.jpg)
"Kya Bharat jaise bade desh ke liye qurbani dene waalon ko yahi milta hai?”
This is what Ravindra Kaushik wrote in one of his last letters to his family from Central Jail, Mianwali, Pakistan, where he spent the majority of the last years of his life.
Let's unfold the life of one of the greatest spies!
The Great Spy
Ravindra Kaushik is arguably India's most prominent undercover spy. He was just 23 years old when he first went undercover for India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
He is considered a great spy as he was able to penetrate to the rank of Major in the Pakistani army before his cover blew off.
R&AW spotted him
Born on April 11, 1952, in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan. He picked up an interest in dramatics in his college days. R&AW officials spotted his theatrics, solo-acting, and proposed he joins the agency.
After completing his BCom degree in 1973, Ravindra headed to Delhi for a two years training period.
While Ravindra was already fluent in Punjabi, officials taught him Urdu, familiarised him with Islam, and gave him detailed lessons on Pakistan’s topography. He reportedly also underwent a circumcision to pass off as a Muslim.
Entered Pakistan
All of his official Indian records were destroyed by 1975 when he was sent to Pakistan with a new identity of ‘Nabi Ahmed Shakir’, a resident of Islamabad.
He completed an LLB degree from Karachi University. After that he did what no one could do before, he saw a newspaper ad for the recruitment of the Pakistani army.
He joined the Pakistani Army as a commissioned officer and was later promoted to the rank of Major.
The Black Tiger
Having secured a well-respected position in the Pakistani army, Ravindra passed on confidential information to Indian defence officials between 1979 and 1983, offering the country a critical advantage in times of growing conflict.
Sensitive information relayed by him from beyond the borders eventually earned him the title ‘Black Tiger’, a term coined by then PM Indira Gandhi in recognition of his bravery and significant service towards the country.
When his cover blew off
In Sep 1983, Ravindra’s secret identity of eight years fell apart. Inayat Masiha, a low-level operative sent by R&AW to get in touch with Ravindra was caught and revealed the true nature of his work during interrogation by Pakistani forces.
On the instructions of Pakistani intelligence officials, Masiha had asked to meet Ravindra, then 29, in a park where he was arrested on charges of espionage.
For the next two years, he was tortured for information at an interrogation centre in Sialkot.
The torture
In 1985, the Pakistani Supreme Court sentenced Ravindra to death, but his punishment was later altered to life imprisonment.
He was kept in multiple jails including Sialkot, Kot Lakhpat, and Mianwali. Even so, he managed to secretly write at least half a dozen letters to his family, detailing the cruelty he had been forced to.
The tragic end
In his letters he also made mentioned his health that had started deteriorating, he developed asthma & pulmonary tuberculosis and the torture inflicted on him in jails was only worsening it.
Ravindra Kaushik died unsung on alien soil at the New Central Multan Jail in 2001. His mortal remains are buried behind that jail.
A humiliating act by govt
Ravindra’s brother Rajeshwarnath and mother Amladevi had written several letters to the Indian govt to aid his release. But those pleas fell on deaf ears.
When Ravindra's family was informed about his death, his father who was a retired Indian Air Force officer died of heart failure.
Ravindra's family initially received a humiliating monthly allowance of ₹500, which was later increased to ₹2,000 until 2006, when his mother Amladevi passed away.
Comments