National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram on January 22 and 23. But unlike the usual official visits, this time there were no police sirens. There were no announcements. Most people did not even know that India’s most powerful security official was in the state.
During his visit, Doval went to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, where he help private meetings with scientists. Hardly anyone noticed him. For someone who works on India’s safety and security, being secretive is normal. But what made this visit special was how he maintained a low profile while touring the state.
One morning, around 8 AM, Doval walked into Maha Chips, a small and well-known snack shop near East Fort. During the Sabarimala season, the shop opens early, but at that time there are usually very few people.
A video that came out later showed him walking in with security guards wearing normal clothes. He looked around, bought some chips, and left calmly.
Maha chips staff’ response
No one stared at him. No one whispered. No one stopped him. It was just like any other customer buying snacks in the morning. That is what made it interesting, one of the most powerful security officials in the country doing something very simple. Later, the staff at Maha Chips told Asianet News that they had no idea who he was. They only realised it after checking their CCTV footage. They said he behaved just like a regular person.
Why did Doval visit Thiruvananthapuram?
He came to look into problems with India’s space rockets. Recently, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which is usually very reliable, had failed more than once. This worried the government a lot.
Following instructions from Prime Minister Modi, Doval visited the space centre at Thumba. There, he spoke to senior scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation. He wanted to understand what went wrong.
The failures had happened at the same part of the rocket flight, called the third stage, which is very important. Because it happened again and again, the government wanted to be sure there was no danger to the country and no sabotage
As a member of the Space Commission, Doval checked whether the problem was caused by any outside threat or internal issue. His focus was on learning the facts, not blaming anyone. After returning to New Delhi, he submitted a detailed report. The investigation found that there was no sabotage. However, it did point out some mistakes and areas that need fixing.