Kashmir Impulse Desk

New Delhi, June 25

The Government of India on Thursday appointed senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Mahesh Dixit as the new director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), placing a veteran intelligence officer with extensive experience in counter-terrorism and internal security at the helm of the country’s premier domestic intelligence agency.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of Dixit, a 1993-batch IPS officer of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh cadre, for a two-year term from the date he assumes office, according to an official order.

Dixit, who currently serves as Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau, succeeds Tapan Kumar Deka, whose tenure as IB chief comes to an end.

The appointment has been made through an extension of service under the provisions of the All India Services rules, the government order said.

A career intelligence officer, Dixit has spent much of his three-decade career in the Intelligence Bureau, holding key assignments related to internal security, counter-terrorism and intelligence coordination.

He is particularly familiar with Jammu and Kashmir, having headed the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) in Srinagar during one of the region’s most sensitive security phases following the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019.

During that period, he supervised intelligence operations across Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh, coordinating security assessments amid sweeping constitutional changes, heightened militancy concerns, and enhanced counter-insurgency operations.

Over the years, Dixit rose through the ranks of the Intelligence Bureau, serving as Joint Director, Additional Director, and later Special Director before being appointed to the organisation’s top post.

The Intelligence Bureau, which functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is India’s principal domestic intelligence agency and is responsible for internal security, counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering across the country.