Mahesh Dixit Appointed New Intelligence Bureau Chief

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved Mahesh Dixit's appointment as the director of the Intelligence Bureau on Thursday.

Dixit will assume charge on June 30, succeeding Tapan Kumar Deka for a two-year tenure.

"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 according to PTI.

Distinguished Intelligence Career

Dixit is a 1993-batch Indian Police Service officer from the Andhra Pradesh cadre and a qualified medical doctor. He previously served as a Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau.

His career spans nearly three decades, during which he managed intelligence operations across the Northeast, Ladakh, and anti-Naxal desks.

He also headed the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau in Srinagar, where he maintained regional stability following the abrogation of Article 370. Last year, Dixit dismantled a major "white-collar" terror network in the city, an operation executed after developing an initial lead provided by the Srinagar police.

According to sources, Dixit handled the IB's Kashmir Desk as Additional Director overseeing Jammu and Leh as well.

According to a former top intelligence official who did not wish to be named described Dixit as - "sharp, analytical and a low profile person who knows how to deal with the counter-terror intelligence and separatist networks."

Legacy of Outgoing Chief

Outgoing chief Tapan Kumar Deka is a 1988-batch officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre. The government appointed him in June 2022 and subsequently granted service extensions in 2024 and 2025.

Central government rules permit such continuations. The guidelines allow "public interest" service extensions beyond the superannuation age of 60 for the chiefs of the Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, and other top administrative posts.

Deka operated as a recognised crisis manager and an expert in operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. He directed counter-assaults during the 2008 Mumbai 26/11 attacks and led security operations against the Indian Mujahideen, which was behind a series of subversive activities across the country in the 2000s.