R. V. S. Mani
A former Home Ministry official who worked on internal security, including during the 2008 Mumbai attacks, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
R. V. S. Mani spent his career in the Ministry of Home Affairs working on terrorism and internal security. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of civil service, from Delhi [1].
In the Home Ministry
Mani was born on 29 October 1959 and served as an under secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs [2]. He dealt with the aftermath of the 2006 bomb blasts at Varanasi’s cantonment station and Sankat Mochan temple [2]. During the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008, he staffed the ministry’s control room with personnel from the central armed police forces and coordinated the response [2].
Policy work
According to his citation, he helped identify areas that needed attention in countering terrorism, militancy and separatism, which fed into schemes such as police modernisation and coastal and mega-city policing [2]. He worked on the crime-tracking network CCTNS, and on preparing for radiological, nuclear, biological and chemical threats [2].
He prepared a document on the state of the country’s internal security that became a manual for the ministry’s divisions [2]. He also worked on India’s responses to the UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate in 2007 and to the Financial Action Task Force [2].
He has written five books [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for R. V. S. Mani — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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