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New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS): A day after searching
the residence of Maj. Gen. (Retd) V.K. Singh,
a former official of the country's external
intelligence agency Research and Analysis
Wing (RAW), the Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) Saturday raided the publishers of
his book revealing RAW's functioning.
"We are conducting raids on Manas
Publications in Daryaganj area (central
Delhi), which published Singh's book - 'India's
External Intelligence - Secrets of RAW',"
a CBI spokesman told IANS. Singh had revealed
the working of the RAW and also questioned
the leadership and accountability of the
agency in his book.
Late Friday, CBI sleuths had swooped down
on Singh's Palam Vihar residence in Gurgaon
and seized his computer, diaries and passport
after registering a case under the Official
Secrets Act for the details revealed in
his book.
Singh, a former army officer who worked
with RAW between 2000-04, was also questioned
for hours at his residence.
Sources said Singh was booked under the
Official Secrets Act, following advice by
the Cabinet Secretariat.
In his book, he had questioned the erstwhile
Vajpayee government's decision to hand over
the transcript of the telephonic conversation
between Pervez Musharraf and his chief of
staff, Lt. Gen. Mohammed Aziz, to then Pakistan
prime minister Nawaz Sharif in June 1999.
After the tapes were made public, the Pakistani
establishment got wind of the technology
being used by the Indian intelligence to
tap their internal communication and in
no time the leak was plugged, eventually
leading to information drying up, said Maj.
Gen. Singh in his book.
In his book, Singh also wrote of the communication
systems procured by the Special Protection
Group for the prime minister from an American
firm in 2001 and how the RAW leadership
failed to carry out due diligence.
Singh also questioned the lack of parliamentary
control over RAW's functioning and its financial
autonomy.
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