National Security Advisor Ajit Doval does not use a mobile phone or the internet in his day-to-day work, he said on Saturday. Speaking at the inaugural session of the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026, Doval addressed young participants. During a question-and-answer session at Bharat Mandapam, the former intelligence and law enforcement officer was asked whether it was true that he avoids using mobile phones and the internet.
“It is true that I do not use the internet,” he confirmed. “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,” Doval said.
Ajit Doval is India's National Security Advisor and the fifth person to hold the post. A retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the Kerala cadre, he has spent decades in intelligence, internal security and counter-terrorism roles.
Born in Uttarakhand in 1945, Doval joined the IPS in 1968. He became the youngest police officer to receive the Kirti Chakra for bravery. Over his career, he worked extensively on insurgency operations in Mizoram, Punjab and the Northeast.
Doval 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.
In 1999, he was one of the negotiators during the IC-814 hijacking crisis in Kandahar. Between 1971 and 1999, he handled multiple aircraft hijacking cases. He also spent several years working undercover in Pakistan.
Last year, the government's fact-checking agency exposed a fake Facebook post falsely attributed to Doval, warning citizens of an impending cyberattack from Pakistan. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) clarified that Ajit Doval does not have any official Facebook account and that the post circulating with his name and photo was completely fabricated.
