Unusual to let pvt agency do scanning of FM office: experts

As a row rages over the alleged bugging of the offices of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his aides, experts have questioned the use of private agencies by the CBDT for electronic sweep of the sensitive government premises.

They feel that government agencies, more particularly the Intelligence Bureau, should have been deployed for investigating the complaint of bugging.

However, they would not enter into a debate on whether the alleged bugging was a result of internecine fighting within the government.

Two former IB chiefs said that IB was the only authorised organisation to handle such security related issues of the central government.

"It is very unsusual and it is very much in contravention of accepted security rules. Only IB is authorised. IB is the declared security organisation to look after security of the Government of India or its department. Except IB there is no other organisation is entrusted to do such scanning," former IB chief Ajit Doval said.

Asked about what he makes out of the entire episode, Doval refused to comment but added that from security point of view there was nothing.

Senior security expert and former IB chief Arun Bhagat also said that the move to bring in a private agency to scan the sensitive office of Finance Minister and other offices of the Ministry was "unusual" and "out of ordinary".

"Now a days, a lot of emphasis is given to privatisation but allowing a private agency to sweep through such high-level offices is unusual and out of ordinary as responsibility of such a scanning lies with the Intelligence Bureau," he said.