India’s forgotten spy

- Agent’s family fights an impossible battle

DALIP SINGH 1

Ravindra Kaushik New Delhi, Dec. 29: Nabi Ahmed would have been a senior officer in the Pakistani Army now, saving the lives of Indian soldiers. But Ahmed — agent Ravindra Kaushik to the Indian security establishment — died a miserable death last year in a Pakistani jail after a searing chapter in India’s espionage history went awry. Kaushik had been cruising along fine on Mission Pakistan, penetrating deep and reaching the heart of the enemy establishment — the army — as a resident agent of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and doing “commendable” service as “a spy sitting in a right place in enemy land”. Till Inyat Masiha, an operative sent by RAW to contact Kaushik in September 1983, inadvertently blew the agent’s cover. Kaushik was then captured, tortured for two years at an interrogation centre in Sialkot, dumped in Mianwali jail for another 16 and left to die. In November 2001, Kaushik succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis and heart disease. A year after Kaushik died unsung on alien soil, his Jaipur-based family is on a mission: they want India to acknowledge and recognise the sacrifice Kaushik has made for his country. “We don’t want money. What we want from the government is recognition of the contribution by agents as they are the real foundation of the security system,” said Kaushik’s brother, R.N. Kaushik. “If the government can honour people in uniform, why hesitate about undercover operatives?” he asked, calling for a government policy to recognise the work intelligence agents do. It is an appeal few governments will be able to accept. Governments rarely recognise in public secret agents – the “faceless” personnel of the security apparatus. Not only that, it is a common practice to disown spies caught in a foreign country. Kaushik joined RAW in 1975 as a 23-year-old after graduating from Sriganganagar in Rajasthan. Trained to act as a “resident agent”, he went to Pakistan, assumed the alias of Nabi Ahmed, did his graduation in law, learnt Urdu, married there and joined the Pakistan Army. He was sentenced to death in 1985 for spying but later the punishment was reduced to life imprisonment. Kaushik secretly wrote to his family in India, telling them of the barbarism he was subjected to. In a letter, he asked: “Kya Bharat jaise bade desh ke liye kurbani dene waalon ko yahi milta hai? (Is this the reward a person gets for sacrificing his life for India?)” Both Kaushik’s brother and ailing 72-year-old mother Amladevi --- his father died of shock and heart failure --- have a grouse against the government: all their pleas since 1987 to secure Kaushik’s release from Pakistan custody fell on deaf ears. They wrote several letters, but got no response apart from foreign ministry despatches that “his case has been taken up with Pakistan”. One such letter from Amladevi to Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee read: “Had he not been exposed, Kaushik would have been a senior army officer of the Pakistan government by now and (continued in) the coming years (serving India secretly).” Another one went: “The government has never bothered to rescue him, not to talk of consoling and helping his family even on humanitarian grounds.” Nor did it send medicines on time when Kaushik was dying, though “a spy sitting in the right place… saves the life of at least 20,000 soldiers of his nation”. Amladevi had written to several other BJP leaders, including L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh, but her family has till date not got any benefit due to government servants, not even pension. All they get is a monthly allowance of Rs 500. 2 Meet Ravinder Kaushik, a trained theater artist and more than that a thorough patriot whose desire to save the nation took him to Pakistan as a spy at the time when Pakistan was plotting hard to start a war with India. Ravinder was sent to Pakistan by RAW as Nabi Ahmed where he did a course in law and then after, joined the Pakistan Army. Later, he was promoted to the rank of a ‘Major’, fell hopelessly in love with a Muslim girl and married her. Between 1979 and 1983, he sent secret information from Pakistan to RAW which helped a great deal to the Indian defense forces. The data that he sent came handy to the Indian soldiers in killing at least 50 Pakistani troopers in Pahalgaon. For that matter, he was conferred with the title of ‘Black Tiger’ by the Indian government in tenure at that time. Unfortunately, Ravinder was caught by Pakistan and he was awarded death sentence which was later reduced to life time imprisonment. During his entire lifetime, he was brutally tortured in the various prisons he was kept. His letters to his homeland revealed the dreadful living conditions and barbaric acts of the officials in the Pakistani jails which made him contract pulmonary TB and Asthma. In one of his letters to his family, he wrote "“Kya Bharat jaise bade desh ke liye kurbani dene waalon ko yahi milta hai? (Is this the reward a person gets for sacrificing his life for India?)” but the government failed to rescue him and even provide proper funds to Ravinder`s family to lead their lives. On 21 November, 2001, India’s Black Tiger breathed his last and was buried behind the jail at Mianwali in Pakistan. Ravinder Kaushik is a man who did not repent even once on his decision to give a good 30 years of his life to his country. Most heartfelt thanks to the Black Tiger for saving thousands of lives. 3 Ravinder Kaushik’s tryst with clandestine operations started in 1971. At the time, he lived in Sri Ganganagar, a town close to the international border with Pakistan. It was here that he got in touch with some intelligence personnel of either RAW or military. His father, JM Kaushik had served in Indian Air force and after his retirement, was employed with a local textile mill. The family use to live in the old city, close to the mill. After studying in a Government school, Ravinder went to a private college. He was a good actor and was known for his mono-acting and mimicry. “He was one of the most popular students during his school and college days,” says Sukhdev Singh, who had studied with him in the local SD college. “Some time in 1971, he told my nana (Ravinder’s father) that he had got a job in Delhi and had to join immediately” Vashisth says. But in reality, Ravinder was handpicked by intelligence agencies and was asked to come to Delhi for training. He was given extensive training in Delhi for two years. Sunnat was performed on him to show him as a Muslim. He was taught Urdu, given religious education and acquainted with the topography and other details about Pakistan. Being from Punjab-speaking Sri Ganganager, he was well versed in the language which is spoken in major part of Pakistan. According to Vashisth, Kaushik was sent to Pakistan in around 1974. He was given the alias Nabi Ahmed Shakir and was shown a resident of Islamabad. He successfully got admission in Karachi University and completed his LLB. Later, he was able to become a commissioned officer in Pakistan Army. He rose to become a Major. Soon after, he got married to one Amanat, who belong to a well off family. He also became father of a girl. He visited India three to four times. His recruiters would ask him to come to Dubai and from there, he would reach Delhi on his Indian passport. “In 1979, he carried out a major operation that won him accolades from his bosses. His code name was changed to “Black Tiger,” in recognition of his services” Vashisth says. But some time in 1983, the luck of this master spy ran out. Indian intelligence agencies had sent an agent to get in touch with Black Tiger. But the agent was caught by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies. During interrogation, he broke down and revealed his purpose. He identified Black Tiger and Kaushik was arrested immediately. He was awarded death sentence, which he contested in the Supreme Court there. It was converted into a life term. That was in 1990. He was kept in various jails, including Sialkot and Kot Lakhpat. During his imprisonment, he was able to secretly send out half a dozen letters to his father. “From these letters, we came to know the real life of Ravinder Kaushik. According to a letter received from Kot Lakhpat Superintendent, Kaushik died of TB some time in 2001. The family, during these years, had never received any communication from his handlers. “I want the producer of the film Ek Tha Tiger to acknowledge that the movie is based on the life of my mama. His story reaching the common man of the country is what would satisfy our family,”  4 Real Patriot Son of Mother India Ravindra Kaushik 14 days ago by GeekNoob 8 This story is about an unsung hero, a real patriot son of Mother India Ravindra Kaushik. He was a spy in India’s spy agency RAW. He belonged to Shri GangaNagar of Rajasthan. He completed his graduation at the age of 23. After graduation, he joined RAW. India already fought with Pakistan and China. Pakistan was preparing for another war against India. When Indian army got this information, they sent Ravinder Kaushik to Pakistan as Indian Spy with the help of RAW. There Ravinder Kaushik took admission in Law College and completed his graduation in Law and then after learned Urdu also. After completing graduation, he joined Pakistani Army as spy agent, and Pakistani Military was not at all aware that they have one Indian spy in there army. He spend 30 years of his life away from his home and family in Pakistan in very unfavourable conditions, only because of his love for the Nation that is India. India always stands strongly against every step of Pakistan because of their strategies they have made depending on the information given by Ravinder Kaushik. He told every aspect of strategy that Pakistani military had made to win the war, but unfortunately they were never won. In fact he helped India In Kargil War also. Many times Pakistan prepared a wage war across the borders of Rajasthan in India, only because of valuable information given by Ravinder Kaushik, they would always return to their home with shameless faces. Real patriot son of Mother India Ravindra Kaushik never led their dreams come true. Indian army killed more than 50 soldiers of Pakistani army in Pahelgaon because they fought with the strategy send by Ravinder Kaushik. But unfortunately the secret of Real patriot son of Mother India Ravindra Kaushik was revealed in front of Pakistani army. Somehow he ran from there and requested Indian Government for rescue, but Indian Government showed no interest in bringing him to India back after knowing the entire incident that took place in Pakistan. Ravinder was caught by them and they put him in jail where he was tortured by them and lots of cases and charges were run against him. In jail they bribed Ravindra of leaving him without any charge if he told them all the secrets of Indian Government. Ravinder Kaushik refused to tell them a single word. After some time he died in the jail itself. See what Indian Government returned Ravinder Kaushik in favour of 30 years of real patriotism, the Indian Government removed all the records related with Ravinder Kaushik and also threatening RAW to keep their mouth shut in case of Ravindra Kaushik. His family has driven to the river of sorrow and one of the real patriots faded in darkness. Moral of the story “Real Patriot Son of Mother India Ravindra Kaushik”: this is the way india treat their patriotic hero.if  cricketers wins world cup or anything then 5 crore,flat,etc if an indian soldier dies then 1 lac rs only woooow