Mahesh Dixit Appointed New Intelligence Bureau Director for Two-Year Term

New Delhi, June 2026 : Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Mahesh Dixit has been appointed as the new Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), India’s premier internal intelligence and counter-intelligence agency. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved his appointment on Thursday, marking a significant leadership transition in one of the country’s most crucial security institutions.

Dixit, a 1993-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, succeeds Tapan Kumar Deka, a 1988-batch Himachal Pradesh cadre officer who headed the agency during a period marked by major national security challenges, including counter-terrorism operations, internal security concerns and intelligence coordination across the country.

According to an official government notification, Mahesh Dixit has been appointed for a tenure of two years from the date he assumes charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier. The appointment has been made by granting an extension in service under the provisions of Fundamental Rule 56(d) and Rule 16(1A) of the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958.

Before his elevation, Dixit was serving as the Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau, where he handled several critical assignments relating to national security and intelligence operations. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has built a reputation as one of the agency’s most experienced intelligence professionals, with extensive expertise in internal security, counter-terrorism and strategic intelligence gathering.

One of the most notable phases of his career was his tenure as the head of the Intelligence Bureau’s Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) in Srinagar. During this assignment, he supervised intelligence operations across the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, regions that have remained at the centre of India’s security landscape.

Dixit played a key role in coordinating intelligence operations during the sensitive period following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, when Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status was revoked. His responsibilities included monitoring the evolving security situation, assessing intelligence inputs and coordinating with multiple security agencies to maintain stability in the region.

Throughout his career, Dixit has also been closely associated with India’s efforts to combat terrorism and safeguard internal security. He has handled a wide range of sensitive assignments involving intelligence collection, surveillance and counter-insurgency operations. His experience includes monitoring Pakistan-backed infiltration networks, tracking radicalisation activities, and addressing security threats posed by Left-Wing Extremism in different parts of the country.

Security experts regard Dixit’s appointment as a continuation of the government’s focus on strengthening intelligence capabilities amid evolving security challenges, including terrorism, cyber threats, cross-border infiltration and emerging internal security concerns.

The Intelligence Bureau functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs and serves as India’s primary domestic intelligence agency. It is responsible for gathering and analysing intelligence related to internal security, counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism, and threats to national stability. The agency also works closely with central and state security organisations to safeguard critical infrastructure and support national security decision-making.

Widely regarded as one of the oldest intelligence organisations in the world, the Intelligence Bureau has played a central role in India’s security architecture since the colonial era. With Mahesh Dixit taking charge, the agency is expected to continue strengthening its intelligence network while adapting to increasingly complex security challenges facing the country.