<!--emo&:eager--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lmaosmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='lmaosmiley.gif' /><!--endemo--> Naresh,
I did write to Gen Chauhan, VicePrez www.sainiksangh.com
He seems to agree with your facts though he is away at Simla till Oct 7; if there is any change in the stats, I shall let u know.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Air Force in a tailspin </b>
Pioneer.com
Ashok K Mehta
What is the Ministry of Defence (MoD) taking more seriously: The Chief of Air Staff's letter written to the Defence Minister and leaked to the media; or, its contents that the IAF is losing its cutting edge which has been public for some time now. On Tuesday, an investigation was ordered to enquire into the leak.
The country's economy may have grown at an impressive 8.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2006-07, but national security which is only quantifiable in terms of operational capabilities is in serious decline. The most seriously impaired of the three services is the most potent - air power. The IAF has obviously failed to effectively project its declining regional deterrence because Governments and Ministers in charge of defence and national security do not take their service chiefs seriously till a crisis has erupted. In 1996, a frustrated Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Shekhawat, unable to draw the attention of the Government to the dangerous decline in the fleet strength of the Navy was forced to go public that orderbooks in shipyards had gone dry and that the operational decline of the Navy would adversely affect maritime security. Both the Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the day reacted instantly but building security capacities is not an ad hoc business.
The IAF's story is no different from the Navy's. It had to virtually abandon its long-term re-equipment plan as the Five-Year Defence Plans of the combined services, though good on paper, never took off. It is not a well-kept secret that the IAF has slumped from an operational strength of 39.5 squadrons in 1999 to just 27 in 2007 and Pakistan close the gap with a 24-squadron strength. For long the IAF has enjoyed a decisive 2.5:1 advantage in air power over PAF specifically in numbers and quality of aircraft. We are wilfully surrendering that advantage to Pakistan let alone its buddy, China, which is helping it in building JF 17 Fighters and Y 8 Chinese AWACS.
<b>The IAF is in a hopeless situation thanks to the combined mess of the LCA (Tejas) badly driven by ADA/DRDO and HAL and stone walling by the Government</b>. The token order by IAF for 20 LCA has kept the project barely alive. The LCA project has consumed Rs 6,000 crore, 22 years and with no further hiccups will deliver the first operational squadron only by 2012. No one believes this will be possible unless the first two squadrons use imported fire control radars and engines. Not surprisingly, that decision has not been made so far.
So on the eve of the Air Force's 74th Raising Day, there is little to celebrate but much to ponder: How is the IAF going to maintain its air superiority with increasing retirement of ageing aircraft and no induction of new ones. With a big question mark over the delivery capacity and schedule of Tejas, and the Request For Proposals (RFP) for 126 multirole aircraft still being tossed around between North and South Blocks, only one conclusion can be drawn: The Government is ready and willing to accept a substantial decline in India's air power for a more equitable military balance with Pakistan. Few new aircraft are likely to join the IAF Order of Battle for the next 15 years unless some emergency decisions are taken now!
This is a very serious challenge for national security. In 1999, Air Chief Marshal Anil Tipnis is known to have first informed the Government about the problem of declining numbers of operational squadrons. Now it is the turn of outgoing CAS ACM SP Tyagi to remind the Government that the decline in the operational capability of IAF is assuming criticality. In early July he wrote a secret letter to Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee outlining the problem and suggesting interim measures to plug the decline. This letter has reportedly been leaked to the media by the MoD. Strangely, it is the one that has ordered the enquiry.
It is not known if the letter has referred to the exceptionally mismanaged LCA project and lack of Government directive. While the ADA has arrogated to itself the triple role of funding, managing and monitoring LCA, it is time the burden of labour is rationalised. ADA could draw a lesson from Pakistan's own LCA JF 17 which was commissioned much after Tejas but will become operational next year. Clearly, Tyagi is now urging the Government for some fire brigade action to maintain both numbers and quality of aircraft. Soon after he wrote the letter to the Defence Minister, he told the media, "The 126 new fighters will take 15 years. We cannot afford to wait that long. Numbers are falling. Our only option is to get something in a hurry." He warned the Government that the Air Force will nosedive to below the red line of minimum number of combat squadrons Speaking at the USI last year, he said that the IAF would be down to 27 squadrons as early as end 2007.
It is not just the dwindling number of aircraft but also the need to upgrade the existing fleet of MiGs and Jaguars. Not just the combat aircraft require refurbishment but also the ageing transport fleet of IL 76 and AN 32. Never before has there been such a conjugation of demands for new aircraft, midlife upgrade and force multipliers. Besides 126 MRCAs (in addition to 190 Sukhois ordered and partially supplied), 200 Tejas (forget it class) and 40 of the shelf latest Sukhois (tide over Tejas) IAF requires 80 helicopters, another six mid-air refuellers and three Phalcon AWACs. As it is going to be impossible to fund all these in one go, the inductions will have to be staggered but there has to be an approved plan with sanctioned funds. Soon the IAF may not only lose its operational superiority over PAF, but also find it impossible to bridge the growing gap with the PLAAF. These are not glad tidings for air warriors on their raising day.
With the US pumping in $5 billion package of arms to Pakistan, which includes 68 new F 16 and China cementing further its strategic partnership with Pakistan, India will shortly find that the geostrategic advantage it enjoyed in the region has slipped out. The lesson is elementary. A sound economy without a firm foundation in national security is an ungainly risk.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>www.sainiksangh.com</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They are doing pretty good work. <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Capt Manmohan Kumar+Oct 4 2006, 12:13 AM-->QUOTE(Capt Manmohan Kumar @ Oct 4 2006, 12:13 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--emo&:eager--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lmaosmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='lmaosmiley.gif' /><!--endemo--> Naresh,
I did write to Gen Chauhan, VicePrez www.sainiksangh.com
He seems to agree with your facts though he is away at Simla till Oct 7; if there is any change in the stats, I shall let u know.
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<b>Capt Manmohan Kumar Ji :</b>
Many thanks your reply.
I would love to see the Excuses put up by the Indian Government for Posting an Indian Muslim Ambassador and other Indian Senior Muslim Diplomatic Offices in Saudi Arabia since the inception of India-Saudi Arabia Diplomatic Relations.
There will be no change in Statistics as the Situation will remain the same i.e.Saudi Arabia will kepp insisting on and Indian Muslim Ambassador and other Indian Muslim Senior Diplomats Posted in Saudi Arabia.
Being a Secular Government the Indian Government will oblige Saudi Arabia
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>India reviews Pakistan's military capabilities </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Report to be submitted to Prime Minister soon
<b>The strategic environment in the Indian sub-continent and the military capabilities of neighbours like Pakistan were reviewed here on Wednesday by a panel headed by Cabinet Secretary BK Chaturvedi. </b>This exhaustive assessment will form part of his report to the top political leadership, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and enable the decision-makers to form the required policies.
<b>The two-hour long meeting in the Ministry of Defence along with a detailed presentation of Pakistan's military capabilities and the Indian operational preparedness was attended by Army chief General JJ Singh, Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi, Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt, Home Secretary VK Duggal and senior bureaucrats of Defence and Home Ministries. </b>
While there was no official comment about the meeting, it's learnt that there was a possibility that bilateral talks between India and Pakistan could resume after the holy month of Ramazan. <b>The political leadership, however, wanted to keep itself updated about Pakistan's capabilities and India's operational preparedness, sources said.
Incidentally, this high level interaction will be followed by a presentation to the Prime Minister on October 16 by the military top brass during the combined commanders' conference. The briefing will cover all aspects of the situation around India and the threat perception. The PM will also be informed about the state and pace of modernisation and upgradation in the Armed Forces and their projections. </b>
<b>The Cabinet Secretary's meeting also saw the defence brass informing him about India's defence readiness and its strengths and weak points as compared to Pakistan's military strength. This included its inventory of tanks, planes, ships and other weapon platforms besides its plans for modernisation and acquisitions from countries like USA. </b>
Pakistan's order of battle (ORBAT) and India's ORBAT were also matched in the meeting with a detailed briefing on the operational positions and deployment of each other's fleet of Air Force, Navy and Army positions. The participants also reviewed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied- Kashmir (POK) with special focus on military aspects and Siachen Glacier. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--emo&:tv--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tv_feliz.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tv_feliz.gif' /><!--endemo--> another 'opinion poll' being conducted at TOI:
Ban ex-servicemen from revealing information
What do members have to say on this?
<!--QuoteBegin-Capt Manmohan Kumar+Oct 9 2006, 10:39 AM-->QUOTE(Capt Manmohan Kumar @ Oct 9 2006, 10:39 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--emo&:tv--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tv_feliz.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tv_feliz.gif' /><!--endemo--> another 'opinion poll' being conducted at TOI:
Ban ex-servicemen from revealing information
What do members have to say on this?
[right][snapback]58812[/snapback][/right]
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Captain, do you have some statistics on how many Indian ex-servicemen have migrated abroad from India?
How is the general attitude of NRI ex-servicemen, towards the security concerns of Indian security? (Beyond the obvious nostalgia)
Captain Kumar,
I am of the view that Democratic rights should be used with a measure of responsibility. In this case, the exercise of freedom of speech and expression by former members of the Armed Forces is under discussion, if I have correctly understood. The survey may have been prompted by the recent sensational interview by a former high ranking officer about the Kargil affair.
If that is the context, it is a very complex issue and in my view, the nation has a right to know what he has said. There is nothing secret in it as it deals with a past event. If what he said is really true, then it is necessary to take corrective measures, so that in the future nothing goes wrong, or at least the same mistake does not get repeated.
<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Bodhi,
Thanx for your concern.
No, I don't have any figures but I have requested Yamir Bhatt, 1 of the members on this forum to host NRISOLDIERLEAGUE on his site: www.kartavya.net
Let us c as and when it gets going.
Though there are concerns yet it gives us edge in counterinsurgency as India can boast of biggest school in this in Mizoram where even foreign Army people are allowed to be trained.
I think, we have 1 of the best Armies which can withstand any terrain from mountains to deserts.
10-09-2006, 10:27 PM (This post was last modified: 10-09-2006, 10:29 PM by Bodhi.)
I agree with Ravish.
Although India would not be the only country to be very strictly following the sensorship of defence information revealed by ex-servicemen. Even governments in countries like USA do that both covertly and overtly.
About the information about past events, I think there should be an agreed minimum cooling period (like 15/20 years) - which should be respected by all men in uniform, retired officers, beurocrats, politicians, diplomats or others involved, before revealing the controvercial or hard facts about it 'PUBLICLY'.
But having said that, there should not be any 'ban'. People in a democratic set up have the right to know.
Captain, thanks. Was just eager to know how sizeable is immigrant ex-soldier community.
<!--emo&:argue--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/argue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='argue.gif' /><!--endemo--> Ravish,
ur guess is as good as mine as the newspaper has just thrown polls without saying the background. But I agree with you, it seems to stem from the controversy.
At the same time, what I don't agree with you is the interpretation. As per Air Chief, v lost 3 MIGs or equivalents; it would not have been bad idea to c if helicopters could have done better as desired by Army Chief.
Israel Firm Nears Indian Arms Deal <!--emo&:rocker--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rocker.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rocker.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->n another sign of improving ties between India and Israel, defense industry officials announced Saturday that the Indian Air Force and the Rafael Armament Development Authority were in advanced negotiations to sign a $239 million deal on the procurement of the Israeli-developed Spyder Air Defense Systems (ADS).
Indian Air Chief Marshal S. P. Tyagi told reporters last week that the air force planned to purchase 18 Spyder systems. Equipped with Python-5 and Derby missiles, the Spyder will provide India's air force with the capability to down enemy aircraft, helicopters, unmanned air vehicles (UAV), drones and precision-guided munitions.
"Price negotiations are over and the deal has been sent to the Cabinet Committee on Security for clearance," Tyagi was quoted as saying in the Indian Defense Web site.
The Spyder ensures protection of high-value assets as well as maneuvering combat forces. The system is an all-weather, network-centric, self-propelled, multi-launch quick-reaction ADS. Vertical launch enables 360 missile launching, within two seconds of the target being declared hostile by the system.
The system, built by Rafael and the MBT missile division of Israel Aircraft Industries' (IAI) subsidiary Elta, is also capable of simultaneously engaging a number of targets and can operate both during day and night as well as in all weather conditions.
According to the Web site, Israel and India are also on the verge of setting up a $100 million joint venture to develop advanced electronic warfare (EW) systems for their air forces' fighter aircraft. The EW systems - featuring advanced radar jamming and electronic combat systems - would be installed, the report said, in India's Tejas Light Combat Aircraft and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Israel plans to buy from the US defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
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Only one comment on it...
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->1. Indian deal
Isaac
10/08/2006 18:14
Ensure that there is a quid-pro-quo when it comes to the UN. <b>India has missed golden opportunities.</b> Time is running fast for them to get on board.
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10-10-2006, 10:19 PM (This post was last modified: 10-10-2006, 10:22 PM by ravish.)
The CBI has registered a FIR against Shri George Fernandes on corruption charges while he was Defence Minister. It is alleged that his political party took a commission on a defence deal with Israel. It is likely to have certain political fall out so let us wait and see how the issue develops.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> <b>Govt contemplating bringing in changes in AFSPA: Army Chief </b>
New Delhi, Oct 18: Government is contemplating bringing in some changes in the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to prevent its misuse, Army Chief General J J Singh said here yesterday.
He said in the review being carried out by the Centre with advice from Home and Defence Ministries, <b>the clause under which at present a Non-Commissioned Officer of Army can order opening of fire in the face of civilian disturbance was being dropped.
"Instead it is proposed that only Junior Commissioned Officers would be invested with this authority", </b>the Army Chief told newsmen while briefing them about the deliberation of the just concluded Army Commanders Conference.
He said a bill in this regard might be tabled in coming session of the Parliament. Similarly he was hopeful of a bill for the setting up of the first ever Armed Forces Tribunal might also be tabled during the session.
He said the ongoing<b> Naga talks, which resumed in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, were moving in a positive direction and denied that his forces were equipping or supporting the rival NSCN (Khaplang) faction</b>.
While saying that Ulfa militants were now veering around to negotiations, Singh made clear that Indian Army was not proposing or conducting any joint operation with Myanmar Army against ULFA and other Northeast militant cadres.
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<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
If wishes were horses
Manoj Joshi
October 18, 2006
There is a time in the life of many a business establishment â and a marriage â when the realisation dawns that things are not working. The only options are to close shop or get a divorce. Government behemoths are a tad different, but even then, we think the time has come for terminating the already estranged relationship between the countryâs armed forces and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Since the armed forces cannot, and should not, do without a defence research organisation, the option of shutting shop is not there. But divorce and remarriage is a distinctly desired option. The way to go is to dismantle the organisation as it exists now, spin off its laboratories to defence public sector units, and reconstitute its core. What should result is a lean and mean defence science set-up that will provide conceptual inputs and funds to private and public labs to service the needs of the armed forces and the country.
This may seem to be a harsh solution. But in my view, it is an absolutely necessary one. Two years short of its 50th anniversary, the DRDOâs record is not just shabby, it is a disgrace. The annual budget of the 25,000-strong outfit has risen from Rs 500 crore in 1988-9 to nearly Rs 5,000 crore today. Yet there is not a single major or minor product, barring an excellent sonar system and the INSAS rifle, that has found usage in the armed forces. In sum, the Indian armed forces have been forced to do with less, and suffered more, because of the inadequacies of the DRDO.
The jawans in Kashmir were compelled to design their own steel plated patka, or headgear, in place of the helmet, which is awkward in insurgency firefights. The paramilitary devised their own light armoured vehicles, and the DRDOâs heavy steel bulletproof vest was no less cumbersome than medieval armour. For 20 years, the armed forces have been tackling improvised explosive devices and mines. But the DRDO has only recently, after 9/11, discovered robotic systems to do the job.
A great deal of the responsibility for this rests with A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who was the head of the missile development programme from 1982 to 1992, and then the chief of the DRDO till 1999. During this period, the DRDO made it a practice to claim that it could provide services in, and make any product related to, aeronautics, armaments, electronics, combat vehicles, engineering systems, instrumentation, missiles, advanced computing and simulation, special materials, naval systems, life sciences, training and information systems. So while DRDO budgets grew exponentially, the armed forces were forced to do without products because they were either interminably delayed, or never performed anywhere near the claims made by the DRDO. The result has been that the countryâs defence system has suffered from several dangerous gaps during the last decade and a half.
The Agni missile that you see on parade on Republic Day is nothing but a mock-up model; but you wonât see that written on the placard. The DRDO claims the Agni as its great success. Yet the reality is that the tardy programme â whose only useful launchers are made by the Isro â is not yet a fully operational system. At least not good enough for the missile to have been tested on a land target â a vital requirement for a mature product.
The Arjun tank that is being displayed for the past 15 years is not a dummy. But it has come into limited service in the army riding on the back of a political fiat. For the second time in its history, the army has a tank it cannot allow, in good conscience, to be sent into battle in a real war. Its antiquated rifled barrel main gun cannot fire missiles, and is not optimal for fin-stabilised anti-tank munitions. Worse, the Arjunâs sophisticated (German origin) pneumatic suspension system is fed nitrogen gas through pipes that are, to put it delicately, not protected by its armour, and hence even small-arms fire can bring the 58-tonne monster to a grinding halt.
On Kalamâs insistence, the government would have shoved this down the armyâs throat as the Main Battle Tank (MBT). But in the early Nineties, Pakistan acquired some 300 T80UD tanks and the army put its foot down. Like the T-90S â which is now our MBT â the Pakistani tank has a very effective tandem-warhead missile that can be fired through the gun tube and can knock out an adversary tank well before it can bring its tank gun to bear.
The third case where DRDO delays cost the country dearly was in the case of the artillery location radar. After having promised to make a system based on the British Cymbelline, the DRDO failed. By the time they acknowledged it in 1998, the US, which was offering its AN TPQ/37 system, had put an embargo on India. The result was that the army had no means of locating Pakistani artillery units during the Kargil war of 1999.
The fourth case is the one under current discussion â the Trishul missile. In the late Eighties, Kalam had promised that the air defence of a new class of Brahmaputra-class ships of the Indian Navy could be provided by the Trishul, which he said would be able to down aircraft, as well as in-coming anti-ship missiles. The naïve navy, which had had a major success in a DRDO-designed sonar, accepted this. But when the frigates started coming up, there were no signs of the Trishul. For two years, anti-aircraft protection was given to these expensive ships through hand-held missiles that infantry-men or guerrillas use. Things would not have changed but for the Kargil war when the navy was compelled to point out the needless risk it was taking of sending a fleet to battle-stations without adequate protection against Pakistanâs very potent French- and American-supplied anti-ship missiles.
Even today, the countryâs air defence system is severely hampered by the DRDOâs failure to produce the Trishul and Akash surface-to-air missiles. All vital areas across the country, as well as combat formations and the naval fleet, are protected by a multi-layered air defence system. The first layer is fighter aircraft of the IAF, which seek to either destroy enemy air bases or shoot down their aircraft when they enter our air-space. If these aircraft get through, they hit the second layer, which has Surface-to-Air Missiles (Sams) with ranges from 2-30 km. Since the Seventies, Soviet-origin missiles â with specific variants for the army, navy and air force â did this job. The Trishul and Akash were designed to replace these systems beginning from the mid-Nineties. It is now 2006 and the missiles are not there, which means 50 of our cities and industrial zones are more vulnerable than they should be to air attack, as are our armed forces.
In 1996, the government had grandly announced that Kalam would chair a âSelf Reliance Implementation Councilâ that would take the level of indigenous equipment in the armed forces from 30 per cent to 70 per cent by 2007. By that time, just months away, the target is far from being achieved, even though Kalam will have finished a term in office as President of the Republic.
The time has come to make painful choices. The continuance of the DRDO in its present form will not only not reduce Indiaâs painful dependence on foreign weapons systems, but will also leave critical gaps in the countryâs ability to defend itself. The culture of bureaucracy is so deep in the DRDO that mere restructuring or overhaul will not yield any result. The time has come for surgery, and a drastic one at that.
While designing equipment for the armed forces, DRDO is asked to incorporate the maximum number of features. The project becomes very complicated and expensive and is seldom put to use. There is no point in going to the micro details as many of the failed projects have received adequate publicity in the media. The result has been that we had to import replacement of older equipment at huge cost. Sometime a few units have been equipped with the products produced indigenously following the DRDO design. However, in most cases these have been used more for ceremonial purposes. It is time for policymakers to think of ordering DRDO to produce items with pre determined parameters. No additions should be added on subsequently. This would cut down both the cost of the project and the time frame for the actual product to reach the end user.
In the present day situation it is accepted that it is not economical to produce each and every item of requirement, whether it is for defense or for civilian use. Therefore, we will have to depend on imports from different countries to meet the needs of the armed forces. At present, the procedure is such that it takes years to take a decision despite the availability of a galaxy of experts. The delay in the deal gives scope for cost escalation, manipulation and ultimately charges of corruption. If the path is shortened, in most cases all these can be eliminated to a great extent.
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Verma charge-sheeted in War Room Leak case
Verma abetted the commission of offence
Further investigation against involved defence officials to continue
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday filed a charge sheet against Abhishek Verma, son of a former Congress MP, in the Naval War Room Leak case.
The charge sheet was filed in the court of Seea Maini, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, CBI sources said. The agency charged Abhishek Verma with indulging in a criminal conspiracy to spy and under various sections of the Official Secrets Act. He was arrested on July 21 and is currently in judicial custody. He was charged under Section 120-B for criminal conspiracy, Sections 3 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.
The accused was a group director of the Atlas Group of Companies and was also managing its affairs in India. Of this group, Atlas Defence and Atlas Telecom were into defence procurement areas and were in communication with the Ministry of Defence for supply of various equipment and system.
Atlas Interactive Private Limited, India, was also into the ``TV on Internet project'' with the BSNL, which failed. The income of this company, as shown in the balance sheet, was minimal whereas the expenditure was at least 10 times more.
The source of finance for such expenditure was only foreign remittances received. These remittances also seem to be the only source for the company's share capital.
Controlled bank accounts
The accused person charge-sheeted on Thursday also controlled all bank accounts of the group in India. This group had an intense interface with foreigners till the detection of the Naval War Room Leak, the charge sheet said.
The gist of the charges against Mr. Verma were that he conspired and obtained documents and information, calculated to be or intended to be, directly or indirectly, affecting the sovereignty and integrity of India.
He had also abetted the commission of offence under the OSA by his co-accused.
One of the earlier charge-sheeted accused was Vice-President of Atlas Defence Systems, Kulbhushan Parashar, instrumental in purchase of at least eight pen drives which were given to compromised defence officials to collect sensitive information.
Another charge-sheeted accused Ravi Shankaran was also closely associated with the Atlas Group.
The Naval War Room Leak case was registered on March 20 this year.
The modus operandi of obtaining classified defence-related documents was by cultivating defence officials through lavish parties and giving illegal gratification of different kinds.
Further investigation against the involved defence officials and other accused would continue, the agency said.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Army jawan held on charges of espionage </b>
Pioneer.com
Staff Reporter | New Delhi
An Army jawan, an ISI agent posted in Pakistan High Commission in Delhi and Army Group Insurance (AGI) Directorate personnel were arrested by Special Cell in last two days from the Capital for espionage. All of them reportedly had sensitive defence related documents with them.
Police, on his arrival from Jammu and Kashmir by a Jet Airways flight on Friday arrested Ritesh Kumar, a signalman posted in Leh. A <b>pen drive </b>containing information about troop deployments in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir and certain classified documents were seized from the 24-year-old soldier. "We had specific information that he was to pass over the documents to an ISI agent in Kathmandu," said Alok Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell.
Ritesh revealed he was working for the ISI since December 2005 and had handed over some documents to the agency earlier. Ritesh, a resident of Bihar, joined the Army three years ago and has been posted in Leh since then. He was booked under the Official Secrets Act and remanded to police custody for five days by a local court. <b>Ritesh is being interrogated to find out more about his links and the reach of the spying network in the country and abroad. He had received two payments from his contacts, </b>said the officer.
<b>In second incident, Anil Kumar Dubey, a havaldar with the Army Group Insurance Directorate, and Mohammad Farooq, a driver in Pakistan High Commission were arrested on Friday near Mahipal Pur chowk</b>. Anil was allegedly passing secret defence information and documents to Farooq. According to the police, Anil was exchanging information about Indian Army from last few months in lieu of money. Police added that they had no information so far about any links between Ritesh and Dubey.
The Pakistani driver, Mohammad Farooq, was detained and interrogated before being handed over to the High Commission after completing legal formalities. "He has been left because of his diplomatic immunity but it does not mean that he is not an accused. His proper medical check up and other formalities were completed before he was handed over to the High Commission. They have also assured us of cooperation in the investigations," said a senior police officer. Delhi Police earlier this year, had unearthed a network allegedly involved in leaking sensitive information from the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) to a US diplomat. Police have arrested a former RAW official and a systems analyst at the NSCS among others on charges of spying.
Meanwhile, army has also launched a separate investigation to find out if the arrested Armyman on the charge of spying has bigger ramification for the force. "We have launched our own investigations whether the two non-commissioned officers nabbed over the last two days were working on their own or they were a part of a bigger network," said a high-level Army source
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Why I am thinking this is a ploy just to catch Paki Embassy staff?
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Bodhi,