The clerk, the Major, and the confusion over his rank

For many Indians, Ravindra Kaushik was remembered as the Black Tiger. A man who operated as a member of RAW and resided for years under a completely constructed Pakistani identity, and who reportedly entered the Pakistan Army and passed intelligence to India. Yet detailed documents debate over something as fundamental as his rank. Many citizens and channels have questioned whether he actually became a Major or worked as a clerk.

In 2026, the Dhurandhar franchise, along with the release of its sequel, generated a buzz over Kaushik's story, renewing people's interest in the genre of real-life Indian espionage stories. Several news reports revisited the details of Kaushik's life in March 2026 and created parallels between the documented accounts of his journey and the fictional spy archetype. However, the real story is certainly less cinematic.

From Theatre to RAW

Ravindra Kaushik was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, on 11 April 1952. He studied commerce at SD Bihani College but later developed an interest in acting, performing and theatre.

In 1973, he reportedly performed a mono-act. This performance was presented at a national-level dramatic competition held in Lucknow. In his act, he presented a scenario where an Indian soldier was being interrogated. His command of language, demeanour, and acting abilities reportedly caught the attention of intelligence officials. This performance became his gateway into the world of intelligence.

From there, he underwent around two years of intensive practice and training in Delhi. The training was provided to equip him with necessary information and lessons for his operation. It included learning Urdu, understanding Pakistani social and cultural behaviour, studying Pakistan's geographical layout and preparing for the assumed identity he would eventually adopt.

Becoming Nabi Ahmed Shakir

Kaushik entered Pakistan assuming the identity of Nabi Ahmed Shakir. His Indian identity was reportedly erased from any visible official records, allowing him to begin building a life from within Pakistani society.

Upon entering Pakistan, he enrolled at Karachi University and completed a law degree. He eventually joined the Pakistan Army's Military Accounts Department and married a Pakistani woman named Amanat. They also had a child.

All these facets, including his family life, became another layer of his cover. To those around him, Nabi Ahmed Shakir was living an ordinary life as a Pakistani citizen. Behind that identity, however, he was reportedly working as an Indian intelligence operative.

The Major Controversy

Recent reporting and further understanding of this case have revived a longstanding disagreement over Kaushik's exact position within the Pakistani military establishment.

M.K. Dhar, a former Joint Director of the Intelligence Bureau, wrote in "Open Secrets: India's Intelligence Unveiled" that Kaushik progressed in his career and became a commissioned officer, eventually serving as a Major in the Military Accounts Department.

However, another version is presented in a recent report that highlights certain discrepancies and disputes, stating that Kaushik was working in the Military Accounts Department as a clerk.

The contradiction is significant. Kaushik's story presents two sides of the same coin. The image of Kaushik as a Major has become an integral part of the popular myths and speculations surrounding the Black Tiger. Yet publicly available accounts do not establish one uncontested version of his rank.

What can be established across the different accounts is that Kaushik obtained a position within Pakistan's military establishment and used that position to pass information to Indian intelligence.

What Did He Actually Send India?

Between 1979 and 1983, published accounts describe that Kaushik regularly passed sensitive information to the Indian intelligence sector. This reportedly included information about Pakistani troop movements, especially those in the Punjab sector. Alongside this, Kaushik also allegedly forwarded intel about military developments and information concerning the Kahuta nuclear facility.

The exact extent and strategic impact of his intelligence work remain difficult to independently establish and interpret because much of that material remains classified and is only accessible through later accounts.

An additional detail comes from a former RAW officer quoted by ThePrint. According to the account, Kaushik relied heavily on the postal system as he would transfer systematic notes in invisible ink and redirect them through postal routes connected via Dubai and Kuwait.

The Cover That Collapsed

Kaushik's cover was eventually discovered in 1983 when another RAW operative, Inayat Masih, was sent to establish contact with Kaushik. Masih was captured by Pakistani counter-intelligence, and the data extracted from him during his capture eventually led to the exposure of Kaushik's curated identity. However, later reporting has noted that the precise circumstances of Kaushik's detection are not conclusively established.

In September 1983, Kaushik was arrested. His interrogation took place in Sialkot, and reports have described years of imprisonment and physical and psychological abuse.

In 1985, he was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. He would spend the remaining years of his life in Pakistani prisons.

Death and the Question of Recognition

On 21 November 2001, Kaushik died at the age of 49. Several reports identify pulmonary tuberculosis and heart disease as the causes of his death. He died while imprisoned in Pakistan and was later buried in an unmarked grave.

His death brought renewed questions about what happens to intelligence operatives whose identities cannot be publicly acknowledged while they are alive.

His family continued to seek recognition for his contribution. In an interview reported by The Telegraph, his brother R.N. Kaushik said, “We don't want money. What we want from the government is recognition.”

The Man, the Myth, and the Missing Record

Popular culture has turned Kaushik into a near-mythical spy. Through his representation in films and fictionalised accounts, his courage and intelligence work have been repeatedly highlighted.

Films and popular culture have dramatised Kaushik’s journey through the use of elaborate imagery and by turning Kaushik into a near-mythical spy. However, the reality is far more complicated to unravel.

Even decades after the incident, accounts documenting and preserving the details of this case argue over his rank: whether he was commissioned into the army and took the post of a Major or was he simply a clerk.

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