Archive · 20 Sep 2026
Ajit Doval Recalls Career Crisis After Border Team Capture
Ajit Doval told students about a frightening event from when he was a young officer.
He had sent a team to watch the border in Sikkim.
The team was supposed to return in five days, but it was still missing after 10 days.
Doval then learned that the Chinese army had taken the team into custody.
He worried that his career was finished.
The team was eventually released safely.
An inquiry said incorrect maps and sketches had caused confusion, and Doval was not blamed.
A Tibetan Sherpa later helped him see the event as a lesson about knowing your direction in life.
Ajit Doval said he feared his career was over after a border-surveillance team was captured by the Chinese army.
The team had been sent on a five-day mission in Sikkim but had not returned after 10 days.
The Intelligence Bureau informed Doval that the team was in the custody of the People’s Liberation Army.
The team was later released unharmed, and an inquiry attributed the incident to errors in maps and sketches from headquarters.
A Tibetan Sherpa’s advice about map-reading gave Doval three life principles: know where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there and return.
- Who
- Ajit Doval, then a young Indian Police Service officer, and a border-surveillance team.
- What
- Doval recounted how he feared losing his career after the team was captured by the People’s Liberation Army and later released unharmed.
- When
- The incident occurred when Doval was in his 20s; he shared the account on Saturday, September 19, at an IIT Roorkee convocation.
- Where
- The team was posted for border surveillance in Sikkim, and Doval spoke at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee in Roorkee, Uttarakhand.
- Why
- The team became confused because headquarters had provided erroneous sketches and maps showing the border.
- Speaker
- Ajit Doval, India’s National Security Advisor
- Mission
- A five-day border-surveillance operation in Sikkim
- Delay
- The team had not returned after 10 days
- Custody
- The Intelligence Bureau said the team was held by the People’s Liberation Army
- Outcome
- The team was released unharmed
- Inquiry finding
- Errors in maps and sketches from headquarters caused confusion; Doval was not held responsible
- Life lesson
- Know where you are, where you want to go, and the route to get there and return