The TSD Documents: why were they destroyed days before Gen. V.K. Singh's retirement?

The Hindu reproduces, in the public interest, the key documents that capture the hurried destruction of files regarding a military intelligence unit.

September 21, 2015 07:32 pm | Updated September 23, 2017 12:50 pm IST - New Delhi

General (retd.) V. K. Singh had created a military intelligence unit just days before retiring as Chief of the Army Staff in 2012.

General (retd.) V. K. Singh had created a military intelligence unit just days before retiring as Chief of the Army Staff in 2012.

The Hindu on Monday reported that when General (retd.) V. K. Singh, who is now Union Minister of State for External Affairs, was just days away from retiring as Chief of the Army Staff in 2012, > the Army destroyed dozens of documents regarding a military intelligence unit that he had created and whose activities and funding had attracted widespread scrutiny.

The Hindu reproduces here, in the public interest, the key documents that capture the hurried destruction of files recovered from the CD, which was apparently handed over to Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials by Sham Das D., the havildar-clerk of the controversial Technical Services Division (TSD). According to the DRI, Das was trying to sell the CD.

In May 2015, Sham Das was sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment by a general court-martial of the Army in Delhi. He is now in the Tihar Jail Delhi.

Ten of the relevant documents are hyperlinked here:

Document 1
>

Official statement on the convening of a board to destroy documents, and the list of files destroyed, that include specific files relating to the TSD.

Document 2
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Official statement on the convening of a board to destroy documents, and the list of files destroyed, that include specific files relating to the TSD.

Document 3
>

Official statement on the convening of a board to destroy documents, and the list of files destroyed, that include specific files relating to the TSD.

Document 4
>

Official statement on the convening of a board to destroy documents, and the list of files destroyed, that include specific files relating to the TSD.

Document 5
>

Official statement on the convening of a board to destroy documents, and the list of files destroyed, that include specific files relating to the TSD.

Document 6
>

Official statement on the convening of a board to destroy documents, and the list of files destroyed, that include specific files relating to the TSD.

Document 7
>

Official statement on the convening of a board to destroy documents, and the list of files destroyed, that include specific files relating to the TSD.

Document 8
>

Official statement on the convening of a board to destroy documents, and the list of files destroyed, that include specific files relating to the TSD.

Document 9
>

Record showing that an official computer at the Army’s Thiruvananthapuram office was reformatted to destroy TSD documents stored on it.

Document 10
>

Destruction certificate issued by Colonel Anoop Kumar, commanding officer of Pune-based Southern Command Liaison Unit.

Under the scanner

> Army destroyed papers on V.K. Singh’s intel unit days before his retirement

Activities and funding of the Technical Services Division (TSD) — the intelligence unit set up in 2010, is under the scanner.

> Report on V.K. Singh’s ‘secret’ intelligence unit raises storm

The BJP claimed that he was being “hounded” for sharing the platform with the then-Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at a rally of ex-servicemen.

> The charges against me are motivated, says Gen. V.K. Singh

The former Army Chief said it was “laughable and most absurd” that he was trying to topple the Jammu and Kashmir government.

> Gen. V.K. Singh admits ‘pro-India NGOs’ were funded

The secret intelligence unit had paid Rs.1.19 crore to J&K Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir and several others to carry out "welfare programmes.

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