'There are other means': NSA Ajit Doval on why he doesn't use mobile, internet

NAtional certificate Advisor Ajit Doval on sabbatum revealed that he does non habituate a mobile river phone or the internet in his day-to-day work, saying that there are other means of communication as well.Answering questions at the inaugural session of the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Doval said that he only uses the phone for family matters and speak to people in other countries.“I don't know where you get all this. It is true that I do not use the internet. I also do not use a phone, except for family matters or for speaking to people in other countries, which is necessary. I manage my work that way. There are many other means of communication as well, and some additional methods have to be arranged that people are not aware of,” the former intelligence officer said. There have been numerous stories about Ajit Doval circulating on the internet. While some are true, many of them ultimately turn out to be fabrications or products of someone's imagination.Last year, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-check unit exposed a fake Facebook post falsely attributed to Doval, warning citizens of an impending cyberattack from Pakistan. PIB fact check clarified that Ajit Doval does not have any official Facebook account and that the post circulating with his name and photo was completely fabricated.More about Ajit DovalBorn in Uttarakhand in 1945, Ajit Doval is India's National Security Advisor (NSA). He is the fifth person to hold the post, which was first created by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1998.Doval joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1968 and was assigned to the Kerala cadre. He became the youngest recipient of the Kirti Chakra for bravery in 1989 due to his counterinsurgency operations in Punjab. To date, he is the only police officer to have received the award, which is typically given as a military honour.Doval has spent most of his career in intelligence, internal security and counter-terrorism roles. He worked extensively on insurgency operations in Punjab, Mizoram, and other parts of the Northeast.In 1999, he was one of the negotiators during the IC-814 hijacking crisis in Kandahar. Between 1971 and 1999, he handled multiple cases involving aircraft hijackings. He also reportedly spent several years working undercover in Pakistan.Doval took over as the NSA in 2014 and played a key role in major national security decisions, including the 2016 surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrikes. He was also involved in managing the Doklam standoff and shaping India's approach to internal security.