India, June 26 -- India's next Intelligence Bureau chief Mahesh Dixit is an outlier in the world of counter-terrorism, Naga insurgents, Kashmir militancy and left-wing extremism.

Like his wife Rajashree, he holds a postgraduate degree in medicine from Pune, and is perhaps the first doctor to take over as Director, Intelligence Bureau on July 1 after his senior cum mentor Tapan Deka retires after four years of illustrious service. It was Deka's total reluctance to take a third extension that paved the way for Dixit. But this is not all.

Dixit was ranked number 35 in the UPSC Civil Services merit list but chose not to opt for either the much sought after Indian Foreign Service or Indian Administrative Service and decided to join Indian Po...