CBI quizzes publisher of former RAW officer's book

The book has alleged corruption in the organization and has been accused of violating the Official Secrets Act.

The CBI on Thursday questioned the publisher of a controversial book written by a former officer of India's external intelligence agency RAW who alleged corruption in the organization and has been accused of violating the Official Secrets Act.

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VK Garg was summoned to the agency's headquarters on Thursday morning and asked questions about his meetings with the author of book Maj Gen (retd) VK Singh, former Joint Secretary in Research and Analysis Wing, whose book "India's External Intelligence: Secrets of RAW" has sparked a controversy.

During the questioning, which lasted for nearly two hours, Garg was asked questions about the book and whether a pre-printing check was carried out to ascertain that the published material does not contain any information that was detrimental to the country's security, official sources said.

Garg informed the CBI that a pre-printing check was carried out and as a publisher he did not find anything wrong in printing the book which was aimed at exposing alleged corruption in the RAW, they said.

Later talking to PTI, Garg said it was ironic that whereas the investigations should be "carried out on the other side of the fence (RAW offices), the CBI was catching the whistle blower (Gen Singh)."

The CBI has already questioned Singh twice.

Singh has been booked under section five (wrongful communication of information) of the Official Secrets Act.

The CBI had also carried out searches at the office of Garg on September 22.