Amidst reports of terrorist threats to the country's coastal assets and offshore oil facilities, investigators have found that details of a key plan for coastal security were among the documents leaked from the navy's war room.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation's chargesheet against Delhi-based businessman Abishek Verma submitted to court, a list of documents leaked from war room or Directorate of Naval Operations includes details about the requirements for 'Operation Swan,' the secret plan for coastal security.
Figuring at serial number 424 in the bulky chargesheet is a file that consisted of a note on the user requirements for high speed boats for Operation Swan. This was found by the CBI while analysing the pen drive recovered from sacked naval commander Vijender Rana.
"It is a confidential document related to national security," the CBI said in the tabulated chart accompanying the 38-page chargesheet. The file 'Swan Amended 04 May 05.doc' was created on May 16, 2005 at 1748 hours and was last accessed on the same day, the chargesheet said.
Abishek, the son of Congress leaders Shrikant and Veena Verma, has denied any involvement in the war room leak. The CBI's allegation has raised questions about the Centre's preparedness on coastal security issues, a matter referred to by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil during his speech at a recent meeting of the country's top police brass.
Operation Swan was approved by the government last year to strengthen security off the coasts of Maharashtra and Gujarat in view of their vulnerability to threats. The scheme is to be implemented from 2005-06 over a period of six years.
Under the scheme, three Coast Guard stations at Dhanu and Murud Janjira in Maharashtra and Veraval in Gujarat are to be set up. A total of 15 interceptor boats will also be purchased at a coast of Rs 342.56 crore.
Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra will have the maximum number of 12 coastal police stations each, followed by Gujarat (10), Kerala (eight), Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal (six each), Karnataka and Orissa (five each), Lakshadweep (four), Goa (three) and Puducherry and Daman and Diu (one each).
However, after the reports of fresh terrorist threats, the government was to re-examine the strategy for coastal security. Officials in the home ministry were not willing to comment on the issue.
In a sensational peep into intelligence on terror threats to India's critical infrastructure, Home Minister Shivraj Patil had disclosed that coastal areas had come under increased threat from terror groups, including the Lashker-e-Tayiba, which had 'reportedly decided to use the sea route to infiltrate the country.'
"There are plans to occupy some uninhabited islands and use them as bases for launching operations on the Indian coast," he said during the meeting of state police chiefs. Patil also said that there were reports to indicate that some multi-purpose projects and shipyards were targets of terrorists groups.
