Diwali terror plot tip of iceberg, says Antony

"Ambala incident is a tip of iceberg. The present situation is very sensitive and delicate, and we have to be alert 24/7 along both the land border and coastline," Antony told reporters after inaugurating the sixth job fair for retired Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel here.

He was responding to queries if the armed forces were on an alert following the unearthing of the explosives in a car at the Ambala Cantonment railway station parking lot, which is close to an important army and air force base, ahead of Diwali festival.

To another question, Antony said the incident is "very serious" and that a probe was going on into it.

"Very soon, the reports will come and then we will take action," he said.

Following the explosives seizure, a nation wide security alert has been sounded, particularly in metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, and major cities such as Bangalore and Hyderabad.

On the alleged scam in the defence ministry's Directorate General of Resettlement (DGR), Antony said action would be initiated soon after reports of the investigation into the allegations by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) are received.

The defence ministry had last month handed over the probe into the allegations of a scam involving security agencies run by ex-servicemen, under a DGR scheme for retired personnel. to the SFIO under the corporate affairs ministry.

"As soon as we get the reports, we will take action. We will not spare anybody," he said.
Earlier, at the job fair, Antony urged the armed forces to maintain strong vigil along the borders, as the country was in a "sensitive and dangerous" neighbourhood.

He also released a pension handbook for retired men and women.