Centre refutes NYT report alleging HAL supplied items sourced from UK company to Russia

A source in New Delhi said that the report is factually incorrect and misleading and has tried to frame issues and distort facts to suit a political narrative.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government refuted a New York Times report, which alleged Indian Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had supplied items sourced from a company based in the United Kingdom to Russia.

“The report is factually incorrect and misleading. It has tried to frame issues and distort facts to suit a political narrative,” a source in New Delhi said.

The NYT reported that H R Smith Group, one of the biggest corporate donors to the populist Reform UK party, had sold almost $2 million worth of transmitters, cockpit equipment, antennas and other sensitive technology to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, a major supplier of Rosoboronexport, the state weapons agency of Russia, which was blacklisted by the West.

“The Indian entity mentioned in the report has scrupulously followed all its international obligations on strategic trade controls and end-user commitments. India’s robust legal and regulatory framework on strategic trade continues to guide overseas commercial ventures by its companies,” the source in New Delhi said.

“We expect reputed media outlets to undertake basic due diligence while publishing such reports, which obviously was overlooked in the instant case.”

H R Smith Group donated 1,00,000 pounds [just under Rs 1 crore ($1,30,000)] to reform UK last year, two days after its leader Nigel Farage was announced as the party’s leader, according to the NYT report.