Defence Ministry has launched a probe into a complaint which claimed that the army chief had deployed interceptors for clandestinely listening to important phone conversations, an allegation rejected by Gen V K Singh as “fiction”.
An anonymous detailed complaint in a letter received by the Defence Ministry early last week lists several allegations against the Army chief, including possible misuse of off-the-air interceptors to listen in on phone conversations in the national capital.
After receiving the letter, the ministry has launched a probe to verify the allegations. The letter was received in an envelope which has an address on it and that is also being verified, sources said.
Reacting sharply to the complaint, Gen Singh dismissed it as “fiction” and hit out at the media. “Fiction does not require any reaction,” he told reporters in Hyderabad on the sidelines of a book release function.
The unsigned letter lists several allegations against the army chief including the possible misuse of off-the-air interceptors to listen into phone conversations in Delhi between key people to track developments in the government on his age row case in the Supreme Court.
It also accuses Gen Singh of appointing several officers belonging to the Rajput Regiment to many important posts in the service.
Asked about his letter to the Defence Ministry over shortage of ammunition in the army, Gen Singh said he had apprised the ministry about the status of various inventories.
“The Raksha Rajya Mantri is aware. Our efforts in the last two years have been to ensure that the operational preparedness of the Army improves. In that there are a large number of measures. Periodically, we have been apprising the ministry as to how things are going, what are the shortages and what action needs to be done,” he said.
Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju was by Gen Singh’s side when the General talked to the media.
