Doval, then an IPS officer in his twenties, recalled dispatching a five‑day surveillance team to the Sikkim border ahead of the state’s merger with India. The team failed to return after ten days, and a call from the Intelligence Bureau informed him that the members were in the custody of China’s PLA, a moment he said felt like the end of his career.
The operation had been planned under Doval’s direction, but an inquiry later revealed that the sketches and maps supplied to the officers were inaccurate, creating confusion about the exact border line. The findings absolved him of blame, though the incident left him deeply disappointed.
Doval described the psychological toll: “I was very sad. It was that phase of life when you feel extremely dejected.” He later credited a Tibetan Sherpa, an eight‑time Everest climber, for a life lesson about map‑reading that shifted his outlook.
At the IIT Roorkee convocation, Doval addressed 2,701 graduates, urging them to read maps accurately, both literally and figuratively; Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani also spoke, highlighting readiness for national security.