'They Are in Chinese Custody': Ajit Doval Recalls Sikkim Intelligence Crisis

Roorkee, Uttarakhand: At the IIT Roorkee Convocation, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval says, "I was a young IPS officer, new to the intelligence profession. I was in my 20s, and I was posted as in charge of intelligence in Sikkim. That was not a part of India at that time. It was becoming part of India. I was part of that process where the merger was taking place. But my responsibility also included looking after the border areas and collecting intelligence about the movement of the PLA, activities of the Chinese Army... So, once, we had an intelligence mission in the border area, and about eight days later, they had to return. So, five days went by, then ten days went by, then perhaps 15 days went by. For me, it was a matter of very great concern, not only professionally but also on the human side, that so many people—we don't know whether they are dead or alive, and what has happened to them. We got no reports of any avalanche or anything. It was a matter of deep worry and concer