NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday registered a case against three senior Army officials and a U.S.-based casket vendor in connection with the alleged bungling in the purchase of caskets and body bags for the Army during the Kargil conflict.

The case was registered against Major-General (retd.) Arun Roye, the then Military Attache in the Indian embassy in the U.S., Director Colonel S. K. Malik and Joint-Director Colonel Fateh Bahadur Singh, and Buitron and Baiza, the U.S.-based firm, a CBI spokesperson said here.

The CBI booked these officials based on the prima facie disclosure of commission of cognizable offences punishable under Sections 120 (B) (Criminal Conspiracy) 420 (Cheating) under the IPC and under 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act.

Exorbitant rate

The Defence Ministry had imported aluminium caskets and body bags from a U.S.-based funeral service company that the Army would require to transport the mortal remains of soldiers from battlegrounds. The suspected officials entered into a contract during 1999-2000 with the said company to import 500 aluminium caskets and 3000 body bags at an exorbitant rate of $ 2,500 (approximately Rs.1.20 lakh) a casket and $ 85 body bag, flouting established procedures of defence procurement. The contract amounted to $ 15, 05,000.

It was found that the U.S. firm was not a manufacturer, the first lot of 150 caskets supplied was heavier than required by the contract, and were fabricated by welding prone to develop leakages.

Rendered useless

The caskets were rendered useless, causing a loss of $ 1,87,000 (approximately Rs. 89.76 lakh) to the Government. It has also been alleged that similar caskets and body bags were supplied to the U.N. mission in Somalia and to the U.S. Army at $ 172 and $ 27 respectively.

Further, the suspected officers procured the stores, though of a general nature, from a single vendor without paying heed to the cost break-up. While the quantity of stores was increased after the Kargil conflict, the arrival of the first lot was scheduled to a much later date as per agreement entered into by the suspected officials and the U.S. vendor. The suspected officials also tried to modify the specifications to get the supply of sub-standard stores approved and also tried to make the Army utilise the defective caskets.

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