NEW DELHI: India, world’s so-called largest democracy, has ordered the Intelligence Bureau, its secret service, to tap the telephones of top industrialists of the country. These include Talas and Birlas, Business standard, a respected Indian business newspaper, reports that Ratan Tata’s telephone installed at Bakhtawar Building at Colaba has been tapped since February 4. Two Birla house phones at Industry House, Church gate, Bombay and at Backbay Reclamation, at Bombay, have also been tapped. Another telephone being tapped is at the American Express Bank’s international television at Naker Chamber IV, Bombay. The newspaper believes that the tapping of phones may be connected with the crisis within the ruling party as well as the current round of Assembly elections to know which group is supporting which party and leader.
The paper notes that the Director of 1.B. meets the prime minister daily to convey to him sensitive information, to suggest that possibly Narasimha Rao personally is involved in the tapping scandal.
Business standard further reveals that a general manager of MTNL asked the exchanges in question to start tapping from February 4. The general manager further notes that a deputy director of the LB. in Delhi had made a request for tapping the phones on February 3.
no paper also reveals that the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). another secret services dealing with international espionage, a few months “80, imported far interceptors to detect fax messages being resolved by parties, groups and individuals in the county.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 24, 1995
