National Security Adviser Ajit Doval has recounted a harrowing episode from his early career, describing the moment when operatives sent across the border were captured and held in Chinese custody. Speaking at the convocation ceremony of IIT-Roorkee, he admitted that at the time he feared the incident would mark the end of his professional journey.

Doval explained that the group of operatives had been dispatched across the frontier but failed to return within the expected timeframe. Days passed without any communication, and there were no reports of avalanches or other natural incidents that could explain their disappearance. The silence deepened his concern.

He recalled receiving a telephone call from headquarters, where his superior asked if he had sent men across. Doval replied that they should have returned within five or six days, but it had already been ten or eleven. His superior then informed him that the operatives were in Chinese custody.

According to Doval, the agents had been captured and interrogated by Chinese authorities. Eventually, they were returned, but only after what he believed must have been negotiations or a deal. He described them as shattered and in shambles upon their release.

The incident triggered an official inquiry. Doval admitted that he believed his career was finished, as he was still in his twenties and considered the episode unprofessional.

He feared he would have to start anew. However, the inquiry concluded that he was not at fault. The responsibility lay with defects in the sketches and maps provided by headquarters, which contained mistakes that had led to the mishap.

Reflecting on the episode decades later, Doval used the occasion to highlight the opportunities available to today’s youth. He told the graduating students of IIT-Roorkee that they were the luckiest generation in the last thousand years, as they were entering an era of unprecedented possibilities.

He contrasted their situation with earlier generations who struggled under slavery and lacked such opportunities. He emphasised that technology would be the most important driver of growth and progress for countries and societies in the future.

Doval urged the students to recognise the transformative power of technological advancement, stressing that they were entering a period where innovation and science would shape the destiny of nations. His remarks combined a personal recollection of vulnerability with a broader message of optimism for the younger generation.

Agencies