Ravindra Kaushik (Indian Black Tiger) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1952-04-11)11 April 1952[1] Sri Ganganagar,Rajasthan, India |
| Died | November 2001(2001-11-00) (aged 49)[2] Central Jail Mianwali, Pakistan |
| Known for | Spying for R&AW |
| Criminal charge | Espionage |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Agency | Research and Analysis Wing |
| Service years | 1975–1983 |
| Alias | Nabi Ahmed Shakir |
Ravindra Kaushik (11 April 1952 – 21 November 2001) was an IndianResearch and Analysis Wing agent who spied for India from 1975 until he was captured in 1983. Also known asThe Black Tiger, Kaushik is considered as one of India's greatest spies.[2] He worked as a clerk in the Pakistan Army's Military Accounts Department, not as a commissioned officer.[3] He was exposed after a botched communication attempt by another operative. Arrested andinterrogated, he was sentenced to death in 1985, later commuted to life imprisonment. He spent 16 years in various prisons and died in 2001 while incarcerated.[2][4]
Ravindra Kaushik was born inSri Ganganagar,Rajasthan on 11 April 1952. His father, J. M. Kaushik, was anIndian Air Force officer; his mother Amla Devi died in 2006.[5] He graduated from S. D. Bihani P. G. College, Sri Ganganagar, earning aB.Com. Kaushik was also involved with theatre acting and debates while in college when he was recruited by theResearch and Analysis Wing (R&AW).[6]
Kaushik was trained inDelhi for two years to be anundercover operative in Pakistan. He was also trained to live as aMuslim and was taught theUrdu language. Being fromSri Ganganagar, a city nearRajasthan's border withPunjab, although he was native toBagri, a local tonal language ofRajasthani, which is predominantly spoken in Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts, he was also well versed inPunjabi, which is widely spoken inPunjab, India andPakistan as well.[7] In 1975, at the age of 23, he was sent to Pakistan.[2]
Kaushik underwentcircumcision and was given the cover name "Nabi Ahmed Shakir".[7] After successfully getting admission inKarachi University, he completed hisLL.B. After his graduation, he infiltrated Pakistan Military under a false identity and joined thePakistan Army, where he was employed as a clerk in the Military Accounts Department, not as a commissioned officer.[8] He married a local woman named Amaanat and fathered a boy, who died in 2001.[7][9]
From 1979 to 1983, Kaushik worked as a Pakistani army clerk, sending valuable information to R&AW. He was given the title of 'The Black Tiger' by thenPrime Minister of IndiaIndira Gandhi.[10]
In September 1983, R&AW sent a low-level operative, Inyat Masih, to make contact with Kaushik. But Masih was exposed by theJoint Counter-Intelligence Bureau of Pakistan'sInter-Services Intelligence and blew Kaushik's cover.[2] Kaushik was captured, and tortured for two years at an interrogation center inSialkot. He was sentenced to death in 1985; his sentence was later commuted to a life term by theSupreme Court of Pakistan. He was kept in various jails in several cities, includingSialkot,Kot Lakhpat and inMianwali jail, for 16 years.[7] He managed to secretly send letters to his family in India, which revealed his poor health and the trauma he faced in Pakistani jails. In one of his letters, he wrote:
क्या भारत जैसे बड़े देश के लिए कुर्बानी देने वालों को यहीं मिलता है?" (Is this what people who sacrifice their lives for a big country like India get?)[2]
In November 2001, he died ofpulmonary tuberculosis andheart disease inCentral Jail Mianwali in Pakistan.[2] According to Kaushik's family, theIndian government had refused to recognise him and had made no effort to help him.[2]
Kaushik's family claimed that the storyline of the Bollywood filmEk Tha Tiger released in 2012 was based on the life of Kaushik, and asked for credit in the movie titles for Kaushik. But the director,Kabir Khan, denied their claim.[11]