Tributes to B Raman , India’s foremost security expert

Chennai: One of India’s foremost security experts and one of the founders of India’s external intelligence wing — the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Bahukutumbi Raman  passed away in Chennai on Sunday evening after a prolonged fight with cancer. He was 77

Unlike his other colleagues B Raman was out-spoken and enlightened the general public about the in’s and out’s of the mysterious world of intelligence gathering and analysed each and every event with his candid observational skills.

One of the first Intelligence analysis we saw whenever Terrorists hit our Nation was from B Raman, who never afraid to call a spade a spade and without much fear or favour he always blasted and exposed the evil hands, most often of Jihadi’s within and outside the Country.

An IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, Raman had joined the Intelligence Bureau (External Division) in 1967 after serving in the Madhya Pradesh Police for five years. In 1968, when the RAW was created, Raman moved to the new agency in which he continued to be in-charge of Burma. He was part of a team of officers who were involved in covert operations preceding the creation of Bangladesh.

Subsequently, he served in various key assignments, including as Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat at New Delhi. He retired in 1994 after a 26-years of  service.Post-retirement, he was associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies and emerged as a prolific analyst on terrorism and issues of global security. He was part of a team of officers who were involved in covert operations preceding the creation of Bangladesh. Much of his warnings on Pakistan as the epi-centre of terrorism were spot on and many global powers recognised this lately.After the brutal Mumbai attack by Pakistani Jihadis B Raman wrote –”A divided Pakistan, a bleeding Pakistan, a Pakistan ever on the verge of collapse without actually collapsing — that should be our objective till it stops using terrorism against India.”

He has authored various books which covered subjects like military issues of South Asia and India, counter-terrorism as well as security.  He also authored a journal called Kao-boys of Research and Analysis Wing: Down Memory Lane, in which he wrote about his working experience with RAW.

Till his end, Raman was active on micro-blogging site Twitter where he used to talk about his fight with cancer. His last tweet from SORBONNE75 was, “Hanumanji willing, shd be back home coming Saturday.” Disillusioned by Congress misrule on twitter he urged his readers to support Narendra Modi for Prime Minister. B Raman tweeted his testament to the nation on May 22: I decided to back NaMo becoz he is only leader with the required lucidity in thinking, razor-sharp focus on issues & ability to prioritise.That was one of his final tweets before he admitted into the hospital.

 

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