Behind the Scenes

How Ajit Doval showed all attributes of a spymaster right at the start of his career. An Extract

A.S. Dulat

I first met Ajit Doval a little over three decades ago, in the parking lot of the IB office in North Block. He was very young then and three years junior to me, but equally bright, and under the aegis of M.K. Narayanan, he was rising star. I don’t remember much of our conversation, but I do remember Ajit telling me enthusiastically of what a privilege it was to work with a boss like Narayanan. Hero worship aside, what struck me—and has stayed with me since—is the ambition that lies behind such a declaration.

His focus, even then, was on the chief. It was natural, of course, and it was important in a field such as ours. If you are on the right side of the chief, you stand a much better chance. That’s not to say that I was ever on Narayanan’s wrong side, but I don’t think anyone was as much on his right side as Ajit Doval in those days. He had the determination to go places.

Ajit’s legendary career is a well-known one, although it didn’t really take off until he was sent to the Northeast, to Mizoram, where he served as