R. N. Kao
Encyclopedia
Rameshwar Nath Kao was a spymaster
and the first chief of India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing
(R&AW) from its founding in 1969 to 1977.
Kao was one of India
's foremost intelligence officers, and helped build R&AW. An intensely private man, Kao was rarely seen in public after his retirement. A very cautious and reserved person, throughout his life, he was photographed only twice.
He held the position of Secretary (Research) in the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India, which has been held by all R&AW directors since. He had also, during the course of his long career, served as the personal security chief to Prime Minister Nehru and as security adviser to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
. He also founded the Aviation Research Centre
(ARC) and the Joint Intelligence Committee.
in Uttar Pradesh
on May 10, 1918 to a Kashmiri Pandit
family who immigrated from Srinagar district
. He was brought up by his uncle Pandit Triloki Nath Kao. Encouraged to pursue education, he had his early schooling in the city of Baroda, in the Bombay Presidency
. Here he did his matriculation in 1932 and intermediate in 1934. In 1936, he attained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lucknow University. He then chose to pursue a Masters degree in English Literature at Allahabad University
. He completed his Master of Arts
degree some time before 1940.
Kao then, for a while, took up a job in a cigarette company floated by Pt. Jag Mohan Narain Mushran, the then Chief Justice of the Benaras State. He also took classes in Law in Allahabad University
but left when he joined the Indian Imperial Police in 1940 after passing a competitive examination
. His first posting was in Kanpur as an Assistant Superintendent of Police.
. Sometime in the late 50s he was sent to Ghana
to help the then government of prime minister Kwame Nkrumah
set up an intelligence and security organisation there.
was a Lockheed L-749A Constellation
aircraft owned by Air India
which exploded in midair and crashed into the Pacific Ocean
on April 11, 1955 while en route from Bombay, India
and Hong Kong
to Jakarta
, Indonesia
, carrying delegates to the Bandung Conference. 16 of those on board were killed; three survived.
Investigators believed that the explosion had been caused by a time bomb placed aboard the aircraft by a Kuomintang
, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party, secret agent
who was attempting to assassinate Chinese premier
Zhou Enlai
, who had been scheduled to board the plane to attend the conference but had changed his travel plans at the last minute.
Kao, along with British and Chinese agents, probed the circumstances leading to the crash of the jetliner. His work with the Chinese earned him a letter of recommendation from Zhou En Lai.
of the Sino-Indian War
, on his return from Ghana, he was made the first director of the newly formed Aviation Research Centre
at Charbatia, Orissa
, that chiefly concentrated on TECHINT
collection. Kao was handpicked by Jawaharlal Nehru
himself, who knew him well, from his years as Nehru's Head of Personal Security.
The Sino-Indian War
and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
caused the restructuring of the country's intelligence apparatus, since real-time foreign intelligence had become a political necessity. The IB was considered to have become something of a behemoth, and was bogged down by internal operations and politicization.
In 1968, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
, who had then also begun tightening her grip on the Congress party, bifurcated the Intelligence Bureau
to form the Research and Analysis Wing
. The IB would be involved in domestic intelligence gathering, while the Research and Analysis Wing
(R&AW) was created as India's primary external intelligence agency. Its mandate was to monitor the world in general and South Asia
in particular.
Kao was chosen as the head of the new organization, with a rank of Secretary(Research) in the Cabinet Secretariat
, a post that all R&AW Chiefs occupy. As its founder-chief, Kao was given the task to built up R&AW from scratch. He spent the next nine years as the head of the organisation.
He took over R&AW at a time when things were beginning to hot up in the subcontinent. His tenure, which began in 1968, lasted for nearly a decade and marked the closest association that an Indian prime minister has ever had with the country's intelligence chief. He had unlimited access to Indira Gandhi
. She reposed complete faith in him. "Normally, Kao's was the last appointment of the day with Mrs Gandhi, when all her other engagements were finished," remembers a politician close to the Gandhi family.
began to escalate, the meetings with Indira Gandhi became more and more frequent. Recalls long-time Kao associate Victor Longer: "Intelligence is the only government business that depends upon the spoken word. Sometimes you can understand signs and body language. Kao had that rapport with Mrs Gandhi." The PMO's inner group of Kashmiri advisors D.P. Dhar, P.N. Haksar and T.N. Kaul now had another Kashmiri, Kao, for company.
While what transpired at the meetings can now only be a matter of conjecture, Kao's own team, notably Shankaran Nair (former R&AW Director)and Girish Chandra Saxena
(former R&AW Director and Jammu and Kashmir
Governor), sized up the emerging scenario in what is now Bangladesh with precision. What was worked out was not just the larger picture but the little nuts and bolts—contingency plans and micro details. The idea of India training and equipping the freedom fighters of Mukti Bahini was evolved meticulously.
After Pakistan
launched Operation Searchlight
, R&AW played a highly important role in the liberation of Bangladesh
. They gave logistic support to the Mukti Bahini
during the initial stages of the war. Amidst the mass killings and brutal rapes, Indian operatives would get into East Pakistan, arm the local population and capitalise on the frustrations brewing within. Ashok Raina, in his book "Inside R&AW", writes: "Another R&AW assessment sent to the prime minister spelt out the need for surgical intervention for the reports that came in gave positive indications that Pakistan was preparing for war. R&AW received the green signal. R&AW established guerrilla training camps along the border and began to train an illegal army."
According to Gunaratna, the Bangladesh operation took place in two phases: covert subversion and military intervention. "Phase one was coordinated by Kao and phase two by Manekshaw, both reporting directly to Indira Gandhi," he said.
During the 1971 war
, intelligence was thorough enough that the Indian Air Force could bomb the room in which the East Pakistan Cabinet was in session. Naval commandos were able to blow every single Pakistani ship in the Chittagong
harbour.
Kao maintained close connection with the new nation. In May 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
sent him to Dhaka to warn Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
of his impending assassination by some in his Army.
was toppled when the Congress was defeated in the elections by the Janata Party
. Kao's closeness to Indira Gandhi had aroused deep suspicion among the political class about his role in the Emergency. However, Kao had privately advised Mrs. Gandhi not to declare emergency. His tenure had been extended by Mrs. Gandhi; he would have retired in 1976 otherwise.
When Morarji Desai's government came to power after the Emergency, Kao was under no illusion about how the new set of politicians— who had publicly attacked Indira Gandhi for spying on them— would react to his presence. He resigned quietly and kept out of the public eye. A thorough inquiry cleared him and the R&AW of all blame. He returned when Indira made a comeback in 1980. He worked as a security advisor to both Indira and Rajiv Gandhi.
Most of the details of Kao's life will remain secret for the better part of the next century. However it is no secret that Kao made immeasurable contributions to the security of India. His invaluable service in various capacities in the Indian intelligence establishment led to great improvements in its functioning. Notwithstanding all criticisms regarding his political impact, it is through the untiring efforts of Kao that the foundations of modern intelligence handling in India were laid and a generation of intelligence professionals were trained.
bungalow, very rarely giving interviews. He died in 2002 at age 84.
Former chairman of Joint Intelligence Committee K.N. Daruwala has said:
delivered the first annual lecture. In 2007 Kumar Mangalam Birla
delivered the second annual lecture, he focused on the shortage of people with the right skill set, in and out of the government. He counted the scramble for talent as one of the issues that looms the largest — globally and in India — over organisations in the private and public sector.
Spymaster
A spymaster is a ring leader of a spy ring, run by a secret service.-Historical spymasters:*Dai Li *Francis Walsingham *James Jesus Angleton *Joseph Peters...
and the first chief of India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing
Research and Analysis Wing
The Research and Analysis Wing is India's external intelligence agency. It was formed in September 1968 after the poor performance of the Intelligence Bureau in the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the India-Pakistani war of 1965 convinced the then government of India that a specialized, independent...
(R&AW) from its founding in 1969 to 1977.
Kao was one of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's foremost intelligence officers, and helped build R&AW. An intensely private man, Kao was rarely seen in public after his retirement. A very cautious and reserved person, throughout his life, he was photographed only twice.
He held the position of Secretary (Research) in the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India, which has been held by all R&AW directors since. He had also, during the course of his long career, served as the personal security chief to Prime Minister Nehru and as security adviser to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
. He also founded the Aviation Research Centre
Aviation Research Centre
The Aviation Research Centre is a part of the Research and Analysis Wing of the Cabinet Secretariat, India. The first head of the ARC was R. N. Kao, the legendary founding chief of R&AW...
(ARC) and the Joint Intelligence Committee.
Early years
Kao was born in the city of VaranasiVaranasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
on May 10, 1918 to a Kashmiri Pandit
Kashmiri Pandit
The Kashmiri Pandits are a Hindu Brahmin community originating from Kashmir, a mountainous region in South Asia.-Background:The Hindu caste system of the region was influenced by the influx of Buddhism from the time of Asoka, around the third century BCE, and a consequence of this was that the...
family who immigrated from Srinagar district
Srinagar District
For other uses, see Srinagar .Area141 km2Population900,000 Population density6383/km2 Situated at the center of the Kashmir valley, Srinagar is the most populous district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir,Indian Administered Kashmir and is home to the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir For...
. He was brought up by his uncle Pandit Triloki Nath Kao. Encouraged to pursue education, he had his early schooling in the city of Baroda, in the Bombay Presidency
Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...
. Here he did his matriculation in 1932 and intermediate in 1934. In 1936, he attained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lucknow University. He then chose to pursue a Masters degree in English Literature at Allahabad University
Allahabad University
Allahabad University , is a premier Central University located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its origins lie in the Muir Central College, named after Lt...
. He completed his Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree some time before 1940.
Kao then, for a while, took up a job in a cigarette company floated by Pt. Jag Mohan Narain Mushran, the then Chief Justice of the Benaras State. He also took classes in Law in Allahabad University
Allahabad University
Allahabad University , is a premier Central University located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its origins lie in the Muir Central College, named after Lt...
but left when he joined the Indian Imperial Police in 1940 after passing a competitive examination
Competitive examination
A competitive examination is an examination angwhere candidates are ranked according to their grades. If the examination is open for n positions, then the first n candidates in ranks pass, the others are rejected...
. His first posting was in Kanpur as an Assistant Superintendent of Police.
Early career
Kao was deputed to the Intelligence Bureau (I.B.), on the eve of Independence when it was being reorganised under B.N. Mullick. He was put in charge of VIP security, which included the task of looking after the security ring of Prime Minister Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
. Sometime in the late 50s he was sent to Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
to help the then government of prime minister Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
set up an intelligence and security organisation there.
Kashmir Princess Probe
Kashmir PrincessKashmir Princess
The Kashmir Princess was a chartered Lockheed L-749A Constellation aircraft owned by Air India, which exploded in midair and crashed into the South China Sea following a bomb explosion, on 11 April 1955 while en route from Bombay, India and Hong Kong to Jakarta, Indonesia. Sixteen of those on board...
was a Lockheed L-749A Constellation
Lockheed Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
aircraft owned by Air India
Air India
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India. It is part of the government of India owned Air India Limited . The airline operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Its corporate office is located at the Air India Building at Nariman...
which exploded in midair and crashed into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
on April 11, 1955 while en route from Bombay, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, carrying delegates to the Bandung Conference. 16 of those on board were killed; three survived.
Investigators believed that the explosion had been caused by a time bomb placed aboard the aircraft by a Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party, secret agent
Secret service
A secret service describes a government agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For instance, a country may establish a secret service which has some...
who was attempting to assassinate Chinese premier
Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , sometimes also referred to as the "Prime Minister" informally, is the Leader of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , who is the head of government and holds the highest-ranking of the Civil service of the...
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
, who had been scheduled to board the plane to attend the conference but had changed his travel plans at the last minute.
Kao, along with British and Chinese agents, probed the circumstances leading to the crash of the jetliner. His work with the Chinese earned him a letter of recommendation from Zhou En Lai.
Founding and Establishing R&AW
After the intelligence failureIntelligence Failure
Intelligence Failure is the eighth studio album of the actor Viggo Mortensen and seventh with the avant-garde guitarist Buckethead, released on 2005. The album combines traditional and original compositions, as well as clips of public speeches, most notably of George W. Bush and members of his...
of the Sino-Indian War
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War , also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict , was a war between China and India that occurred in 1962. A disputed Himalayan border was the main pretext for war, but other issues played a role. There had been a series of violent border incidents after the 1959 Tibetan...
, on his return from Ghana, he was made the first director of the newly formed Aviation Research Centre
Aviation Research Centre
The Aviation Research Centre is a part of the Research and Analysis Wing of the Cabinet Secretariat, India. The first head of the ARC was R. N. Kao, the legendary founding chief of R&AW...
at Charbatia, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, that chiefly concentrated on TECHINT
Technical intelligence
In a pure military context, Technical Intelligence is intelligence about weapons and equipment used by the armed forces of foreign nations .The related term, scientific and technical intelligence, addresses information collected at the strategic level.Technical intelligence is intended primarily...
collection. Kao was handpicked by Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
himself, who knew him well, from his years as Nehru's Head of Personal Security.
The Sino-Indian War
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War , also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict , was a war between China and India that occurred in 1962. A disputed Himalayan border was the main pretext for war, but other issues played a role. There had been a series of violent border incidents after the 1959 Tibetan...
and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
caused the restructuring of the country's intelligence apparatus, since real-time foreign intelligence had become a political necessity. The IB was considered to have become something of a behemoth, and was bogged down by internal operations and politicization.
In 1968, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, who had then also begun tightening her grip on the Congress party, bifurcated the Intelligence Bureau
Intelligence Bureau
Intelligence Bureau was the main internal intelligence agency of British India. It can also refer to:* Intelligence Bureau , the domestic intelligence organization of India...
to form the Research and Analysis Wing
Research and Analysis Wing
The Research and Analysis Wing is India's external intelligence agency. It was formed in September 1968 after the poor performance of the Intelligence Bureau in the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the India-Pakistani war of 1965 convinced the then government of India that a specialized, independent...
. The IB would be involved in domestic intelligence gathering, while the Research and Analysis Wing
Research and Analysis Wing
The Research and Analysis Wing is India's external intelligence agency. It was formed in September 1968 after the poor performance of the Intelligence Bureau in the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the India-Pakistani war of 1965 convinced the then government of India that a specialized, independent...
(R&AW) was created as India's primary external intelligence agency. Its mandate was to monitor the world in general and South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
in particular.
Kao was chosen as the head of the new organization, with a rank of Secretary(Research) in the Cabinet Secretariat
Cabinet Secretariat
The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for the administration of the Government of India. It functions from the Secretariat Building, New Delhi, where most of Cabinet of India sits...
, a post that all R&AW Chiefs occupy. As its founder-chief, Kao was given the task to built up R&AW from scratch. He spent the next nine years as the head of the organisation.
He took over R&AW at a time when things were beginning to hot up in the subcontinent. His tenure, which began in 1968, lasted for nearly a decade and marked the closest association that an Indian prime minister has ever had with the country's intelligence chief. He had unlimited access to Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
. She reposed complete faith in him. "Normally, Kao's was the last appointment of the day with Mrs Gandhi, when all her other engagements were finished," remembers a politician close to the Gandhi family.
Bangladesh liberation war period
Towards the end of the 1960s, when the problems in East PakistanEast Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
began to escalate, the meetings with Indira Gandhi became more and more frequent. Recalls long-time Kao associate Victor Longer: "Intelligence is the only government business that depends upon the spoken word. Sometimes you can understand signs and body language. Kao had that rapport with Mrs Gandhi." The PMO's inner group of Kashmiri advisors D.P. Dhar, P.N. Haksar and T.N. Kaul now had another Kashmiri, Kao, for company.
While what transpired at the meetings can now only be a matter of conjecture, Kao's own team, notably Shankaran Nair (former R&AW Director)and Girish Chandra Saxena
Girish Chandra Saxena
Girish Chandra 'Gary' Saxena is a former governor of Jammu and Kashmir state in India. Born in Agra in 1928 he joined IPS and held many positions in police and retired as Director of the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency....
(former R&AW Director and Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
Governor), sized up the emerging scenario in what is now Bangladesh with precision. What was worked out was not just the larger picture but the little nuts and bolts—contingency plans and micro details. The idea of India training and equipping the freedom fighters of Mukti Bahini was evolved meticulously.
After Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
launched Operation Searchlight
Operation Searchlight
Operation Searchlight was a planned military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in the erstwhile East Pakistan in March 1971. Ordered by the central government in West Pakistan, this was seen as the sequel to "Operation Blitz" which had been...
, R&AW played a highly important role in the liberation of Bangladesh
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
. They gave logistic support to the Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini , also termed as the "Freedom Fighters" or FFs, collectively refers to the armed organizations who fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically formed by Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence on...
during the initial stages of the war. Amidst the mass killings and brutal rapes, Indian operatives would get into East Pakistan, arm the local population and capitalise on the frustrations brewing within. Ashok Raina, in his book "Inside R&AW", writes: "Another R&AW assessment sent to the prime minister spelt out the need for surgical intervention for the reports that came in gave positive indications that Pakistan was preparing for war. R&AW received the green signal. R&AW established guerrilla training camps along the border and began to train an illegal army."
According to Gunaratna, the Bangladesh operation took place in two phases: covert subversion and military intervention. "Phase one was coordinated by Kao and phase two by Manekshaw, both reporting directly to Indira Gandhi," he said.
During the 1971 war
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
, intelligence was thorough enough that the Indian Air Force could bomb the room in which the East Pakistan Cabinet was in session. Naval commandos were able to blow every single Pakistani ship in the Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
harbour.
Kao maintained close connection with the new nation. In May 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
sent him to Dhaka to warn Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali nationalist politician and the founder of Bangladesh. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its...
of his impending assassination by some in his Army.
Merger of Sikkim
Kao can also largely be credited for merging Sikkim into India in 1975 as its 22nd state. It was he who predicted and identified the fact that the merger must be effected before other competing interests like China moved in. Delhi had publicly acknowledged the good work done by R&AW at that point. Some analysts say Kao also had a substantial role in arming Tamil guerrillas in the late seventies and eighties and played a pivotal role in Sri Lankan affairs, even though he was no longer the hands-on man.Under the new Government
In 1977, the Government of Prime Minister Indira GandhiIndira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
was toppled when the Congress was defeated in the elections by the Janata Party
Janata Party
The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress...
. Kao's closeness to Indira Gandhi had aroused deep suspicion among the political class about his role in the Emergency. However, Kao had privately advised Mrs. Gandhi not to declare emergency. His tenure had been extended by Mrs. Gandhi; he would have retired in 1976 otherwise.
When Morarji Desai's government came to power after the Emergency, Kao was under no illusion about how the new set of politicians— who had publicly attacked Indira Gandhi for spying on them— would react to his presence. He resigned quietly and kept out of the public eye. A thorough inquiry cleared him and the R&AW of all blame. He returned when Indira made a comeback in 1980. He worked as a security advisor to both Indira and Rajiv Gandhi.
Most of the details of Kao's life will remain secret for the better part of the next century. However it is no secret that Kao made immeasurable contributions to the security of India. His invaluable service in various capacities in the Indian intelligence establishment led to great improvements in its functioning. Notwithstanding all criticisms regarding his political impact, it is through the untiring efforts of Kao that the foundations of modern intelligence handling in India were laid and a generation of intelligence professionals were trained.
Later years
A fiercely private man, Kao was rarely seen in public. He knew too much to make a public statement or write a book. Some attribute this to a life devoted to adventure and espionage which made it very difficult for him to mingle publicly. He was a recluse leading a heavily guarded life in his New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
bungalow, very rarely giving interviews. He died in 2002 at age 84.
Legacy
Kao is a legend among the Indian and South Asian Intelligence community, for his creation of the R&AW as a formidable force in such a short time from its inception. He is also well regarded by his juniors. His influence was such that those who served under him during this time were affectionately called 'Kaoboys'. Although the R&AW was established only in 1968, by the 1971 war, it had become a highly efficient and formidable force. Kao is credited to have, in only three years of R&AW's existence, helped in bringing about the creation of a new nation.Former chairman of Joint Intelligence Committee K.N. Daruwala has said:
"His contacts the world over, particularly in Asia—Afghanistan, Iran, China, you name it—were something else. He could move things with just one phone call. He was a team leader who rode out notorious inter-departmental and inter-service rivalries, which is commonplace in India."
R.N. Kao Memorial Lecture
In order to commemorate the legacy of its founder R&AW has started to organise the annual R.N. Kao Memorial Lecture. The first lecture took place in 2006 on the fifth anniversary of the death of R.N. Kao. Writer-diplomat Shashi TharoorShashi Tharoor
Shashi Tharoor is an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala...
delivered the first annual lecture. In 2007 Kumar Mangalam Birla
Kumar Mangalam Birla
Kumar Mangalam Birla is an Indian industrialist and the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, one of the largest conglomerate corporations in India. He is also the Chancellor of the Birla Institute of Technology & Science.-Education and career:...
delivered the second annual lecture, he focused on the shortage of people with the right skill set, in and out of the government. He counted the scramble for talent as one of the issues that looms the largest — globally and in India — over organisations in the private and public sector.