India operated nest of spies in Australia, 2 expelled for bid to steal info in ’20: Report

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, April 30

In what appears to be a pincer movement to corner India on “transnational suppression”, the Australian media has said Indian intelligence operatives were part of a “nest of spies” which led to the expulsion of two of them.

Editorial: Canadian laxity

Even as the MEA hit back at a story in The Washington Post a day earlier which alleged that then RAW chief Samant Goel had sanctioned the plan to assassinate Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York, the Australian media has given extensive coverage to claims that Indian spies were identified and expelled after being caught trying to steal secrets about sensitive defence projects and airport security, as well as classified information on Australia’s trade relationships. Reacting to the US report, which made direct allegations against Goel and also suggested that NSA Ajit Doval and PM Narendra Modi’s internal circle may have been aware of the plan to assassinate Pannun on American soil, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had earlier in the day said that the report was speculative and unhelpful to an ongoing probe. Jaiswal said the report was irresponsible because of an ongoing probe by a high-level committee to examine the security concerns shared by the US government on “networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others”.

The US did not quote any official nor did the Australian media, which also alleged that RAW operatives were closely monitoring Indians living in Australia and developing close relationships with current and former politicians.

“National security and government figures have now confirmed to ABC that India’s foreign intelligence service was responsible for the ‘nest of spies’, and “a number” of Indian officials were later removed from Australia by the (Scott) Morrison government (in 2020),” said the report by the ABC media group.

However, the chief of ASIO, Mike Burgess, did not validate the claim when the media group reached out to him. Asked if he was ever involved in the expulsion of Indian personnel from Australia, he refused to comment.

The Washington Post report, to which the MEA had reacted strongly, also said RAW operatives were expelled from countries like Australia, Germany and the UK. Two days earlier, India had summoned Canadian deputy envoy Stewart Wheeler on the raising of pro-Khalistan slogans at the Khalsa Day celebrations in Toronto in the presence of Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre.

India is a member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the US, Japan and Australia, and is seen as a vital defence ally in the Indo-Pacific to counter China’s military build-up.

Classified info about trade ties

• The Australian media has given extensive coverage to claims that Indian spies were identified and expelled after being caught trying to steal secrets about sensitive defence projects and airport security, as well as classified information on Australia’s trade relationships
• The US did not quote any official nor did the Australian media, which also alleged that RAW operatives were closely monitoring Indians living in Australia and developing close relationships with current and former politicians

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