National Security Adviser Ajit Doval recalled a sensitive episode from his early intelligence career while addressing the convocation of IIT Roorkee on September 19, 2026.
Doval said he was a young IPS officer in his twenties and was posted as the officer in charge of intelligence in Sikkim during the period when the territory was becoming part of India. His responsibilities included monitoring border areas and collecting intelligence on Chinese military activities.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Ajit Doval recalled the incident at the IIT Roorkee convocation on September 19, 2026.
He was a young IPS officer overseeing intelligence in Sikkim at the time.
An intelligence team sent on a border mission failed to return as expected.
Doval was later informed that the team had been taken into Chinese custody and interrogated.
The personnel were eventually returned to India.
An inquiry followed, and Doval said he was not found at fault.
According to Doval, an intelligence team sent on a mission across the border was expected to return within several days but did not come back as scheduled. After days of uncertainty, he was informed by his headquarters that the personnel had been taken into Chinese custody and interrogated.
Doval said the team was eventually returned after what he described as likely talks or negotiations. He recalled that an inquiry was subsequently conducted and that he was not held responsible for the incident.
He said the inquiry found that maps and sketches supplied by headquarters contained defects, which contributed to the incident.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
Doval's account provides a rare public recollection of an intelligence incident from his early career and highlights the risks associated with intelligence operations along the India-China border.
