Ajit Doval Recalls Sikkim Intelligence Crisis: Team Was Held in Chinese Custody

New Delhi, September 20, 2026: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has recalled a tense episode from the early years of his intelligence career, when an intelligence team operating near the Sikkim-China border failed to return as scheduled and was later found to have been taken into Chinese custody.

Doval shared the account while addressing the convocation ceremony of IIT Roorkee on September 19. He said he was a young IPS officer in his twenties and relatively new to intelligence work when he was posted as the intelligence officer in charge in Sikkim.

Intelligence Team Failed to Return

According to Doval's recollection, an intelligence team was sent to a border area with the expectation that it would return within roughly eight days.

However, the team did not return on schedule. Days passed, with Doval saying that the uncertainty extended to around 15 days.

He said there were no reports of an avalanche or another incident that could explain the team's disappearance, increasing concerns about the safety of the personnel.

Headquarters Delivered the Unexpected News

Doval recalled receiving a telephone call from his headquarters during the period of uncertainty.

According to his account, his superior informed him that the personnel were in Chinese custody and had been captured and interrogated.

Doval said the team was eventually returned to India, apparently following talks or negotiations. He recalled that the personnel came back in very poor condition.

Doval Feared His Career Was Over

The incident had a major personal impact on the young intelligence officer.

Doval said he initially believed the episode could bring his career to an end. An inquiry was subsequently conducted into the operation.

According to Doval, the inquiry did not find him at fault. He said maps and sketches supplied to the team by headquarters contained defects and errors, which contributed to what happened.

Sikkim's Sensitive Historical Period

Doval's account dates to a particularly sensitive period in Sikkim's history.

Sikkim became India's 22nd state in 1975. Before that, it had a special political relationship with India, with the 1950 India-Sikkim Treaty making the Himalayan kingdom an Indian protectorate while it retained internal autonomy.

Doval said his responsibilities at the time included monitoring border areas and gathering intelligence concerning the activities and movements of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA).

A Lesson About “Reading the Map”

While recalling the incident, Doval also shared a lesson he said he learned from a Tibetan Sherpa colleague associated with the Intelligence Bureau.

The advice centred on understanding where you are, where you want to go and which route you need to take.

Doval used the experience as a broader reflection on decision-making and navigating uncertainty in life.

Doval's IIT Roorkee Address

The Sikkim episode was part of a wider address by Doval to graduating students at IIT Roorkee.

He spoke about the changing technological environment and told students that they were entering a period of significant opportunities and challenges.

His account of the early intelligence operation offered a rare public glimpse into an episode from the beginning of his career.

Key Highlights
NSA Ajit Doval recalled an early intelligence operation in Sikkim.
He was in his 20s and relatively new to intelligence work at the time.
An intelligence team sent to a border area failed to return as scheduled.
Doval said headquarters later informed him that the team was in Chinese custody.
According to his account, the personnel were interrogated and later returned to India.
An inquiry followed the incident.
Doval said he was not found at fault.
He attributed the incident partly to defects in maps and sketches supplied to the team.
He shared the story during the IIT Roorkee convocation on September 19, 2026.
Conclusion

Ajit Doval's account provides a rare look at a difficult episode from his early intelligence career during a sensitive period in Sikkim's integration with India.

The story, as Doval himself recounted it, involved an intelligence team being held by Chinese forces, an ensuing inquiry and his own fears that the incident could end his career. He said the investigation ultimately cleared him and identified errors in the maps and sketches provided for the operation.

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