- NSA Doval recounted an early career intelligence operation.
- His intelligence team was captured by Chinese forces.
- An inquiry later cleared Doval due to faulty maps.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Saturday recalled a high-stakes intelligence operation from his early career while addressing the convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee.
Doval, who was the chief guest at the two-day convocation, recounted how an intelligence team sent to a border area during his posting in Sikkim failed to return within the scheduled time, leaving him deeply concerned about the fate of the personnel and fearing that the incident could end his career.
“I was a young IPS officer, actually new to the intelligence profession. I was in my twenties, and I was posted as in charge of intelligence in Sikkim,” Doval said.
He said his responsibilities included monitoring the border areas and gathering intelligence on the movement and activities of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), as well as studying Chinese traditions.
Intelligence Team Held By China
Recalling the operation, Doval said an intelligence team was sent to a border area and was expected to return within five or six days. However, the personnel did not return even after 10 days.
VIDEO | Addressing at the IIT Roorkee convocation ceremony, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval shares a story when he was posted as a young officer in Sikkim. “I was a young IPS officer, actually new to the intelligence profession. I was in my twenties, and I was posted… pic.twitter.com/3yTEo2RmIe
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 19, 2026
“For me, it was a matter of very great concern, not only professionally, but also in the human sense,” he said.
Doval said he later received a call from his headquarters informing him that the team was in Chinese custody. According to him, the personnel had been captured and interrogated by Chinese forces before eventually being returned following talks or negotiations.
“They returned totally shattered, in shambles. And an inquiry was started. I knew that this was the end of my career,” Doval recalled.
‘I Wasn’t Found At fault’
Doval said the subsequent inquiry did not find him at fault and suggested that the maps and sketches supplied to his team by the headquarters contained errors.
“Anyway, the inquiry was over. I wasn’t found at fault. Probably, I had done everything right. The sketches and the maps that were given to us by the headquarters had some defects and mistakes in them. That is how it happened,” he said.
He also recalled the advice of an old Tibetan Sherpa colleague who worked with him in the Intelligence Bureau.
“He said that it’s all about map reading… Life is only a question, some people get their map reading right; others get it wrong,” Doval said.
Doval Calls Graduates ‘Luckiest Generation’
Addressing the graduating students, Doval described them as the “luckiest generation” in the last 1,000 years, saying they were entering a world offering unprecedented opportunities driven by technology.
“You may not be conscious of the fact that, in the last 1,000 years, you are the luckiest generation, which is going to have so many opportunities,” he said.
Doval said earlier generations had struggled under slavery and lacked many of the opportunities available to young people today.
“You are coming at an age when technology will be the most important driving factor in any country’s or society’s growth and progress,” he added.
2,701 Students Receive Degrees
The two-day convocation ceremony saw 2,701 students awarded degrees. Doval attended as the chief guest, while Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani was the guest of honour.
Senior Advocate Harish Salve and IIT Roorkee Director K.K. Pant were also present at the ceremony.
Salve told the graduating batch that they would shoulder a major responsibility in rebuilding a changing global order, with technology expected to play a central role.
“You are entering a world where a huge responsibility will then lie on your shoulders to rebuild this new world order. In this, you have a great advantage because today’s world order will have technology at its core,” he said.
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