Intelligence Bureau of India

The domestic intelligence service of India, tracing to the nineteenth century

Overview

The Intelligence Bureau is counted among the oldest intelligence organizations in the world, with roots in the special branch created under the British Raj in the 1880s. It monitors internal security threats, counterintelligence, and border regions, feeding assessments to the Home Ministry. Unlike most modern services it still operates without a statutory founding law, a point raised repeatedly by Indian commissions urging a legislated charter and parliamentary oversight. Its files span the entire arc of modern South Asian history. It coordinates with state police special branches that run much of the field work.