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Ajit Doval Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 4, 2026 • 3 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth20 January 1945

Age80 Years

BirthplaceGhiri Banelsyun, Pauri Garhwal, United Provinces, British India (now Uttarakhand, India)

ProfessionCivil Servant

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseAnu Doval

FamilyTwo sons: Shaurya Doval and Vivek Doval

Ajit Doval Biography

Ajit Kumar Doval is an Indian civil servant and security expert who has held senior intelligence and national security roles for decades. A career Indian P

Early life and background

Ajit Kumar Doval was born on 20 January 1945 in Ghiri Banelsyun in Pauri Garhwal, then part of the United Provinces in British India. Raised in a family with a father who served in the army, Doval attended King George's Royal Indian Military School (Ajmer Military School) in Ajmer and later studied at Agra University. He also attended the National Defence College in Delhi and holds a master's degree in economics.

Career

Doval joined the Indian Police Service in 1968, assigned to the Kerala cadre. Early in his career he earned recognition for distinguished service and became one of the youngest officers to receive the Police Medal. Over the years he built a reputation in intelligence and counter-insurgency work.

He served as Director of the Intelligence Bureau between 2004 and 2005 and retired from that post in January 2005. After leaving the bureau, he remained active in national security discourse through writing and public lectures. In December 2009 he became the founding director of the Vivekananda International Foundation, a think tank established by the Vivekananda Kendra.

In May 2014 the Government of India appointed Doval as the country's fifth National Security Adviser. He continued in that role and was re-appointed on 13 June 2024.

Notable operations and roles

Across a long intelligence career, Doval has been associated with a number of high-profile operations and initiatives. He was involved in counter-insurgency work in the northeastern states and is credited with persuading senior insurgent commanders during the Mizoram conflict to abandon separatist aims. In the early 1990s he worked in Jammu and Kashmir, where his efforts to bring militants into the mainstream are reported to have paved the way for state elections in 1996.

Doval has been involved in hostage resolution and counter-terrorism incidents. He was one of the negotiators in the 1999 Indian Airlines flight IC-814 hijacking, a crisis that ended after several days when India agreed to release specific detainees. Over his career he is noted as having participated in the response to multiple hijackings of Indian Airlines aircraft between 1971 and 1999. He was also honoured with the Kirti Chakra in 1988, an award recognizing gallantry in peacetime.

His intelligence work has at times included extended undercover assignments abroad. The excerpt notes that he spent several years living in Pakistan undercover and that he later served in diplomatic postings, including as a minister at the Indian High Commission in London.

Public profile

Beyond operational roles, Doval has remained a visible figure in discussions of India’s national security. He has contributed editorials to newspapers and journals and delivered lectures at governmental and nongovernmental institutions. His career and persona have also entered popular culture: in the 2019 film Uri: The Surgical Strike, the character representing him was portrayed by Paresh Rawal.

Personal life

Doval is married to Anu Doval. The couple have two sons: Shaurya Doval, who is described as a diplomat, and Vivek Doval, who is a chartered financial analyst. The family is based in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Physical details listed in the excerpt include a height of about 5 feet 4 inches and black hair and eyes.

Latest updates

After his re-appointment as National Security Adviser in June 2024, Doval continued to engage in international and strategic discussions. In September 2024 he visited Russia and met President Vladimir Putin; that meeting included discussion of topics raised during a bilateral visit by India’s prime minister.

Throughout a career spanning decades, Ajit Doval has remained a central figure in India’s security establishment, moving between frontline intelligence work, advisory roles, think-tank leadership and public commentary.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Ajit Doval, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
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Recent Work

National Security Adviser (re-appointed)

Re-appointed as India's National Security Adviser on 13 June 2024; continued to engage in international strategic discussions including a September 2024 visit to Russia.

2024
Founder-Director, Vivekananda International Foundation

Established and led the think tank from its founding in December 2009.

2009
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Career Highlights

  1. Joined Indian Police Service in 1968 (Kerala cadre).
  2. Director of Intelligence Bureau (2004–2005).
  3. Founder-director of the Vivekananda International Foundation (2009).
  4. Appointed National Security Adviser in May 2014 and re-appointed on 13 June 2024.
  5. Awarded the Kirti Chakra in 1988.
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ajit Doval born?

Ajit Doval was born on 20 January 1945.

What is Ajit Doval known for?

Ajit Doval is known for civil Servant.

What is Ajit Doval’s marital status?

Ajit Doval's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Ajit Doval married to?

Ajit Doval is publicly listed as married to Anu Doval.