No witch hunting in Agusta probe: PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday ruled out political witch hunt in the probe into the AgustaWestland chopper deal, saying investigating agencies will do a professional job and whatever names come up, "let's see".

However, he maintained that a "sin" has been committed and those behind them have had a "big protective cover".

"The case about Agusta helicopters. I can't deny it and I believe that we have the right to doubt that people behind this are very experienced."

"They have perfectly practiced the art of doing wrong deeds. They are very experienced and knowledgeable. And one can also smell the fact that such a thing wouldn't have been done without a big protective shield. Now, agencies are probing. Let's see how far the probe goes," he told Times Now.

He was asked in an interview about a feeling that there is some kind of a political witch hunt while it could not also have been done without political patronage.

"There should be no targeting (of individuals). Nor does my government do it," he said.

"A sin has been committed. How was it done, who did it and how much was done. Probe agencies will find out in a professional way. Whatever names come out, let's see," he said.

Talking about the web of corruption in defence deals, Modi said, "There are many things which are not visible. One can't imagine the difficulty I am experiencing in taking out things from dirt. One who is working there knows the amount of dirt that exists and how certain things have been caught in a web. There are certain powers behind it."