Sensitive IAF file recovered from Delhi roadside
04 Jan 2011
New Delhi: India's ministry of defence on Monday ordered a probe into the mysterious disappearance and recovery of a sensitive file related to the tender for the purchase of 126 multi-role combat jets for the Indian Air Force. The file was found on a Delhi roadside by a security guard.
The $11 billion project to acquire 126 new medium range multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) went missing from the defence headquarters and was apparently lost by two bureaucrats - one an additional secretary-rank officer and the other a director, while being taken to the Bharat Electronics Limited guest-house on Khelgaon Marg.
The file was founds by a security guard who contacted his superior, an ex-services officer, who realizing the sensitive nature of the file in turn routed it back to defence headquarters.
Ordering an inquiry into the episode, defence minister AK Antony said Monday, "We have viewed the incident seriously...the inquiry is in progress."
The file, which had been submitted to the MoD last week by the Indian Air Force, apparently dealt with the technical 'offsets' evaluation of the bids submitted by six global aerospace majors in running for the MMRCA tender.
All the six competing fighter models have been extensively evaluated by the IAF and a final decision is expected sometime in the middle of the year.