Army to wind up unit set up by ex-Army Chief Gen V K Singh

 Three months after Gen V K Singh's retirement, the Army has decided to wind up a controversial unit set up by him against the backdrop of snooping allegations and is set to move out a top officer considered close to the former Army Chief from here.

The process to disband the Technical Security Division (TSD) raised by Gen Singh under the Military Intelligence wing has been initiated as it was believed to be behind the alleged tapping of phones of senior Defence Ministry officials, sources said today.

The Army Headquarters has set up a committee under senior officers to complete the process, they said.

The existence of the TSD headed by Col Hunny Bakshi had come to light in March this year when it was alleged that the unit had tapped the phones of Defence Ministry officials at the height of the date of birth controversy involving Gen Singh.

The unit was reporting directly to the then Army Chief and it was alleged that it may have snooped into the conversations of people even outside the Defence Ministry using its off-the-air interceptor equipment.

The Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen A K Chaudhary, considered close to Gen Singh, has also been 'sort of downgraded' and is being transferred to the Bengal Area-- a static formation, sources said.

Chaudhary was also believed to be the former army chief's favourite for being appointed as the Director General of Assam Rifles after he had recalled the then chief of the paramilitary force Lt Gen Rameshwar Roy.

Meanwhile, the two new faces coming to the Army Headquarters are seen close to Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh and have served under him in his previous appointments.

Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia, who is at present the Director General (Infantry), would be the new DGMO in Chaudhary's place. He was the 33 Corps Commander when the present Chief was the Eastern Army Commander in Kolkata.

Lt Gen J S Bajwa, who had earlier served as the Chief of Staff at the Eastern Command under Gen Bikram Singh, will be the new DG (Infantry).