CBI no to probe corruption complaint forwarded by Army Chief

CBI today said it would not probe a corruption complaint forwarded by Army chief Gen VK Singh against a serving Lieutenant General, saying an extensive investigation by the Cabinet Secretariat has found nothing into the allegations.

CBI on Friday said it would not probe a corruption complaint forwarded by Army chief Gen VK Singh against a serving Lieutenant General, saying an extensive investigation by the Cabinet Secretariat has found nothing into the allegations.

HT Image

On Tuesday, Gen Singh had forwarded to CBI a complaint letter from Trinamool MP Ambika Banerjee of May last year which had alleged corruption in purchases for the Special Frontier Force during the tenure of Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag as its then Inspector General.

Gen Suhag now commands Dimapur-based 3 Corps and is in line--after Lt Gen Bikram Singh--to be Army Chief.

CBI sources said since the issue had already been probed by the Cabinet Secretariat last year and no wrong-doing was found, there was no need for another probe by it.

The Special Frontier Force works under the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) which is controlled by the Cabinet Secretariat.

Naming several senior Army officers, the MP had alleged kickbacks were paid in the deals relating to supply of crucial equipment for the secret force ranging from night vision devices to parachutes, the sources said.

CBI had approached the Cabinet Secretariat, which controls the RAW, seeking to know if they had conducted a probe into the allegations levelled by the MP, agency sources said.

They said the Cabinet Secretariat had informed them that an extensive probe was conducted into the allegations levelled by the MP last year but nothing was found.

Following the intimation of the Cabinet Secretariat, CBI has returned the complaint saying if any new material is brought out, it can probe but as far as this complaint is concerned there was nothing to be probed.