Shyamla Datta is a former governor of the Indian state of Nagaland

Nagaland

Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...

.

Shyamal Datta was born on May 10, 1941. He joined the Indian Police Service

Indian Police Service

The Indian Police Service , simply known as Indian Police or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India...

 in July 1965 . He served as Superintendent of Police in several districts of West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

 and as Deputy Commissioner of Police in Calcutta city.

In January 1979 joined the Intelligence Bureau

Intelligence Bureau (India)

The Intelligence Bureau also known as IB is India's internal intelligence agency and reputedly the world's oldest intelligence agency. It was recast as the Central Intelligence Bureau in 1947 under the Ministry of Home Affairs...

 of the Government of India

Government of India

The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 where he served in various capacities. In October 1994, he was appointed as Director of the elite Special Protection Group (SPG). In April 1997, Shri Datta reverted back to the Intelligence Bureau as Additional Director and was promoted as Special Director in December 1997. He took over as Director, Intelligence Bureau

Director of Intelligence Bureau (India)

The director of Intelligence Bureau simply known as DIB is the senior most post in Intelligence Bureau and the only four-star Indian Police Service rank in the country. The current director of Intelligence Bureau is Mr...

, on April 17, 1998. He retired on superannuation on May 31, 2001.
Datta was recipient of the Indian Police Medal for meritorious service and the President's Police Medal for distinguished service.

Shyamal Datta became the Governor of Nagaland on 28 January 2002.