India's external intelligence service is a feared foe in its neighborhood: Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal have all accused it of political meddling and involvement with outlawed groups that have perpetrated acts of violence.
Now, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegation last month that Indian government agents were involved in the June killing of Sikh separatist leaderIndia angrily denied the allegations and demanded that Canada - which expelled RAW's station chief - furnish evidence. Ottawa said it shared proof with allies, but will not release it publicly.
RAW, like other arms of India's national security apparatus, has been emboldened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has bolstered India's defense capabilities since his 2014 election and built a strongman image, five of the officials said.RAW Chief Ravi Sinha, the only serving official publicly affiliated with the agency, did not return messages seeking comment.
The West has expanded military and intelligence cooperation with Delhi as tensions with China have grown, with Washington agreeing in 2020 to share sensitive mapping and satellite data with India. The Indian government publicly blamed Islamabad for the 2008 Mumbai attacks - widely seen by policymakers in Delhi as RAW's most recent major failure - which Delhi says were carried out by Pakistan-based militants.The agency enhanced its intelligence gathering operations in the West, including North America, due to the role of U.S.
The large Indian diaspora in countries like the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia is an asset, two officials said. RAW has "long been associated with direct action ... including targeted killings and disappearances" in its immediate neighborhood, said Adrian Levy, co-author of a book on South Asian spy agencies, adding that such actions were arranged via proxies, which gave India deniability.
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