Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently gave the country a rare, personal account of how his long association with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval actually began, a story that ended with Shah openly admitting that Doval is a man of real substance. Shah shared this account at an award ceremony held in Pune, where Ajit Doval was honoured with the Lokmanya Tilak National Award.
A Pune Ceremony Becomes a Walk Down Memory Lane
Speaking at the function where the Lokmanya Tilak National Award was conferred on Ajit Doval, Amit Shah recalled that he had known of Doval from the time he himself served as Gujarat's Home Minister. However, the two did not share a personal acquaintance until the Ahmedabad serial blasts took place. At that time, Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Modi's Instruction After the Ahmedabad Blasts
According to Shah, Modi told him that the Ahmedabad blasts should not be seen as an isolated act, that there were people behind every blast, and that Gujarat Police should take up the investigation of all the bomb blasts that had occurred across the country. Modi then asked Shah to call Ajit Doval and arrange a discussion between him and some officers of the Gujarat Police.
An Afternoon Meeting at Shah's Residence
Shah said he still remembers that Ajit Doval came to meet him at his home in the afternoon. During that meeting, Doval offered certain tips and inputs to Shah and the Gujarat Police team.
Thirteen Blasts, Cracked Together
Shah explained that the result of following Doval's advice was remarkable. Gujarat Police did not stop at solving only the Ahmedabad bomb blast case; the force went on to resolve all 13 bomb blasts that had taken place across the country, cracking them together as a single investigation. Shah credited Doval's guidance for what he described as a very major achievement for the Gujarat Police of that time, an achievement that, in his telling, first convinced him of Doval's exceptional ability.
