Secret India Documents Reported Sold to Soviets

A senior Defense Ministry official was reportedly charged Monday with passing secrets to foreigners, and a government source said new evidence suggests that information from Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s office was sold to the Soviet Union as well as to other nations.

A Commerce Ministry employee and an unidentified deputy secretary in the Defense Ministry’s defense production department were detained Monday, bringing to at least 16 the total of reported arrests in the spy scandal, sources said. The case has been described as India’s biggest espionage scandal since independence was granted in 1947.

The United News of India quoted unidentified intelligence sources as saying that more than 20 additional arrests will be made in the next few days.

A government source said India’s intelligence service is investigating the leak of national secrets to foreign powers including the United States, France and the Soviet Union that he said “had severely compromised the country’s security and well-being.”

A government statement said “highly sensitive documents” were recovered in raids on homes of the arrested suspects, who include employees of the prime minister’s secretariat, the president’s office and defense and finance ministries.

The statement did not identify those arrested or give other details.

Speaking before Parliament, Home Affairs Minister S.B. Chavan said, “Considering the wide-ranging nature of the espionage activity that has been brought to light by our intelligence agency, no effort will be spared by the government to bring to book all those even remotely involved in such activity.”

Among the classified information reportedly leaked to the press was a proposal to develop laser technology and India’s defense plans in case of an attack by Pakistan. Other subjects covered in the documents reportedly included India’s capability to respond to a nuclear strike with atomic weapons and details of Indian aid to Tamil separatists battling for an independent homeland in Sri Lanka.

The government source, who spoke on condition that he not be identified, said: “It was initially thought that the confidential documents were all leaked to Western spy agencies. We now have sufficient evidence to suggest that some of the information was also sold to the Soviet Union.”

The official said Western intelligence agencies bought military secrets, including details of India’s recent multibillion-dollar arms deals and negotiations with Moscow, while “the Soviets appear to have been more interested in knowing the inner policies of the new government.”

Soviet Ambassador Vasily N. Rykov referred all comment on the matter to his personal secretary, embassy Third Secretary Valery V. Fomin. Fomin, however, could not be reached by telephone.