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Navy to probe information leakage

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Navy on Monday said it would probe the handling of information stored in its computers and submit a report within 10 days, while Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said news reports suggesting a major leak of confidential documents were "bunkum."

"There has been a leakage and we are investigating," he said during a brief interaction with the media.

Procedural lapses

The Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff Sureesh Mehta told newspersons that but for procedural lapses, no secret or operational plan of movement of warships or submarines had been leaked in an unauthorised download of sensitive matter in the Navy's war room in the South Block.

Vice Admiral Mehta also said there was no reason to believe that unauthorised persons outside the Naval Headquarters may have sought the downloaded information.

"All briefings in the Naval Headquarters are carried out in a briefing room traditionally designated as the war room, which has a number of computers and projection systems. No operational plans are stored on computers," he added.

In a statement, the Navy said authorities were working in close cooperation with security agencies to ascertain the motives for downloading the information and whether it had been made available to commercial interests. The statement said a four-member inquiry board headed by a Rear Admiral had been formed to investigate the case.

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