RAW
pulled up for spy case; CBI claims
RAW not cooperating
NEW
DELHI, Mar 6: Research and Analysis Wing (RAW),
country’s external intelligence gathering
wing, has come in for a sharp criticism for
allegedly mishandling the espionage case
involving Rabindra Singh, a joint secretary level
officer, who fled to the United States.
At a recent high
level review meeting convened by the government,
the CBI said that Interpol had refused to issue a
Red Corner warrant against Singh on the ground
that the charges appeared to be political in
nature, official sources said.
Despite several
reminders to the RAW for providing some more
details including that of Singh’s property,
there was no communication whatsoever from the
RAW about the same, the meeting was told.
"We have sent
in several reminders to the RAW but not a single
paper has come. Not even an
acknowledgement," a senior CBI official
said, adding it seems RAW’s probe was more
of an eyewash.
At the meeting,
RAW officials tried to blame the CBI for not
securing the Red Corner Notice against Singh, who
fled to the US in May 2004, despite surveillance
while the CBI spoke of Interpol’s decision
and also its subsequent correspondence with RAW
officials seeking more details.
Invoking special
provisions, the RAW was authorised by the
Government to conduct a probe and prosecute the
guilty in the case.
After obtaining a
non-bailable arrest warrant in February, Singh
fled to the US in 2004. RAW had approached the
CBI to make a case against the official with
Interpol and to secure a Red Corner notice.
Based on the
non-bailable warrant, Interpol headquarters at
Lyons in France had raised several questions
including why the arrest warrant was issued
nearly two-and-half years after he had fled the
country despite facing serious charges like
spying.
They also sought
information on the sensitive department handled
by Singh and the national secrets allegedly
leaked by him, sources said, adding, however, RAW
had refused to provide any clarifications. Singh
is believed to be living at Jackson Heights in
New York.
According to
sources, fresh investigations from the RAW
officials were required as to whether he has
procured assets disproportionate to his known
sources of income.
The complaint said
a case had been registered under the Officials
Secrets Act against Singh, who fled the country
on May 14, 2004. It is suspected that Singh
compromised national security by spying for a
western intelligence agency.
Though officially
the RAW has not mentioned the name of this
agency, sources said Singh was working as a mole
for the CIA and fled through Nepal on a passport
in a fake name.
Singh was placed
under surveillance when he was allegedly found
photocopying documents unrelated to his work. A
secret report said Singh, whose wife and other
family members lived in the US, had bank accounts
in Singapore, Brunei and the US.
His disappearance
became a major embarrassment for the Government
and the RAW, who failed to explain how he managed
to get out of the country and why there was a
delay in taking action against him. (PTI)
Left
seeks meeting with UPA on nuclear deal
NEW
DELHI, Mar 6: Temperatures rose on the issue of
Indo-US nuclear deal with the CPI(M) demanding an
immediate meeting of the UPA-Left Committee and
issuing an ominous warning that the future of the
Government depends on the decision it will take
on Washington’s "pressure" to
conclude the agreement.
As the Government
raised the pitch on the deal in the face of
Washington’s insistence on a May deadline,
CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat has shot
off a letter to External Affairs Minister Pranab
Mukherjee, Government’s key interlocutor
with the allies on the deal, asking for convening
of the meeting by March 15.
CPI leader D Raja,
a member of the Committee, met Karat this morning
and discussed the strategy on getting from the
Government its position on whether it wants to go
ahead with the deal despite Left’s
opposition to it.
Karat’s
letter comes against the backdrop of reports that
the text of the draft India-specific Safeguards
Agreement with the IAEA is more or less ready and
the Left parties would like to have a discussion
on that.
Significantly, the
CPI(M) mouthpiece ‘People’s
Democracy’ today carried an article by its
‘political commentator’ which said the
Left parties would take "all necessary
steps" to stop the Government from going
ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Maintaining that
it was for the Congress leadership to decide
whether it wanted to be seen as
"kowtowing" to American pressure or
heeding to the majority voice in Parliament, the
article said the future of the UPA Government
depended on the decision they would take on the
deal.
"It is for
the Congress leadership to decide whether it
wants to be seen as kowtowing to the pressure of
the Bush administration or acting democratically
and heeding to the voice of Parliament and the
people," the article said.
"The decision
has to be a quick and clear one. The future of
this Government depends on the decision they will
take," it said.
"If the
Government thinks that after arriving at an
agreed text with the IAEA on a safeguards
agreement, they can proceed to take the next
steps for operationalising the agreement, they
are mistaken."
The article
described as "unfortunate" the
statements by the Prime Minister and the External
Affairs Minister in Parliament which
"continue to harp on Government’s
efforts to go ahead with the nuclear deal".
The Left parties,
it said, had clearly stated that the Government
cannot proceed with the finalisation of the IAEA
safeguards agreement and go to the Nuclear
Suppliers Group "given the basic objection
to the Hyde Act and the 123 agreement."
A senior Left
leader said that "the Americans have set a
deadline for the Government. The Left parties
will also have to set a deadline for the
Government. The next meeting of the UPA-Left
Committee will be crucial."
Karat’s
missive assumes significance in the context of
the American deadline of May for the 123
agreement to be sent to the US Congress.
It is necessary
for the Government to complete the IAEA agreement
by March end so that they can proceed to the
Nuclear Suppliers Group for getting a waiver to
do nuclear commerce with other countries.
Meanwhile, CPI
leader D Raja, who met Karat this morning, said
the Government should make it clear to the Left
whether it was keen on going ahead with the
implementation of the deal brushing aside their
opposition.
In that case, the
Left parties would also decide their future
course of action, he added.
The Left-UPA
Committee on the deal has not met since November
when it gave the go ahead for negotiations with
the IAEA on finalising a draft safeguards
agreement on the condition that it would not be
initialled or signed.
It was agreed that
the draft would be brought back to the Committee
for discussion and approval. (PTI)
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