'Reports on misuse of secret funds by Gen Singh malafide'

Reports in a section of media about the misuse of a secret intelligence unit at the instance of the then Indian Army chief, Gen V.K. Singh, are "motivated and malafide," an associate of his said Saturday.

"The report is motivated and malafide driven by partisan agenda to malign Gen V. K. Singh," Maj Gen Narendra Bahadur Singh, who retired from the Quarter Master General's branch as an additional director general, told IANS.

Following reports in the media, the government had said Friday that it will take further action on an internal report on the misuse of secret service funds by Gen. V.K. Singh after "careful examination", adding it had in place measures to prevent "any such undesirable activities."

A media report Friday had referred to an army inquiry on Gen. Singh misusing secret funds to destablise the Jammu and Kashmir government.

The report referred to an inquiry by a board of officers into the functioning of the Technical Services Division (TSD) of the Corps of Military Intelligence during Gen Singh's tenure.

According to the news report, TSD secret funds had also been paid to an NGO to try and change the line of succession in the army top brass through a legal case.

Maj. Gen. Narendra Bahadur Singh said that TSD had been conceptualised by Gen Singh's predecessor, Gen. Deepak Kapoor.

He said the TSD had been set up by the army with the full approval of defence ministry and funds spent for intelligence were accounted for.