Exclusive: Tapan Deka Seriously Weighs To Step Down As Frustration In IB Grows
Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Tapan Deka, has now clocked what is shaping up to be the longest tenure of any IB chief in modern history, four years and counting, standing on the brink of a fresh extension till June 2027. But behind the corridors of India's premier domestic intelligence agency, all is not quiet.
Top sources in security establishment reveal that Deka has been quietly considering a graceful exit for some time now, citing health as a personal reason- a long-time excuse to avoid the spotlight. Still, now Deka is seriously driven by something far more institutional: a deep concern about the Bureau's succession health. "Deka has discussed his plans to step aside and allow natural succession to take its course."
Frustration In IB
What makes Deka's reluctance to continue even more pointed is the simmering internal conflict within the Bureau, one that senior officials describe in unambiguous terms as a civil war within the hierarchy.
Two senior Special Directors are locked in a fierce, behind-the-scenes contest for the IB's top job. And the battle lines don't stop there. Joint Directors and few Additional Directors(AD-X) within the organisation have reportedly begun aligning themselves covertly with one camp or the other, turning what should be a merit-based succession into a factional turf war. The friction is higher these days; both Special Directors have refused to leave IB, a top source said.
Calculated Succession By MHA
The Ministry of Home Affairs, however, appears to have its own chess move in play. Rather than letting the succession battle play out organically, which risks an unseemly power grab, the top brass in MHA is reportedly favouring one more year of Deka as a deliberate pressure-valve strategy. Keep Deka in the chair till June 2027, effectively sideline one of the two competing Special Directors through attrition or posting.
Position Ritwik Rudra, currently the third-in-command at IB, as the consensus successor to take charge in 2027. But considering Deka's serious effort of convincing top brass a slim chance of succession cannot be outrightly denied, top sources say that National Security Advisor(NSA) Ajit Doval KC is to have considerable say over Deka's future, if not at the position of DIB he will be put in effective position elsewhere, a top source said.
R&AW Contrast
Meanwhile, India's external intelligence wing, R&AW, offers a markedly different picture. Current chief Parag Jain is expected to continue until the 2029 general elections, giving the agency rare stability and the capacity for long-term strategic planning. R&AW has, over time, grown comfortable with extended tenures. But here lies an emerging anomaly: by the time the 2029 elections arrive, the next R&AW chief could be junior to the IB chief.
Deka, by all accounts, understands this better than most. His desire to step down may be the most consequential thing he does not do because of what he leaves behind, but because of how cleanly he leaves.
