Amidst media investigations alleging that peacekeepers from Indian Army were embroiled in gold and ivory smuggling and giving arms to militias in Congo, Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday said, "Anyone found guilty will not be spared".
The allegations, Antony said, were being probed by United Nations investigators.
His remarks came in the wake of the British Broadcasting Corporation last night alleging that peacekeepers from India and Pakistan smuggled gold, ivory and gave arms to militias fighting in eastern Congo.
The BBC alleged that the UN had covered up claims that it's troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo had indulged in these activities, claiming it had new eye-witness accounts to refute UN claims that no weapon transfers had taken place.
"We are awaiting the UN report on these charges," Antony said.
The BBC report came against the backdrop of India having it's biggest-ever peacekeeping contingent in the troubled African country. India has more than 5,000 troops deployed out of 17,000 peacekeepers in Congo along with a contingent of Air Force helicopter gunships and troop carriers.
The BBC first made similar allegations more than a year ago and the UN launched an investigation into the report that its troops were involved in gold smuggling and arms trafficking.
The report claimed that Indian peacekeepers operating around the town of Goma had direct dealings with the militia responsible for the Rwandan genocide, and now living in exile in eastern Congo.
"Indians traded gold, bought drugs from militias and flew a UN helicopter into the Virunga national park, where they exchanged ammunition for ivory," the BBC investigation claimed.
The BBC also claimed Pakistani peacekeepers in the eastern town of Mongbwalu were involved in the illegal trade in gold with FNI militia, providing them with weapons.
While saying that the previous UN probe showed that nearly all allegations were based on hearsay, Indian officials said that charges of trading in gold were a 'trivial' case.
Indian officials responding to the BBC report said the three concerned soldiers were being investigated by UN office internal oversight services. The UN oversight services office has affirmed that there is no evidence of any other allegation against Indian troops in Congo including allegation of arming the militia.
The 17,000-strong force in Congo is UN's largest peacekeeping operation, which has been hit hard by sexual abuse and corruption scandals. However, it is credited with helping to organise and police Congo's first free elections in decades in 2006.
