Ravindra Kaushik

Ravindra Kaushik
Born	(1952-04-11)11 April 1952 Sri Ganganagar,Rajasthan,India
Died	November 2001(2001-11-00)(aged 49) Central Jail Mianwali,Pakistan
Other names	Black Tiger
Alma mater	University of Karachi
Known for	Spying for R&AW
Criminal charge	Espionage
Criminal penalty	Life imprisonment
Spouse	Amanat ​ (m.1976)​
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 Wingagent 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.He successfully infiltrated thePakistan Armyand reached the rank ofmajor.

Early life

Ravindra Kaushik was born inSri Ganganagar,Rajasthanon 11 April, 1952. His father, J. M. Kaushik, was anIndian Air Forceofficer; his mother Amla Devi died in 2006.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).

Recruitment in the Research and Analysis Wing

Kaushik was trained inDelhifor two years to be anundercoveroperative in Pakistan. He was also trained to live as aMuslimand was taught theUrdulanguage. Being fromSri Ganganagar,a city nearRajasthan's border withPunjab,he was well versed inPunjabi,which is widely understood in Punjab (India) and Pakistan as well.In 1975, at the age of 23, he was sent to Pakistan.

Activities in Pakistan

Kaushik converted toIslam,underwentcircumcisionand was given the cover name "Nabi Ahmed Shakir".After successfully getting admission inKarachi University,he completed hisLL.B.After his graduation, he joined thePakistan Armyas a commissioned officer and was eventually promoted to the rank ofmajor.He married a local girl named Amaanat and fathered a boy, who died in 2012–2013.

From 1979 to 1983, Kaushik worked as a Pakistani army officer, sending valuable information to R&AW. He was given the title of 'The Black Tiger' by thenPrime Minister of IndiaIndira Gandhi.

Death and aftermath

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 Bureauof Pakistan'sInter-Services Intelligenceand blew Kaushik's cover.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 Lakhpatand inMianwalijail, for 16 years.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:

Kya Bharat jaise bade desh ke liye kurbani dene waalon ko yahi milta hai? "(Is this what people who sacrifice their lives for a big country like India get?)

In November 2001, he died ofpulmonary tuberculosisandheart diseaseinCentral Jail Mianwaliin Pakistan.According to Kaushik's family, theIndian governmenthad refused to recognise him and had made no effort to help him.

Kaushik's family claimed that the storyline of the Bollywood filmEk Tha Tigerreleased 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.

See also

• Sarabjit Singh
• Kashmir Singh
• Kulbhushan Jadhav

Further reading

• S Hussain Zaidi; Brijesh Singh (2018).Dangerous Minds: Eight Riveting Profiles of Homegrown Terrorists.Penguin Random House.pp. 61–63.ISBN978-93-86495-99-0.
• Presley Thomas (6 December 2009)."The real life behind a 2002 spy thriller".Hindustan Times.