NSA Doval recalls IIT Roorkee tale: when Chinese troops held his team
At IIT Roorkee's convocation, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval recounted how a covert team he led in Sikkim was once captured by Chinese forces.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval shared a story from his youth with students at IIT Roorkee's convocation ceremony. He said that when he was a young IPS officer, he was given charge of the intelligence department in Sikkim.
Doval said he was completely new to intelligence work at the time and was also quite young. His duties in Sikkim included keeping watch on the border areas, tracking the movements of the Chinese army, or PLA, and gathering important information related to China.
He said that once his team was sent on an intelligence mission in the border area. According to the plan, the team was to return within five to six days. But even after five to six days had passed, the team did not return. As the team failed to come back, concern began to grow. Doval said this worry was not just that of an officer but also concern for the safety of the people who had gone on the mission.
A short while later, a call came from headquarters. A senior officer told him that the team sent to the border had been captured by Chinese officials. However, after several rounds of talks, agreements and meetings with China, the team members were sent back.
Doval said that after that incident, he had begun to feel his career was over. The matter was investigated, but the inquiry found no fault of his. Even so, the incident had caused him great distress. He said the experience was difficult for him, because as an officer he was responsible for the mission, while at the same time he was worried about the safety of those who had gone on it.
Doval further said that an elderly Tibetan Sherpa who worked with him in the intelligence department at the time taught him a life lesson. The Sherpa had said it was all like reading a map: in life, some people read their map correctly, while others choose the wrong direction.
Doval said this small remark gave him a big lesson about his life and career. His message was that every person has to make decisions amid different circumstances and paths. To move forward, it is necessary to recognise the right direction and understand the situation.
