In arguably a major security breach, four men in a speedboat landed at the jetty of public sector defence manufacturer, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) on Thursday.
They photographed two under-construction combat vessels. Officials, however, claimed it was part of an ongoing drill.
Sources at GRSE confirmed the incident at the defence major’s Rajabagan dockyard on the banks of Hooghly in Kolkata on Thursday afternoon. The two latest fast attack craft, designed by GRSE and commissioned by the Indian Navy, are scheduled for hand-over on July 20.
“Two of the men disembarked at the jetty and took photographs of the vessels from up close. When some workers at the yard confronted them, the two men reproached them and continued to take photographs from all sides. When more staff gathered and caused a commotion, the men jumped into the speedboat and left before guards could arrive,” a source said.
A high security installation, GRSE recently had 397 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed as sentries. While GRSE issued no official statement, an official admitted that CISF personnel, deployed in mid-June after a spy ring was cracked in November, have been asked to intensify vigil at both the dockyard and the adjoining GRSE campus. “The breach took place around 1 pm, when most workers were off for lunch,” a source said.
Wing Commander S S Bidri, defence ministry spokesperson in Kolkata said, “It was part of a pre-planned drill.”
Officials said, the breach was a simulation for a two-day drill on coastal security in Bengal, undertaken by the Coast Guard, along with the Navy, CISF, marine police, Port authorities and state forest department.
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