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Tribune Special Vijay Mohan Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 1 It has now come to light that a highly confidential report forwarded to the Defence Ministry by intelligence agencies under the Ministry of Home Affairs had accused General Summanwar of “improper” contact with foreign nationals, it is learnt. The report, signed by a very senior intelligence officer, was forwarded to the top echelon of the Defence Ministry over two months ago. It was on receipt of the report that General Summanwar was “sent” on long leave. A written query sent to the Ministry of Defence in this regard, followed by telephonic reminders, has not elicited any response. Highly placed sources reveal that according to the report, General Summanwar had met a former US Defence attache at the latter’s New Delhi residence several times without seeking prior approval from superior officers. In addition, he also failed to debrief his superior officers about his visits. The DGMI is required to appraise the Vice-Chief of Army Staff, to whom he directly reports, and in some instances the Chief of Army Staff about matters pertaining to the MI Directorate. It is now reliably learnt that the former attaché had recently quit the US Army and joined an aerospace firm said to be among the contenders for the Indian Air Force’s 126-aircraft bid. The officer had applied for a visa to visit India recently, but was abruptly refused without any reason being cited, government sources revealed. This happened about a week ago. Also in the report, sources reveal, are instances where General Summanwar had maintained contact with a US academician of Indian origin who is a member of the US Central Intelligence Agency’s National Intelligence Council. The academician is said to be an expert in South Asian affairs and matters relating to nuclear proliferation. Army sources on the other hand say that in his official capacity, the DGMI has to meet various people from different walks of life. “The business of intelligence gathering and analysis depends quite a lot of effective networking with officials and experts,” an officer said. “Officers at that level do come in contact with people, including foreign nationals on various occasions,” he added. This is perhaps for the first time that the head of an intelligence organisation has been charged with improper contact with foreign nationals. An infantry officer, General Summanwar was commissioned in 1968 and was scheduled to retire in mid-2007. He had a clean service record. Another theory doing the rounds in defence circles is that the report sent to the Defence Ministry is a result of turf wars between the military intelligence and its civilian counterparts. Some defence officers now believe that a recent Defence Ministry directive to limit contact with the US military is the fallout of this report. Over the past few years, there has been unprecedented bilateral military exchanges and joint exercises. It may be recalled that General Summanwar had been removed from his post last month. It was then maintained by the Defence Ministry that he was posted out for misusing his official position and MI resources to facilitate the production of a film by his wife.
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