The 1991-batch AGMUT cadre officer, who hails from Rourkela, took over as the new police chief upon the retirement of Dilbag Singh, the longest serving DGP of Jammu and Kashmir, in a simple ceremony held at Police Headquarters here.

On his arrival at the Police Headquarters in Srinagar, Swain was received by senior officers. He also inspected a guard of honour.

Prior this appointment, Swain served as J&K intelligence head. An experienced Pakistan analyst, he also had a noteworthy stint with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

According to reports, Swain served as SSP in the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar from 2003 to 2004. He was also the SSP Jammu for a while. He also held the positions of SSP Leh, Poonch, and Ramban. He was posted with J&K Vigilance agency from 2004 to 2006 as Assistant Inspector General and Deputy Inspector General of Police. Subsequently, Swain went on central deputation, serving in many roles, including a posting abroad reserved for exceptional officers due to their skill in their particular domains.

Following a request by the J&K government to the Centre for the use of his services, Swain was returned to J&K in June 2020. He took over as J&K’s intelligence chief on June 15. He is credited with the creation of the State Investigation Agency (SIA) in J&K on the lines of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).