RATTAN SEHGAL, THE SPY MASTER WHO NEVER GOT HIS DUE

In the murky world of Cloak and Dagger, many things happen, some believable and some unbelievable, which leave an indelible print on how events unfold.

- PANKAJ VOHRA

There are multiple incidents which take place behind the scenes as depicted in the espionage stories of John le Carre, one of the greatest British novelists of the modern era. There is a comical side too which was captured so well in his satirical cartoon strip, "Spy Vs Spy" by the Cuban-American cartoonist, Antonio Prohias for the Mad Magazine in the 1960s and thereafter.

In the Indian context, there have been many spies who changed the course of history but remain unsung to this day. Rattan Sehgal, a high-ranking official in the Intelligence Bureau, who was forced to take premature retirement following a huge controversy in 1996-97 involving US functionaries of the CIA in New Delhi, was one person. He passed away on April 23. Sehgal had all what it takes to be the Spy and the role he performed was out of the movies. A voracious reader, he was reading a book even in the hospital before his end came. He was once tipped to be the man who would one day be the director of the IB, the organization he served for most of his working life.