The Kirti Chakra (KC) is a gallantry award given to people who have exhibited extreme valour, courage and self-sacrifice for the nation away from the battlefield.
It is considered the second highest peace-time decoration of India.
Nations that have poor intelligence gathering mechanisms collapse. Such nations cannot stand the test of time and they can be easily conquered by enemies .Possessing a strong intelligence gathering community is a quintessential factor to safeguard the nation from internal and external threats. To protect a country from terrorist attacks or sabotage, you need intelligence.You need to know what is happening in enemy nations. You need to keep an eye on the developments of various sleeper cells operating in multiple locations. Terror planning against your country will not take place in your backyard. Terrorism is a well coordinated,planned and executed activity.
Intelligence agencies function to safeguard the country from various kinds of threats.
The officers of such agencies are the eyes and ears of the ruling government.
Ajit Doval (current National Security Advisor of India ) joined India’s premier internal intelligence agency-the Intelligence Bureau(IB) after his brief posting as an IPS officer in Kannur,Kerala. Apparently Doval never returned to his parent posting as a cop but retired as the Director of the Intelligence Bureau(the highest post that can be reached in the IPS cadre).
A junior IPS officer in the IB works in one of the units of the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau(SIB).The officer’s everyday tasks include intelligence collection, liasoning with covert agents, monitoring suspected targets, refining various grades of intelligence,etc.
Based on the officer’s skill sets and capabilities, he/she is promoted and given bigger responsibilities-some may join the TECHINT(technical wing), some may be involved in manning a particular Desk~Maoist extremism,economic wing, etc(Refining grades of intelligence and dissecting the key inputs assessing threats),some get into core Operations whereas the rest go back to state policing.
Ajit Doval was an operations guy!
Yes, he was an extraordinary field operator and this attribute made him stand out amongst his contemporaries. It is vital to note that the Indian Police Medal was awarded to Doval, as a one-time exception in six years of service — a national record that he still holds. No wonder his talents were noticed well high in the ranks of the security agencies at the time he was barely 30 yrs old.
He was an outstanding officer by all means -extremely sharp, high reflexes, tactical, strategic in nature.
Operation folks work in highly risky environments, right under the nose of the enemy/perpetrators. At times they operate in disguise on enemy territory, at times they work in tandem with the law enforcement agencies in hunting down terrorist hideouts. Suspected bomb blasts/riots/Mumbai attacks,you name it,they are always on the move.
Ajit Doval was only 44 years old when he received the Kirti Chakra in 1989 and perhaps remains the only police officer to be awarded this gallantry award.
His Kirti Chakra citation cites the following reasons for awarding him the decoration. He was given several key assignments directed against certain hard core terrorists.
He was given several key assignments directed against certain hard core terrorists. These assignments required high degree of courage and dedication. These activities put his personal security at great risk.
Despite the great risk to his personal life, Doval prepared and executed the plans against terrorists with a high degree of success bringing glory to his country. During these assignments,there were long periods during which his whereabouts were not known which even caused concern that he has been caught and probably tortured.
In one such assignments, he was required to deal with a group of terrorists some of whom were considered notorious and dangerous. Dealing with them posed a grave danger to his life. Ignoring the risk involved to his personal security, Doval prepared and executed a plan for enticing the terrorists and succeeded in trapping some of the wanted notorious terrorists.
In carrying out these assignments, Ajit Doval has not only exhibited remarkable resourcefulness and devotion to duty,but he has carried out his tasks with a single mindedness of purpose and shown exemplary courage even risking his life on several occasions.
Of course, nobody will ever reveal the exact details of the assignments given to Doval because of their covert nature.
But,nevertheless, here are a few tales that have been doing the rounds describing his assignments:
– Was instrumental in making Laldenga,the ferocious leader of the Mizo-National Front sign the Mizoram Peace Accord
– During the Mizo National Front (MNF) insurgency, Doval won over six of Laldenga’s seven commanders.
– From Mizoram, Doval went to Sikkim where he played a role during the merger of the state with India.
– In Punjab,he was behind the rescue of Romanian diplomat Liviu Radu.
– He was inside the Golden Temple disguised as an ISI rickshaw puller in Amritsar in 1988 before Operation Black Thunder to collect critical information.
Doval also happened to be the key negotiator with the hijackers of the infamous IC814. In the above picture, he is escorted to the negotiation room by heavily armed Taliban terrorists in Khandhar, Afghanistan.
Dear Doval saab, The nation salutes you!
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