Ajit Kumar Doval
Encyclopedia
Ajit Kumar Doval was the director of Intelligence Bureau
, India
2004-2005, after spending a decade as the head of its operations wing. He was the first police officer in India to get Kirti Chakra
.
officer from the 1968 batch of the Kerala
cadre. He was actively involved in the Mizo conflict, Punjab conflict, and Kashmir issue.
In Mizoram
conflict, Laldenga of Mizo National Front
had claimed that Doval had won over 6 of his 7 army commanders. He spent long periods of time incognito with the Mizo National Army in the Arakan
in Burma and inside Chinese territory.
In Punjab
he was behind the rescue of Romanian diplomat Liviu Radu and the success of Operation Black Thunder. Doval was actually inside the Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar
, Punjab, in 1989 during Operation Black Thunder
when security forces were charging in to flush out terrorists from there. He is said to have planned out the Punjab state elections of 1992.
Doval spent six years in Pakistan. He went to Kashmir
in 1990 and persuaded militants (like Kuka Parrey) to become counter-insurgents targeting hardline anti-India terrorists. This set the way for state elections in Jammu and Kashmir
in 1996.
Doval was India's main negotiator with the hijackers of Indian Airlines flight IC-184 in Kandahar
in 1999.
He retired from service on January 31, 2005 from the position of Director, Intelligence Bureau. In January 2009, he was chosen by the Government of Karnataka as its Security Adviser. He is held in high esteem as one of India's well-known Foremost analysts & commentators on strategic national and international issues. His writings have been published widely in International journals, domestic and international media, and he is known for its clear insight and vision for Indian and global security issues. He has spoken extensively nationally and internationally on strengthening Indian security apparatus and closer cooperation amongst security forces globally.
Currently, he is the Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation set up by the Vivekananda Kendra
.
In 1988, Doval was awarded one of the highest gallantry awards, the Kirti Chakra, becoming the first police officer to receive a medal previously given only as a military honour.
Director of Intelligence Bureau (India)
The director of Intelligence Bureau simply known as DIB is the senior most post in Intelligence Bureau and the only four-star Indian Police Service rank in the country. The current director of Intelligence Bureau is Mr...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
2004-2005, after spending a decade as the head of its operations wing. He was the first police officer in India to get Kirti Chakra
Kirti Chakra
The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra...
.
Work
He is widely known to be amongst the very best Intelligence officers India has ever seen He is an IPSIPS
- Medicine and biology :* Induced pluripotent stem cell* Intermittent photic stimulation, a neuroimaging technique* Intraparietal sulcus, a region of the brain* Ips , a genus of bark beetle- Media and entertainment :...
officer from the 1968 batch of the Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
cadre. He was actively involved in the Mizo conflict, Punjab conflict, and Kashmir issue.
In Mizoram
Mizoram
Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North Eastern India, sharing borders with the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur and with the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Burma. Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on 20 February 1987. Its capital is Aizawl. Mizoram is located in the...
conflict, Laldenga of Mizo National Front
Mizo National Front
Mizo National Front is a regional political party in Mizoram, India. MNF emerged out of the Mizo National Famine Front, which was formed by Pu Laldenga to protest against the inaction of the Indian central government towards the famine situation in the Mizo areas of the Assam state in 1959. It...
had claimed that Doval had won over 6 of his 7 army commanders. He spent long periods of time incognito with the Mizo National Army in the Arakan
Rakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
in Burma and inside Chinese territory.
In Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
he was behind the rescue of Romanian diplomat Liviu Radu and the success of Operation Black Thunder. Doval was actually inside the Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, Punjab, in 1989 during Operation Black Thunder
Operation Black Thunder
Operation Black Thunder is the name given to two operations that took place in India in the late 1980s to flush out remaining Sikh extremists from the Golden Temple using 'Black Cat' commandos of the National Security Guards Like Operation Blue Star, these attacks were on Khalistani militants who...
when security forces were charging in to flush out terrorists from there. He is said to have planned out the Punjab state elections of 1992.
Doval spent six years in Pakistan. He went to Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
in 1990 and persuaded militants (like Kuka Parrey) to become counter-insurgents targeting hardline anti-India terrorists. This set the way for state elections in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
in 1996.
Doval was India's main negotiator with the hijackers of Indian Airlines flight IC-184 in Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
in 1999.
He retired from service on January 31, 2005 from the position of Director, Intelligence Bureau. In January 2009, he was chosen by the Government of Karnataka as its Security Adviser. He is held in high esteem as one of India's well-known Foremost analysts & commentators on strategic national and international issues. His writings have been published widely in International journals, domestic and international media, and he is known for its clear insight and vision for Indian and global security issues. He has spoken extensively nationally and internationally on strengthening Indian security apparatus and closer cooperation amongst security forces globally.
Currently, he is the Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation set up by the Vivekananda Kendra
Vivekananda Kendra
Vivekananda Kendra is a Hindu spiritual organisation based on the principles preached by Swami Vivekananda. It was founded 7 January 1972 in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India by Shri Ekanathji Ranade. Its current president is P. Parameswaran.-Sphere of influence:...
.
Awards
Doval was the youngest police officer ever to get the Indian Police Medal for meritorious service. He got it after six years in the police (the norm is at least 17 years' service). He was later awarded the President's Police Medal.In 1988, Doval was awarded one of the highest gallantry awards, the Kirti Chakra, becoming the first police officer to receive a medal previously given only as a military honour.