Defence ministry gears up to tackle espionage

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is preparing to wage a war against espionage after a rash of spying cases shook the defence establishment last year, reports Rahul Singh.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is preparing to wage a war against espionage after a rash of spying cases shook the defence establishment last year, exposing the vulnerability of the armed forces to security leaks.

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On the heels of espionage activities coming under the MoD's scanner, a DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) unit has come out with detailed recommendations on deceit detection and interrogation with regards to spies and insurgents. MoD figures show that 16 armed forces personnel have been arrested for espionage in the recent years, with five such cases coming to light in 2006.

The MoD says Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is suspected to be behind these espionage activities. The DRDO hopes its guidelines will make "the vital difference between security and breach of security and enhance the awareness of officers working in the field." Military psychologists from Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR) and experts from IIT, Kharagpur have put the guidelines together.

Based on the premise that deceit detection is still an "inexact science," the guidelines touch upon a vast array of subjects such as use of technology, preparation for interrogation, confession signals, interrogation strategies for different personality types and examining behavioural clues scientifically.