For the first time in over 200 days since senior R&AW official Rabinder Singh gave the surveillance a slip and fled the country, the matter was raised in Parliament today by a BJP member who demanded a detailed statement from the Government on the issue. P.S. Gadhavi, a BJP member in the Lok Sabha, raised the matter during Zero Hour questioning the Government over its silence on the issue. Taking the R&AW to task, he alleged that the agency’s ‘‘quiescence’’ in the matter indicates to a ‘‘fear of exposure’’. Gadhavi, citing recent reports in The Indian Express which first reported Singh’s disppearance on May 27, stated that the R&AW official had managed to ‘‘quietly flee’’ despite being under official surveillance for ‘‘passing on sensitive information to the CIA’’. Expressing surprise at the inaction by the Government so far, he said: ‘‘But the more shocking fact is that despite the serious implications of Rabinder Singh’s disappearance, there appears to be no discernible movement on the part of the Government to trace him or declare him a proclaimed offender and bring him to justice.’’ Even if these steps could not be taken, Gadhavi said the very least the Government could have done was to ‘‘assess the damage the man has done’’ to the country’s security. ‘‘This is in the country’s interest and that of the organisation he was supposedly working for. But R&AW’s quiescence in the matter indicates its own fear of exposure.’’ The BJP MP from Kutch also took note of the various assets that he has left behind and demanded a proper investigation into those properties. ‘‘It is also alleged that Rabinder Singh could have acquired or controlled not less than 15 properties over 27 years in Delhi, UP and Punjab which requires to be thoroughly investigated.’’ While calling for these investigations, Gadhavi demanded a statement from the Government on the matter in Parliament. It may be noted that The Sunday Express had on December 12 brought out the list of properties in Singh’s name in Delhi, which included a plush four-bedroom flat in Defence Colony and prime commercial space in a multi-storey building on Barakhamba Road. Analysts believe that while defection do occur in intelligence agencies, there needs to be a proper inquiry into the Rabinder case. K. Subrahmanyam, who headed the Kargil Review Committee which has also recommended changes in the present intelligence set-up, said: ‘‘There ought to be once in a while, say every five years, a commission to review the working of intelligence agencies. In India, intelligence agencies have never been supervised.’’
