Happy Birthday Ajit Doval: Adventures of 'Indian James Bond' Revisited

New Delhi: A 1968 batch IPS officer of Kerala Cadre, India's National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval is the only bureaucrat to be awarded the Gallantry Award in Kirti Chakra and Shantikal. Due to his elusive nature in several undercover operations, the spymaster earned the title 'Indian James Bond.' He has shaken hands with danger and spent sleepless nights so that Indian citizens could sleep peacefully. Four years after being inducted into IPS, Doval joined the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in 1972. With nearly 37 years of experience in espionage, Doval was also India's first National Security Adviser on May 31, 2014.

Doval, first, shot to prominence after he played a key hand in ensuring Indian Army's victory against the Khalistani terrorists in the 1984 Operation Bluestar. As Doval turns 79 today, take a look at his illustrious career spanning five decades. 

Operation Black Thunder II: Rickshaw Wallah Inside Golden Temple

The eighties was one of the most challenging period in Indian history post Independence. As sentiments of separation was riding high in Punjab, Golden Temple came under siege once again by Khalistani terrorists in 1988. Going unnoticed, Doval was stationed inside the temple, dressed as a rickshaw walla. He passed vital information about the key movements of ther Khalistani group inside the temple, thus, playing an important role in the Army's successful operation.

Pakistani Muslim in Lahore

Posted as an undercover RAW agent in Pakistan's Lahore, Ajit Doval spent seven years in the hostile territory. 

Doval's Negotiating Skills Come to the Fore

After the 1999 Kandahar plane hijack, Doval played the role of a mediator. As a result of his negotiations, Doval brought back 180 hijacked Indian passengers safely home.