New Delhi: Senior IPS officer Mahesh Dixit was Thursday appointed as the new chief of the Intelligence Bureau, succeeding Tapan Kumar Deka.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared Dixit’s appointment. He will have a two-year tenure.
Dixit, a 1993-batch Indian Police Service officer from the Andhra Pradesh cadre, was serving as the Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau prior to this elevation.
A qualified medical doctor turned law enforcement professional, he brings nearly three decades of extensive experience within the premier internal intelligence agency, having managed diverse and sensitive portfolios ranging from operations in the Northeast and Ladakh to anti-Naxal desks.
Dixit is widely recognised within the security establishment for his strong ground-level intelligence network and expertise in counter-terrorism.
He was heading the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau in Srinagar, where officials credit him with playing a pivotal role in maintaining internal stability in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370.
Dixit was also instrumental in breaking a major “white-collar” terror network last year, executing the operation after developing an initial lead provided by the Srinagar police.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Mahesh Dixit, IPS (AP:93), Special Director, Intelligence Bureau as Director, Intelligence Bureau vice Shri Tapan Kumar Deka, IPS (HP:88), for a tenure of two years from the date of assumption of the charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier, by granting extension in service under the provisions of FR 56(d) and Rule 16 (1A) of All India Services (Death cum Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958,” the ACC said in an order.
Dixit’s appointment comes at a critical juncture as the central government continues to prioritise counter-infiltration and internal security stabilisation across regional borders.
Dixit will take charge of Intelligence Bureau June 30, taking over reins of the agency from 1988-batch IPS officer Deka who was given two extensions by the government.
Deka was appointed as IB chief in June 2022 for two years. His term was extended twice in 2024 and 2025.
The rules allow the central government to extend in “public interest” the services of the chiefs of IB and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), cabinet secretary, home secretary and others, beyond the superannuation age of 60 years.
Known as a crisis manager in the power corridors and intelligence fraternity, Deka is considered an expert in ‘operations’, especially in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the Northeast region of the country. He was also in charge of the counter-assaults during the 26/11 Mumbai attack in 2008.
Adept in handling terrorism and Islamic radicalisation-related cases, Deka had also led the operations against the terror group Indian Mujahideen, which was behind a series of subversive activities across the country in the 2000s.
