Ambassador who bought arms, transferred

NEW DELHI, APRIL 22: S K Mathur, India's Ambassador to Belgrade who bought guns for himself and his wife without informing the Government,...

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NEW DELHI, APRIL 22: S K Mathur, India’s Ambassador to Belgrade who bought guns for himself and his wife without informing the Government, has been transferred. Sources said he is expected to return to the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs later this month.

Yesterday, The Indian Express had reported how Mathur had violated norms and purchased three guns for himself, including a pistol and a carbine and a revolver in the name of his wife Saroj Mathur. Mathur had applied to the Serbian authorities in Belgrade who cleared his permit following which he bought the guns.

This happened almost a year ago and the Ministry, sources said, had begun an internal investigation. Following complaints from a section of the staff at the Belgrade mission, the probe got under way.

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While MEA spokesman Raminder Jassal had declined to comment on the case yesterday, today he told The Indian Express: “Ambassador Mathur has been transferred and Arun Kumar, Joint Secretary in the MEA’s Policy Planning Division, has been appointed as India’s Ambassador in Belgrade… However, I don’t know where Ambassador Mathur has been transferred to.”

Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh who has just returned from France said that he would discuss the case on Monday with senior officials and then comment.

It’s still not clear if any action is being considered against Mathur with MEA officials today saying that his transfer out of Belgrade was one of the routine transfers made by the Ministry. There was no official statement on the case today, but sources said that Mathur has been asked to explain his purchase of guns. Incidentally, several such requests in the past have been ignored by Mathur. This time, however, sources said a formal inquiry may be ordered against him based on the documents the Ministry has collected.

Sources said that Mathur, a 1966 IFS officer, will have to explain why he kept the MEA in the dark when service rules clearly specify that the Government should be informed within 30 days of any such transaction.

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Sources in the MEA say this is not the first time that Mathur had landed himself in trouble. While he was serving as India’s High Commissioner to Malawi from May ’90 to May ’93, he was sent a note by the government there accusing him of “abusing” the citizens of that country.

Interestingly, South Block sources say Belgrade seems to be jinxed for the Foreign Service and this is the second case where allegations have been made against a senior Indian diplomat. In an earlier case, a Charge d’ Affaires of the Indian Mission was recalled in 1996 on some charges against him and a vigilance inquiry was instituted against him.