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Journalism of Courage
Wiser after several instances of leakage of 8216;8216;sensitive information8217;8217; during the 2002 Operation Parakram, the Defence Ministry has asked telecom majors MTNL and BSNL not to publish the names, designations and telephone numbers of the top brass and military commanders in their new telephone directory with immediate effect.
The last telephone directory was published in 1999. With the next telephone directory due this year, MTNL Executive Director A.K. Girotra says he has no problem implementing the order. 8216;8216;We have been sensitive to all security issues and the next directory will not carry the telephone numbers,8217;8217; he says.
The blue pages of both the MTNL and BSNL directories carry the official telephone numbers of senior officers and their residential numbers as well. Army officials find it ironical that while the in-house directories of the military were categorised as 8216;8216;restricted8217;8217;, the same information was being routinely published in the widely-distributed public directory.
During Operation Parakram the intelligence agencies had discovered several instances of 8216;8216;intelligence leaks8217;8217; in the Army8217;s Udhampur-based Northern Command and Chandimandir-based Western Command. South Block believes that 8216;8216;enemy8217;8217; agents posing as army officers, relatives or at times, even as journalists would call up senior officers in a bid to glean information on the deployment of key formations and units. Apparently, a few bits of 8216;8216;sensitive8217;8217; information did leak out during the 10-month long deployment on the western borders.
An inquiry revealed that the civil directories were the culprit in identifying key military commanders or officers posted at Army or Corps HQ.
South Block sources say that while the Signals Directorate at Army headquarters has passed the order in Delhi recently, other formations are expected to fall in line soon.
