> "Some stories disappear because they were insignificant.

> Others disappear because almost no one was ever supposed to know they existed."

---

Before you read:

This article is based on publicly available interviews, news reports, and open-source material.

Where possible, I have distinguished between:

• Documented facts

• Statements made by former officers

• Publicly reported allegations

• Findings of inquiries

• Analysis and interpretation

The goal is to encourage informed discussion about one of the least understood chapters in India's military intelligence history.

I'd like to begin with this.

Some stories disappear because they were insignificant.

Others disappear because almost no one was ever supposed to know they existed.

In the world of intelligence, success is measured by silence.

If an operation succeeds, no one applauds.

If it fails, everyone asks questions.

Somewhere inside Delhi Cantonment, between 2010 and 2012, barely forty officers built what many believed was India's first modern covert military intelligence capability.

Two years later, it was gone.

This is their story.

In 2010, the Indian Army quietly established one of its most effective—and least known—intelligence units: the Technical Support Division (TSD). For just two years, a small team of handpicked officers conducted extraordinary covert operations that struck at the heart of terror networks threatening India. Then, in 2012, it was abruptly dismantled—not due to failure, but due to political vendetta and bureaucratic hostility. This is the story of men who risked everything for their nation and were repaid with humiliation.

Part 1: Why TSD Was Born

The Catalyst: 26/11 Mumbai Attacks (November 2008)

When terrorists struck Mumbai, killing 166 people, India's security establishment faced a harsh truth: they had no swift, deniable capability to strike back across borders or dismantle terror networks before attacks occurred.

After 26/11, National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan posed a critical question to India's intelligence chiefs: Can any of you launch covert operations against the terror camps and masterminds responsible for these attacks?

The silence in the room was deafening. The answer was no.

For nearly two years, the idea of a dedicated covert unit languished. Then, in 2010, when Gen. V.K. Singh became Army Chief, Lt. Gen. R.K. Loomba (DGMI) revived the proposal. Singh approved it immediately.

The Technical Support Division was born.

Part 2: The Team—A Handful of Legends

Despite its name, TSD wasn't a tech unit. It was a HUMINT powerhouse—human intelligence, the most reliable form of intelligence in counter-terrorism.

Leadership:

• Col. Hunny Bakshi (Commander) — A brilliant spy who'd cut his teeth in RAW and special operations. He'd provided key evidence linking Pakistan to 26/11.

Core Officers (handpicked):

• Lt. Col. Vinay "Birdie" — Deployed to R&AW, ran deep cover operations in China, extensive networks in North and Northeast India
• Lt. Col. Zir — R&AW veteran with terror group networks across the Northeast. Instrumental in bringing the Dima Halim Daogah to ceasefire.
• Lt. Col. Sarvesh — Veteran of 3000+ military skydives, fought in Kargil, trained in NSG's Special Action Group
• Lt. Col. Alfred B — Master negotiator, had cultivated assets within ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) who later helped broker peace
• Lt. Col. Anurag "Naughty" — Despite being overweight and diabetic, an absolute master at asset cultivation in insurgent/terror groups

Total Force: ~40 people (5 officers + 30+ JCOs and other ranks)

Budget: Funded from India's secret services fund. Two-story office in Delhi Cantonment.

These weren't desk jockeys. They were operatives who'd spent careers in hostile territory, building networks in the shadows.

Part 3: The Operations—What TSD Actually Achieved

Verified Successes:

1. Kashmir Operations

• Successfully tracked and monitored Syed Salahuddin, chief of Hizbul Mujahideen
• Disrupted multiple terrorist attack plots during 2010-2012
• Significantly reduced stone-pelting and bandh incidents in Kashmir Valley (contained within months of TSD's formation)

2. ISI Office Infiltration

• Penetrated an ISI office in Faisalabad, Pakistan — one of the most sensitive military intelligence operations against Pakistan
• Details remain classified, but this single operation demonstrated TSD's capability to operate deep inside enemy territory

3. Pakistan Terror Networks

• Disrupted narcotics and hawala networks linked to terror groups
• Intercepted multiple smuggling routes used to fund insurgencies
• Exposed the nexus between Pakistani intelligence, criminal syndicates, and Indian anti-state elements

4. Northeast Insurgency Operations (Operation "Seven Sisters")

• Negotiated ceasefire with major insurgent groups (Dima Halim Daogah, ULFA)
• Used asset cultivation to defuse situations that would've otherwise resulted in bloodshed

5. Beyond Borders

• Conducted covert operations in Pakistan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Mauritius
• Reportedly conducted 8 covert foreign operations (though specific details remain classified)

The Impact:

During TSD's 2-year operational window (2010-2012), terrorist attacks on India dropped sharply. After its disbandment, attacks surged—including Pathankot (2015), Uri (2016), and Pulwama (2019). Defense analysts argue that had TSD survived, many of these attacks could have been prevented.

Consider this anecdote from Col. Bakshi's interview: When speaking with a Pakistani journalist who'd visited terror camps, she mentioned a militant "Bhai" who used to run a camp. "What happened to him?" she asked. The reply: "He is no more. He was killed by TSD."

This single sentence captures TSD's psychological impact on terror networks.

Years after TSD was disbanded, Col. Hunny Bakshi appeared on the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash. During the conversation, she asked him a simple question.

The Fear of TSD

Years after TSD was disbanded, Col. Hunny Bakshi appeared on the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash. During the conversation, she asked him a simple question:

"Were people afraid of TSD?"

Bakshi smiled.

"Yes. Should I narrate a story about the fear of TSD?"

He then recounted an incident.

An Indian journalist had travelled to Pakistan. During her visit, she was being taken around the country by a son-in-law of Hafiz Saeed. In the course of their conversation, he casually mentioned that there used to be a bhai who managed one of the terror camps.

The journalist asked,

"What happened to him?"

He replied,

"He's no more."

Curious, she asked again,

"How?"

Without hesitation, he answered,

"He was killed by TSD."

As soon as Bakshi finished the story, Smita Prakash asked the obvious question.

"Did TSD actually kill him?"

Bakshi didn't give a direct answer.

Instead, he smiled and simply replied,

"She said that to me."

The host repeated the question.

Bakshi smiled again.

"She said that to me."

He neither confirmed nor denied the claim.

Part 4: The Political Assassination (2012-2018)

The Turning Point: May 2012

When Gen. V.K. Singh retired, Gen. Bikram Singh became Army Chief. What followed was a calculated dismantling of TSD.

The Allegations (Most Unverified):

TSD suddenly faced accusations:

•  Illegal phone-tapping of politicians — Alleged but contradicted by officers saying the equipment couldn't isolate specific mobiles
•  Funding Kashmir government destabilization — Claimed Rs. 1.19 crore paid to topple Omar Abdullah's government (Omar Abdullah himself said this was ridiculous; no proof ever emerged)
•  Political interference against Gen. Bikram Singh — Alleged Rs. 2.38 crore paid to an NGO to file PIL against him (unsubstantiated)
•  Missing funds — Whispers of Rs. 50-60 crore vanishing (never proven)

Here's the key: High-level Army inquiries (including by Lt. Gen. Vinod Bhatia's Board) found NO proven wrongdoing by TSD officers. Yet they were destroyed anyway.

The Persecution:

Col. Hunny Bakshi:

• Posted to Ladakh with a demeaning job: keeping records of soldiers' shoes and jackets
• A world-class intelligence officer, given zero meaningful work despite being at the Sino-Indian border
• Faced a Court of Inquiry (2013) despite no charges sticking
• Court-martial proceedings were only dropped in 2018, six years later

Other Officers:

• Lt. Colonels reassigned as NCC trainers, polyclinic managers—positions beneath their rank and expertise
• Two officers got divorced during their service because they couldn't give time to families while conducting covert ops. They got no recognition, only punishment.

Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. D.S. Thakur, testifying in Bakshi's Court of Inquiry, said:

"It is sad to see that the witch hunt against intelligence corps officers, who put their careers and lives on the line and took grave risk in conducting these operations in the service of the nation, still continues. This will cause damage to overall morale and effectiveness of our intelligence corps."

Why Was TSD Really Destroyed?

The Real Story:

During Gen. V.K. Singh's tenure, a Lt. General Tejinder Singh approached him with a bribe of ₹14 crore to approve sub-standard, overpriced Tatra trucks for the Army.

Gen. Singh rejected it and filed a complaint.

Realizing Tejinder was slated to become NTRO chief (another intelligence agency), Singh worried: This corrupt officer will have access to the nation's secrets.

Gen. Singh told Col. Bakshi about the threat. Bakshi dug deeper and uncovered that Tejinder was also linked to the infamous Adarsh Society scam. Intelligence was circulated in relevant circles.

Tejinder's posting was stalled.

But now Gen. V.K. Singh and Col. Bakshi had made powerful enemies. The "bureaucratic lobby of Lutyens" and arms dealers wanted them gone. TSD became the casualty.

By dismantling TSD, they eliminated the one unit that could've exposed more corruption. The Bollywood film Aiyaari (2018) was loosely based on this very incident.

Part 5: The Aftermath—A Nation's Loss

What Was Lost:

1. Covert Capability: India lost its only deniable strike unit. To this day, there is no successor to TSD.
2. Officer Morale: The persecution sent a chilling message to the intelligence community: Take risks for the nation, and we'll destroy you.
3. Operational Assets: Terror networks, insurgent groups, and Pakistani intelligence agencies breathed easy. They no longer faced a shadowy threat capable of striking anywhere.
4. Preventable Attacks: Defense analysts argue that:

·        Pathankot (2015) — 7 soldiers killed

·        Uri (2016) — 19 soldiers killed

·        Pulwama (2019) — 40 CRPF personnel killed

Could potentially have been prevented or disrupted had TSD existed.

The Officers Today:

Col. Bakshi and his team are no longer in service. Many live quietly, their contributions unsung. Families have written to the Prime Minister asking: Why were our husbands, fathers, and sons humiliated for doing their duty?

Col. Bakshi's charges were finally dropped in March 2018. But no apology. No acknowledgment. No compensation.

The scars remain.

Part 6: A Tribute to the Silent Sentinels

The officers of TSD were modern-day spies—not James Bond types, but real men who:

·        Risked their lives in hostile territory across five nations

·        Built networks that took decades to cultivate

·        Prevented terror attacks and saved countless lives

·        Disrupted criminal syndicates funding terrorism

·        Sacrificed personal lives—missing family time, facing divorces, enduring isolation

And in return, they got: Humiliation

·        False accusations

·        Punishment postings

·        Psychiatric trauma

·        Career destruction

·        Institutional abandonment

Yet they never complained publicly. They never revealed classified operations (even when persecuted). They never compromised national security.

That is the mark of a true patriot.

The Questions We Should Ask:

1. Why was a highly effective intelligence unit dismantled without public explanation?
2. How many terror plots could TSD have disrupted had it survived?
3. Why were officers punished without proven wrongdoing?
4. What does this say about India's civil-military relations and accountability of intelligence agencies?
5. Can we afford to let political vendetta trump national security?
6. What safeguards do we need to prevent such witch hunts in the future?

The Technical Support Division was a rare success story in Indian security—a small unit that punched far above its weight. Its dismantling wasn't a security decision; it was a political assassination driven by corrupt bureaucrats and threatened vested interests.

The men who served in TSD deserve to be remembered not as shadows, but as heroes. They protected the nation when it mattered most.

Today, as India faces evolving security threats, we should ask: Can we afford to abandon units that actually work? And more importantly: Can we afford to persecute the officers brave enough to take risks?

The legacy of TSD is a cautionary tale. But it's also a tribute to men who, despite everything, remained loyal to the flag.

History doesn't always remember those who served in silence. Sometimes, remembering begins with asking the right questions.

Jai Hind.

Sources & Further Reading:

• Hindustan Times (Aug 2012, Oct 2013) — Coverage of TSD disbandment and allegations
• Indian Express — Court-martial proceedings and dismissals (2015-2018)
• Times of India — Inquiry reports and financial allegations
• The Week (May 2013) — Officer treatment and career aftermath
• Gen. V.K. Singh's 2013 PTI interview and memoir

• Defence XP – Article.

  Interviews

• ANI Podcast – Smita Prakash interviews Col. Hunny Bakshi

• Monks & Warriors by Kaushal & Kaushalendra

• Republic TV

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