‘They were caught by the Chinese’: NSA Ajit Doval recounts the moment he thought his career was over | Today’s news
Speaking at the convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval recalled the moment when he thought his career was almost over.
He told the students about the time the team he sent to patrol the border was captured by the Chinese army. Although he was not found guilty, he was upset by the incident.
Incident
NSA Ajit Doval said he was posted to Sikkim in his 20s. Part of his duties included surveillance along the borders.
“I was a young IPS officer, new to the intelligence profession. I was 20 years old and I was appointed as the head of intelligence in Sikkim. It was not part of India at that time. It was becoming part of India. I was part of that process where the merger was going on,” Doval said.
“…my responsibility also included looking after the border areas and gathering intelligence on PLA movement, Chinese Army activities,” said NSA Ajit Doval at the IIT Roorkee Convocation.
Doval said he had sent a team on a five-day border security mission before the merger of Sikkim with India. The team that was supposed to return in eight days did not return even after 10 days.
He said, “…we had an intelligence mission in the border area and after about eight days they had to come back. So five days went by, then 10 days went by, and then maybe 15 days went by.”
“For me it was a matter of very great concern, not only professionally but also humanly, that so many people – we don’t know if they are dead or alive and what happened to them. We have no reports of any avalanche or anything like that. It was a matter of deep concern and concern,” he added.
At that point, Doval said, he thought it was the end of his career.
He then received a call from intelligence headquarters informing him that the team was in the custody of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The team was later released unharmed from Chinese custody.
“I got a call from headquarters and my boss said, ‘Did you send some people over?’ He said, “They are now in Chinese custody,” Doval recalled the conversation.
“They were caught by the Chinese and interrogated. Anyway, the Chinese returned them, probably after some talks or negotiations, or a deal had to be made. So they came back completely broken, in ruins. And the investigation began. I knew this was the end of my career,” Doval said.
“I was still in my 20s and had to start a new career. I saw the incident as something very unprofessional. Anyway, the investigation is over.”
An investigation into the incident found errors in sketches and maps provided to the team by the command, which caused confusion about the location of the border, Doval said.
“I was not found guilty. I probably did everything right. The sketches and maps given to us by headquarters had some defects and mistakes in them. So it happened…,” added the NSA.
“Extremely Dejected”
The investigation did not hold Doval responsible. Despite this, he said, he was deeply disappointed and upset by the incident.
“I was very sad. It was a phase of life where you feel extremely down,” Doval said.
A valuable lesson
During this difficult time, advice from a fellow Tibetan Sherpa left him with a valuable life lesson.
“It’s all a matter of reading the maps. Some people read the maps correctly while others get it wrong,” said Doval, sharing advice from a Sherpa who he says has scaled Mount Everest eight times and spent years amid the snowy peaks.
The NSA said Sherpa also shared three questions that significantly affected his life: first, where are you on the map; second, where do you want to go; and thirdly, what is the way to get there and back.
Over time, the advice evolved from just a way to navigate mountain trails to a life perspective, Doval said.
