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News Topical, Digital Desk : National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's life has been no less than a spy film. Very few people know that one of his earliest and secret missions took place not in Pakistan or China but in the small Himalayan state of Sikkim.
Around 1970, there was a commotion in the royal palace of Sikkim. Delhi suspected that Hope Cook, the American wife of the Chogyal king, was connected to the US intelligence agency CIA. Relations between India and America were not good at that time, so Delhi feared that Sikkim might come under the influence of Washington.
When did the king and queen get married?
Sikkim was then a protected state of India. That is, defense and foreign policy were in the hands of India, but the king handled internal matters. King Palden Thondup Namgyal was married to Hope Cook in 1963. Gradually the queen started interfering in political matters.
Rani used to meet foreign journalists, give interviews and tell the world that India was putting pressure on Sikkim. America openly supported Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh war. At such a time, a strategic state like Sikkim coming under American influence was a danger signal for India.
Author Devdutt D. in his book 'Ajit Doval: On a Mission' describes how intelligence officials in Delhi suspected the queen of acting as a conduit for Washington's influence.
How did Doval handle the responsibility?
It was here that young intelligence officer Ajit Doval was given the responsibility. He was given the task of understanding the situation in Sikkim and gauging the pulse of the people. Doval interacted with the local people.
His report made it clear that the people of Sikkim, especially the Nepali majority population, were angry with the king and queen. People felt that the palace was isolated and anti-India. Doval's report convinced Delhi that the merger of Sikkim with India was not only strategically correct but the people also wanted the same.
Sikkim became the 22nd state of India
In 1973, massive demonstrations began in Sikkim. People began demanding democracy and integration with India. Amid growing pressure, Rani Hope Cooke returned to America and never returned.
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