{
  "id": 8491722,
  "title": "When Ajit Doval thought his career was over",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/when-ajit-doval-thought-his-career-was-over",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-19T15:56:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/when-china-captured-indian-agents-ajit-doval-recalls-the-moment-he-thought-this-was-the-end-of-my-career/articleshow/134356637.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "National Security Advisor Ajit Doval recounted a challenging episode from his early career during the convocation ceremony of IIT Roorkee. He spoke of a group of operatives who went missing after being sent across the border and were later found to be in Chinese custody. Doval expressed deep concern when the missing agents failed to return, despite no reports of avalanches or other incidents to explain their disappearance.\n\nThe operatives were eventually captured by Chinese authorities, interrogated, and returned, though in a \"shattered\" state. Doval feared the incident could end his career, as he was still in his twenties and preparing to embark on a new professional journey. However, an inquiry found him not at fault, attributing the incident to defects in the sketches and maps provided by the headquarters.\n\nDoval also addressed the younger generation at IIT Roorkee, highlighting the numerous opportunities available to them in the current technological era. He emphasized that their generation is uniquely fortunate compared to previous generations, which faced hardships such as slavery. Doval concluded by stating that technology will increasingly shape the future of countries and societies.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}