Ajit Doval
KC, PPM
Doval in 2017
5th National Security Advisor
Assumed office
30 May 2014
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byShivshankar Menon
Director of the Intelligence Bureau
In office
31 July 2004 – 31 January 2005
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byK. P. Singh
Succeeded byE. S. L. Narasimhan
Personal details
Born (1945-01-20) 20 January 1945
Ghiri Banelsyun, Pauri Garhwal, United Provinces, British India (now in Uttarakhand, India)
Nationality India
Spouse
Aruni Doval
​
(m. 1972)​
Children2 (including Shaurya Doval)
Residence(s)New Delhi, India
Alma materAgra University (MA)
National Defence College (M.Phil.)
Occupation• National Security Advisors to Prime minister[1]
• Retd. IPS officer
ProfessionBureaucrat[1]Spymaster
Awards Kirti Chakra
Police Medal
President's Police Medal
NicknameJames Bond of India [2]

Ajit Kumar Doval KC, PPM (born 20 January 1945) is the National Security Advisor (NSA) of India to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[3] He was Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief and Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from Kerala cadre.[4][5][6][7]

He previously served as the director of the IB in 2004–05, after working for a decade as the head of its operation wing.[8] He worked as an undercover spy of IB for one year in Pakistan then 6 years as an officer in Indian high commission in Islamabad.[9] He spent most part of his career as a spy of IB.[9]

His successful operation as a spy and intelligence head includes Operation Black Thunder 1988, Rescue of 46 Indian national in Iraq, 2015's Operation versus Nagaland militants with India army, to sabotage terror organisation PFI and many more.[3][9][10]

He was the founder director of the right of centre leaning think tank Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), before appointment as NSA. It was founded in December 2009.[11][12]

Early life and education

Doval was born in 1945 in Ghiri Banelsyun village in Pauri Garhwal in the erstwhile United Provinces, now in Uttarakhand. Doval's father, Major G. N. Doval, was an officer in the Indian Army.[13][4][14]

He received his early education at the Ajmer Military School in Ajmer, Rajasthan.[5] He graduated with a master's degree in economics from the Agra University in 1967.[14]

Police and intelligence career

Doval joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1968 in the Kerala cadre as the ASP of Kottayam district.[15][16] He was posted in north-east India. He was a spy of IB, lived in Pakistan for seven years and did espionage.[17][18]

He was actively involved in anti-insurgency operations in Punjab.[19]

Doval worked in Thalassery, Kerala, for a few months in 1972, before joining the central service.[20] He has the experience of being involved in the termination of all 15 hijackings of Indian Airlines aircraft from 1971 to 1999.[21] In the headquarters, he headed IB's operations wing for over a decade and was founder Chairman of the Multi Agency Centre (MAC), as well as of the Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI).[22]

In 1988 during Operation Black Thunder, he infiltrated in Golden temple posing as an ISI agent, did espionage on Khalistani separatists, Doval gathered information about their weapons and made maps of their positions, he became an important member in their group gave wrong advices to them to sabotaged, it helped National Security Guards (NSG) to win Golden Temple.[23][24]

He played a role in intelligence for Sikkim's merger with India.[25][26] He was trained under M. K. Narayanan, the third National Security Advisor of India for a brief period in counterterrorism operations.[27] He was part of the team which sent to Kandahar, Afghanistan for negotiations to release passengers of hijacked aeroplane IC-814.[25][28][29]

He was later appointed on the post of, director of the Intelligence Bureau.[29]

The alleged 2016 Surgical strike on Pakistan was part of Ajit Doval's 'offensive defence strategy'.[30] Though, Pakistan rejected India's claim, and said that Indian troops did not cross the Line of Control and had only skirmished with Pakistani troops at the border.

Doval was one of the seven person who knew about India's classified 2019 Balakot airstrike, including Indian Navy, army, airforce chiefs and prime minister Narendra Modi. After Pakistan based terrorist attacked convoy of CRPF by car bomb in Pulwama and martyred 40, India airforce claimed an alleged airstrike on terrorist bases in Pakistan. Doval was awake that whole night with dignitaries in the war room.[31]

Post-retirement (2005–2014)

Doval retired in January 2005 as Director, Intelligence Bureau.[32] In December 2009, he became the founding Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), a public policy think tank set up by the Vivekananda Kendra.[33][34] Doval has remained actively involved in the discourse on national security in India.[35][36] Besides writing editorial pieces for several leading newspapers and journals, he has delivered lectures on India's security challenges and foreign policy objectives at several renowned government and non-governmental institutions, security think-tanks in India and abroad.[37][38]

In 2009 and 2011 he co-wrote two reports on "Indian Black Money Abroad in Secret Banks and Tax Havens",[39] with others, leading in the field as a part of the task force constituted by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).[40]

In 2012, IB eyed on him due to then ruling party Congress's suspicions on Doval and his think tank VIF with the doubts that he and VIF were the brains behind Ramdev and Anna Hazare led anti-corruption movement, which generated anger against government.[41] Many members of VIF got appointed to top government positions after BJP came into power.[12]

In recent years, he has delivered guest lectures on strategic issues at IISS, London, Capitol Hill, Washington DC, Australia-India Institute, University of Melbourne, National Defence College, New Delhi and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.[42] Doval has also spoken internationally at global events, citing the ever-increasing need of co-operation between the major established and emerging powers of the world.[43]

National Security Advisor (2014–present)

NSA Doval meets with United States Secretary of state John Kerry in Washington DC.

On 30 May 2014, Doval was appointed as India's fifth National Security Advisor. In June 2014, Doval facilitated the return of 46 Indian nurses who were trapped in a hospital in Tikrit, Iraq, following the capture of Mosul by ISIL. Doval, flew to Iraq on 25 June 2014 to understand the position on the ground and make high-level contacts in the Iraqi government.[44] Although the exact circumstances of their release are unclear, on 5 July 2014, ISIL militants handed the nurses to Kurdish authorities at Erbil city and an Air India plane specially-arranged by the Indian government brought them back home to Kochi.[45]

Along with Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Doval planned a cross-border military operation against National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) separatists operating out of Myanmar. Indian officials claimed that the mission was a success and 20-38 separatist belonging to Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) were killed in the operation.[46][47][48][49] However, the Myanmar government denied the strikes. According to Myanmar officials, the Indian operation against NSCN-K took place entirely on the Indian side of the border.[50][51]

Indian PM Modi with the NSA Doval, the Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag and the Air Force Chief Arup Raha at Pathankot Airbase.

He is widely credited for the doctrinal shift in Indian national security policy in relation to Pakistan.[52] It was speculated that the September 2016 Indian strikes in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir were his brainchild.[53][54][55][56] Doval is widely credited along with then Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and Indian Ambassador to China Vijay Keshav Gokhale, for resolving Doklam Standoff through diplomatic channels and negotiations.[57][58][59]

In October 2018, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Strategic Policy Group (SPG), which is the first tier of a three tier structure at the National Security Council and forms the nucleus of its decision-making apparatus.[60]

Following the 2019 Balakot airstrike and retaliatory 2019 Jammu and Kashmir airstrikes and subsequent capture of Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman by Pakistani military, Ajit Doval had held talks with US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to secure the release of the Indian pilot.[61]

On 3 June 2019, he was reappointed as NSA for 5 years and granted the personal rank of a Cabinet Minister.[62] Doval is the first NSA to hold such a rank. He is widely considered to be one of Modi's most powerful and trusted advisors, with major influence over India's national security and foreign affairs.

He was also an instrumental figure in revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.[63]

On 26, Feb 2020, Ajit Doval walked the streets of riot-hit northeast Delhi to assess the situation and reassure the local residents.[64]

NSA Doval, along with Army, Navy, and Air Force Chief meeting PM Modi
NSA Doval, along with Army, Navy, and Air Force Chief meeting PM Modi

On 15 May 2020, the military forces of Myanmar handed over a group of 22 militant leaders, active in Assam and other northeast states, to the Indian government. This was made possible through negotiations headed by Doval.[65][66]

On 15 September 2020, Doval walked out of a virtual SCO meeting after Pakistan projected a fictitious map omitting parts of India.[67]

Awards and recognitions

In media

See also


References

  1. 1 2 "List of Officers (PMO) | Prime Minister of India". Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "NSA Ajit Doval turns 77 today; all you need to know about the 'James Bond of India'". 20 January 2022. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  3. 1 2 "NSA Ajit Doval turns 77 today; all you need to know about the 'James Bond of India'". Firstpost. 20 January 2022. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Top positions in country's security establishments helmed by men from Uttarakhand". The Times of India. 21 December 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Rashtriya Military School Ajmer". www.rashtriyamilitaryschoolajmer.in. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "डोवाल बने राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा सलाहकार" [Doval becomes National Security Advisor] (in Hindi). BBC. 31 May 2014. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2014. ...अजित कुमार डोवाल को प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी का राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा सलाहकार...
  7. ↑ Donthi, Praveen (September 2017). "Ajit Doval in theory and practice". The Caravan. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  8. ↑ "Ajit Doval Biography: Birth, Education, Awards, IPS, Intelligence and NSA Career". Jagranjosh.com. 21 January 2022. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 "WHO IS AJIT DOVAL". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Not a single bullet fired: How Centre planned mega crackdown on PFI terror links". India Today. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  11. ↑ Pubby, Manu. "Pro-BJP think tank Vivekananda International Foundation skewers government on 'One Rank One Pension'". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Former deputy NSA Arvind Gupta to head Vivekananda Intl Foundation". Hindustan Times. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  13. ↑ Semwal, GP (23 June 2014). "Doval laments Uttarakhand's poor pace of development, growth". The Pioneer. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Ajit Doval: The most powerful person in India after PM Modi". The Economic Times. 30 August 2017. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  15. ↑ Paul, Cithara (27 February 2020). "How Ajit Doval, the Centre's man Friday, suppressed a riot in Kerala in 1972". The Week. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  16. ↑ Ullekh, N. P. (19 June 2018). Kannur: Inside India's Bloodiest Revenge Politics. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 9789353051051.
  17. ↑ "Ajit Doval Birthday: The Brain Behind Surgical Strikes And Man of Many Firsts". India.com. 20 January 2022. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  18. ↑ Rao, Srinath (5 August 2015). "NSA Ajit Doval underlines use of power: India should stop punching below its weight". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  19. ↑ Donthi, Praveen. "What Ajit Doval did during Operation Black Thunder II". The Caravan. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  20. ↑ Sudhakaran, P (1 October 2016). "James Bond: How 'Indian James Bond' Ajit Doval had managed riot-hit Thalassery". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  21. ↑ Sharma, Anil (2014). IA's Terror Trail. Ajit K Doval (Foreword). Shehna Books. ISBN 9789351561811.
  22. ↑ Datta, Saikat (28 May 2014). "Ajit Doval, giant among spies, is the new National Security Advisor". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  23. ↑ "पाकिस्तानमध्ये गुप्तहेर म्हणून काम करत असताना पकडले गेले होते अजित डोभाल". News18 Lokmat (in Marathi). 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  24. 1 2 Adrishya - Ajit Doval | Full Episode | Indian Spy Master | Operation Black Thunder | EPIC, archived from the original on 17 March 2023, retrieved 24 January 2023
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Kandahar negotiator gets IB top post". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. 7 July 2004. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
  26. ↑ Sharma, Sudeept (26 May 2016). "Sikkim Day: How Sikkim Became a Part of India". The Quint. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  27. ↑ "Checking out the Doval detail: Some myth, some reality, and much folklore". ThePrint. 10 October 2018. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  28. ↑ Raman, B. (23 April 2010). "M.K.Narayanan". South Asia Analysis Group. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  29. 1 2 Yadav, Yatish (17 August 2016). "Return of the Superspy". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  30. ↑ "Who strategised the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the LoC?". India Today. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  31. ↑ "Only seven people knew about airstrike on Balakot". Hindustan Times. 27 February 2019.
  32. ↑ Bhatt, Sheela (26 April 2006). "'Bangladeshi infiltration is the biggest threat'". Rediff. Archived from the original on 9 November 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  33. ↑ Shaikh, Zeeshan (30 September 2016). "The Brains Behind Modi Sarkar". Tehelka.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  34. ↑ "About Us". www.vifindia.org. 17 January 2017. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  35. ↑ "Naxalism: Need to Revisit Basics". www.vifindia.org. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  36. ↑ "Patna Blasts – Implications Under Assessed". www.vifindia.org. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  37. ↑ USINPAC (16 July 2013). "Moderate and Balanced Afghanistan- Imperative for Regional Security". Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  38. ↑ Scroll Staff. "Watch Ajit Doval say if Pakistan does 'one Mumbai' it may lose Balochistan". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  39. ↑ S. Gurumurthy; Ajit Doval; R. Vaidyanathan; Mahesh Jethmalani (31 January 2011). "Indian Black Money Abroad in Secret Banks and Tax Havens (Second Report)" (PDF). BJP. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  40. ↑ "Executive Summary Of Indian Black Money Abroad In Secret Banks and Tax Havens (Second Report)". www.bjp.org. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  41. ↑ "Intelligence Bureau to keep eye on former director Ajit Doval". India Today. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  42. ↑ "Vivekananda International Foundation - Seeking Harmony in Diversity". vifindia.org. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014.
  43. ↑ "Power Shifts and International Order". International Security Forum. 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  44. ↑ Haidar, Suhasini (1 July 2014). "NSA Doval went on secret mission to Iraq". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  45. ↑ "Indian nurses freed in Iraq given rapturous home welcome". BBC News. 5 July 2014. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
  46. ↑ "Myanmar operation: 70 commandos finish task in 40 minutes". The Economic Times. PTI. 14 July 2018. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  47. ↑ Sharma, Aman (13 July 2018). "NSA Ajit Doval, General Dalbir Singh planned retaliatory strike against militants". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  48. ↑ "Ajit Doval skipped Dhaka trip for Myanmar operations-IndiaTV News". India TV. 10 June 2015. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  49. ↑ Sharma, Aman (11 July 2018). "Blow-by-blow account: How PM Modi, Ajit Doval & Army chief planned covert strike against militants". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  50. ↑ Long, Layleigh; Lone, Wa (11 June 2015). "Government denies India operation took place inside Myanmar". Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  51. ↑ "Myanmar denies Indian Army raid inside its territory". Deccan Chronicle. AFP. 11 June 2015. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  52. ↑ "NSA Doval's 'double squeeze' strategy will never succeed: Pak". The Times of India. PTI. 22 September 2017. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  53. ↑ Shaikh, Zeeshan (30 September 2016). "Meet Ajit Doval, the man behind surgical strikes across LoC". India.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  54. ↑ "Ajit Doval likely to visit China: NSA's famed 'Doval doctrine' and deconstructing India's stand on Beijing". Firstpost. 14 July 2017. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  55. ↑ George, Glenn (30 September 2016). "India's aggressive approach at border is the brainchild of NSA Ajit Doval". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  56. ↑ Jagannathan, R (5 August 2015). "Power doctrine of Ajit Doval: Why it is much better than empty Gandhi-giri". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  57. ↑ Negi, Manjeet (28 August 2017). "Inside story of how India achieved breakthrough in Doklam border standoff with China". India Today. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  58. ↑ Mukharji, Shantanu (31 August 2017). "Doka La standoff: Ajit Doval proves it doesn't take a diplomat to resolve an international crisis". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  59. ↑ Dubey, Ajit Kumar (30 August 2017). "Meet Prime Minister Modi's key men who cracked Doklam for him". India Today. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  60. ↑ "NSA Ajit Doval to head new Strategic Policy Group established to assist National Security Council". India TV. 9 October 2018. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  61. ↑ "Govt hails IAF pilot Abhinandan's release announcement as major victory for India". India Today. 28 February 2019. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  62. ↑ "Ajit Doval reappointed National Security Adviser, gets Cabinet rank in new Modi regime". India Today. 3 June 2019. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  63. ↑ "How Amit Shah, Ajit Doval managed to stun everyone on Article 370 despite telltale signs". 24 August 2019. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  64. ↑ "Situation in riot hit north east Delhi under control". Livemint.com. 26 February 2020. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  65. ↑ Shukla, Manish (15 May 2020). Bhandari, Ankita (ed.). "After NSA Ajit Doval's intervention, Myanmar hands over 22 northeast insurgents wanted in India". Zee News. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  66. ↑ Gupta, Shishir (15 May 2020). "HT Exclusive: Nudged by Ajit Doval, Myanmar army hands over 22 northeast insurgents". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  67. ↑ "NSA Ajit Doval walks out of virtual SCO meet after Pakistan projected 'fictitious' map". The Economic Times. 17 September 2020. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  68. ↑ Siraj Qureshi (6 December 2017). "Colleges, universities have responsibilities to impart skills to students: Ajit Doval". India Today. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  69. ↑ Santoshi, Neeraj (18 May 2018). "NSA Ajit Doval has a four-point mantra for success". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  70. ↑ "India's 'human capital' can counter China's 'rare mineral wealth': NSA Ajit Doval". The New Indian Express. PTI. 3 November 2018. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  71. ↑ "Amity awards more than more than 7700 degrees and diplomas upon qualified graduands during the third day of Convocation 2018". alumni.amity.edu (Amity Alumni Association). 3 November 2018. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  72. ↑ "Profile of Ajit Doval". India TV News. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  73. ↑ "1st IPS Officer to Win Kirti Chakra Just Became India's Most Powerful Bureaucrat!". The Better India. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  74. ↑ "Paresh Rawal gets into the skin of NSA Ajit Doval for 'Uri'". Times of india.

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