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Doval’s RAW Operation Secured Sikkim’s 1975 Merger into India

By Drooid · Sep 20, 2026, 4:14 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

RAW orchestrates merger

RAW conducted a two-year covert operation that enabled Sikkim’s 1975 merger into India.
The 1950 India-Sikkim Treaty made Sikkim an Indian protectorate, giving Delhi defence and foreign-affairs control.
A Tibetan Sherpa later advised Doval to know the location, destination and route.
During the pre-integration period Doval’s team operated in a region not yet formally Indian.

Summary

Doval urges graduates

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval recalled a border team captured by Chinese forces during his intelligence career.
Doval said an inquiry later cleared him, blaming defective maps and sketches from headquarters.
At IIT Roorkee’s convocation, Doval called the record 2,701 graduates the “luckiest generation” and urged them to seize technological opportunities.
Senior Advocate Harish Salve warned graduates not to take democratic freedoms for granted, saying the post-independence order is fragile.

History

Historical Context

In October–November 1962 China launched simultaneous offensives in Aksai Chin and NEFA, exposing India’s unprepared mountain defenses. After a three-week lull the ceasefire forced India to modernise its army and create stronger border intelligence. These reforms laid the foundation for today’s joint-operations and legal frameworks guiding engineers at IIT Roorkee.

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RAW orchestrates merger

RAW conducted a two-year covert operation that enabled Sikkim’s 1975 merger into India.
The 1950 India-Sikkim Treaty made Sikkim an Indian protectorate, giving Delhi defence and foreign-affairs control.
A Tibetan Sherpa later advised Doval to know the location, destination and route.
During the pre-integration period Doval’s team operated in a region not yet formally Indian.

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