PMO, Home Ministry lock horns over NTRO chief appointment
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A quiet tussle has emerged between the Union Home Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) over the appointment of a new chief for India’s National Technical Reconnaissance Organisation (NTRO), the agency responsible for the country’s technical intelligence capabilities.
In what appears to be a protracted battle over influence, both sides have seen their preferred candidates stalled, and after months of back-and-forth, the matter remains unresolved. Arun Sinha, currently serving as NTRO chief, has been granted a two-month extension to oversee the agency until December 31, The Wire reported.
The NTRO, established in 2004 following the 1999 Kargil conflict, serves as India’s technical intelligence arm, reporting directly to the National Security Council under National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in the PMO.
However, the Union Home Ministry, led by Amit Shah, has been seeking a greater say in the agency's functioning. Sinha, a Kerala-cadre Indian Police Service officer, was on a six-month extension set to end on October 31 but has now been granted additional time, underscoring the ongoing struggle for control.
The dispute over NTRO leadership began in September of the previous year when the PMO returned the candidacy file of Anish Dayal Singh, the current Central Reserve Police Force chief, allegedly favoured by the Home Ministry. The return of the file, devoid of comments, suggested an underlying disagreement over NTRO appointments. This action effectively nullified Singh’s perceived appointment and left both departments needing to re-evaluate their options for the position.
This wasn’t the first instance of such discord. Last year, Doval’s National Security Council (NSC) initially recommended Manoj Yadava, Railway Protection Force chief, and Rashmi Ranjan Swain, a Jammu and Kashmir cadre officer.
Both, however, were deemed “indispensable” by the Home Ministry, with Yadava retained due to his central deputation to the Intelligence Bureau after previous tensions in his state assignment. Swain, in turn, was appointed as Director-General of Police for Jammu and Kashmir upon the retirement of his predecessor, Dilbagh Singh, and confirmed in the role in August.
The decision-making process around appointing the NTRO chief involves a high-ranking committee comprising representatives from the NSA, the Research and Analysis Wing, the Intelligence Bureau, and secretaries from various ministries, including the Cabinet Secretary and the Home Secretary.