The government has appointed senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Mahesh Dixit as the next chief of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the country’s premier domestic intelligence agency, according to reports.
Dixit, a 1993-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre and currently serving as a Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau, will succeed Tapan Kumar Deka, whose extended tenure as IB chief ends this month. Dixit was elevated to the rank of Special Director in 2024 after serving in key intelligence assignments within the agency.
The appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reports said.
Dixit is widely known for his extensive experience in Jammu and Kashmir, where he headed the Intelligence Bureau’s Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) unit and played a key role in intelligence coordination during a period marked by heightened security challenges, before moving to Delhi.
The Intelligence Bureau, functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is India’s principal internal intelligence agency and plays a central role in counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence, internal security and monitoring of extremist threats. The agency’s director reports to the country’s top political and security leadership.
Dixit’s appointment comes at a time when India continues to face a range of security challenges, including terrorism, cyber threats, espionage concerns and evolving internal security dynamics.
Deka, a 1988-batch IPS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, had headed the Intelligence Bureau since June 2022 and was granted two consecutive one-year extensions, allowing him to serve until June 2026.
Security analysts view the appointment as part of a broader effort by New Delhi to ensure continuity in the country’s intelligence and security apparatus amid a complex regional security environment.
The Intelligence Bureau, established in 1887, is among the world’s oldest intelligence organisations and serves as India’s primary domestic intelligence agency.
