Operation of the Intelligence Agencies and recruitment thereto needs great precaution. Besides they need to be put under surveillance lest they become porous and susceptible to intervention by the agencies of other countries which can plant moles in our intelligence mechanism to serve their purpose. Intervention by foreign elements or shady characters in the established intelligence agencies is a matter of grave concern requiring great care and caution as slightest slackness on this count may cause great setback to the security and safety of the country’s vital installations, power plants, barrages and other centres of important economic activity, throwing the nation into crises of gigantic proportions and dangerous consequences. Irreparable loss can be caused to the country by way of leakage of sensitive classified information regarding secret defence operations and methodology and the personnel deputed on these important jobs.
EARLIER INCIDENTS
This becomes all the more important in view of several such incidents occurring in the past. In one such incident a senior officer of the rank of Joint Secretary in the Govt. of India vanished in the thin air, when suspicion arose on his getting many sensitive documents photocopied and shifted to his residence, where-after his activities came under scanner. The officer under question was reportedly later seen in the USA but for diplomatic reasons and because of long drawn out procedure laid for extradition of people from foreign countries, nothing could be done so far.
Several officers of Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) disappeared with incriminating documents in print or on their laptops and all the efforts to trace them and catch hold of them proved to be an exercise in futility. Obviously the nation stands exposed to the dangers inherent in such incidents. It is alarming that recurrence of such happenings is on the rise. The reason for recurrence of such incidents is that the process adopted for filing an First Information Report (F.I.R.) with the police is time-consuming. It takes a long time to ascertain facts of the case during which period the suspect gets scent of the charge against him and manages his escape. It is a bad, sad commentary on the lethargic procedure and red tapeism which often help the suspect to escape the clutches of law, leaving security agencies red-faced. Before laying hands on an officer allegedly transferring classified and sensitive information to an agent of a foreign country, security and law-enforcing agencies have to gather impeccable information against the person under cloud, so that the case against him may not be scuttled in a court of law. The documents to be put up before the court have to have incontrovertible evidence, largely documentary evidence which shall stand the scrutiny of the judicial process. Many times being caught red handed while transferring any sensitive document or information along with the person (s) receiving such information/document is considered desirable to make the case strong and sustainable in a court of law. Obviously planning such an operation requires sufficient time. Many a time such sensitive cases have to be dealt with at various levels, increasing the chances, of leakage of the action being taken and hence the disappearance of the suspect along with valuable information the leakage or supply of which to a foreign country causes several diplomatic problems besides rendering several holes in the security and safety shield of the nation.
DISAPPEARANCE OF DIWAN CHAND MALLICK
The disappearance of Diwan Chand Mallick in May, 2005 who had by then worked for about six long years with the RAW is one such incident of recent past. Coming on the heels of several such other incidents involving persons having access to highly incriminating documents is enormously disturbing continuance of devastating espionage activities. These call for thorough probe and learning useful lessons from the past failures. The Delhi Police are still on the run to catch this Bangladeshi person who gave false nationality to get a job in the prestigious, ace intelligence agency of India called RAW. It is amazing that a fraud was committed on the recruitment process of the Agency. It is worth recalling that recruitment process of the RAW goes through several checks. A recruit to the RAW has to undergo verification at three levels. The first is by the agency itself, secondly by the local police, and finally by the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU). For a person to conceal one’s true nationality during all these three stages is indeed baffling!
Now it is gathered that Mallick had furnished his permanent address of 24 Parganas in West Bengal and had suppressed the information about his family in the personal information questionnaire which he had filled up for verification. It is feared that he might have run away with some vital information pertaining to the internal working of RAW and useful information collected by the agency.
CASE HISTORY:
A case of cheating and forgery was registered against him at the Lodhi Road Police Station on the basis of the complaint (FIR no. 124/05) by a senior RAW official on May 20, 2005. In December, 2005 the police filed a report in which they said Mallick could not be traced. But the investigations in the case are continuing.
Mallick, aged some thirty plus had joined the RAW in 1999 but went underground no sooner the matter was reported to the police. He used to live in Mayur Vihar area of East Delhi before disappearing.
The disappearance of Mallick raises several important questions which need to be tackled in order that security of the country be not jeopardised by leakage of sensitive information. The foremost is the big question mark on the sense of duty and mindset of those entrusted with the job. The authenticity of the verification process, which is at stake is the cause of great worry as it allows ingeniune and ineligible persons passing the test and finding entry into the RAW. Perhaps each of the 3 tests could be passed by the incumbent by bribing the petty officials who did not care to take the trouble of visiting the place of stay of the person and inquiring from the neighbourhood as this simple exercise, required some physical pain of movement to the actual place. This was avoided by the civil police under whose jurisdiction the place of stay of the incumbent fell. The ugly but rampant practice of getting address or antecedents verified by the policeman remaining in office itself is so common that it has come to be regarded as a “routine” which does not raise eye-brows. Corruption, wide and all-pervading has spread like cancer in day to day working of our lives, paralysing the entire sphere of activities in life and has come to be regarded as the way of life. Any body having a conduct to the contrary does attract an expression of wonder and disbelief by other persons. Companions call sarcastically such a policeman as “avtar of Harish Chandra” or a replica of the historical “Casablanca” who lost his life, obeying the command of his father, captain of the ship, not to leave his post. They ridicule his dutifulness and make him a laughing stock as he is the odd man among the comfort-loving purchasable commodity which some policemen, have made themselves to be.
WARNING
It is still time we make ourselves worthy Indians capable of defending our freedom with all our might as it is in peril. It is an oft-repeated quote that “Each generation has to contribute towards the sustenance of the hard-earned freedom. If we do not rise to the occasion we shall roll down the slope to sure destruction!