. The
government came close to sacking top intelligence officials soon after the 26/11
attacks, because of serious lapses that led to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Heavy
politics, under-funding and a shortage of field agents were the chief problems facing
the agency. The overall strength of the agency is believed to be around 25,000, with
3500-odd field agents operating in the entire country. Of these, many were engaged
in political intelligence.
Since 2014, the IB has undergone many reforms and changes. One of the biggest
reforms was the cessation of internal political espionage. The agency has also
boosted its infrastructure and recruited more agents. It has been successful in
stopping the earlier pattern of frequent terror attacks in India. The agency has also
been successful in counterintelligence.
National Intelligence Bureau operate independently and playing an important role in
the service of our country and makes a Corruption and Crime care free society.
We have take urgent step and investigation for Corruption, Crime, Fake currency,
Narcotic, drugs Wild life protection , Objective animals, Antics, Corruption, Illegal
stamp/post, weapons, Human right protection, Bonded labor, Child labor, Women
protection and other all type of illegal works.
The network of NIB is spread over the length and breadth of the country. NIB is also
working as a support group for the organizations and movements committed for the
promotion of Justice and Equity in India.
Mission :
To effectively enforce Anti Crime & Corruption Laws with integrity & impartiality
strive to achieve the highest standards in the duties we perform, the services we
render & the professionalism we display.
Vision :
To create a dynamic and result oriented Anti Crime & Corruption system in terms of
• Professionalism
• Effective implementation of Law
• Efficiency
Strategy :
Focus Areas -
• Exercising effective Crime & Corruption control,
• Effective implementation of laws against corrupt officials,
• Booking the corrupt elements & thereby preventing heavy loss to the State
Exchequer,
• Collecting intelligence with regard to Disproportionate Assets. Misuse of Powers i.e.
Criminal Misconduct by Corrupt Officials.
• Preventing & Detecting Corruption related crime.
Values :
• Integrity : To maintain the high standards of Integrity through an unbiased
application of policies & practices
• Courtesy : To treat each member of the Public and their complaints with Respect,
Courtesy & Compassion.
• Efficiency : Be tough, assertive and appreciative of different perspectives to meet
the specific needs of our mission.
SERVICES
• Anti Crime & Corruption
• Anti Human Trafficking
• Girls Trafficking
• Child Trafficking
• Narcotics
• Cyber Crime
• Domestic Violence
• Women Abusement