After smuggling, child abuse is Indian shame in Congo

[BATMAN]

After smuggling, child abuse is Indian shame in Congo
Manu Pubby
Posted online: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 0155 hrs IST
New Delhi, August 12

After a series of charges ranging from gold smuggling to illegal detention of local citizens to making statements in support of rebel groups, Indian peacekeepers in Congo have been accused of child abuse by an internal UN investigation.
In a report, the United Nation Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) investigation has indicted Indian peacekeepers posted in Congo for child abuse and paying minor Congolese girls in North Kivu for sex in 2007 and earlier this year.
On the day that a copy of the investigation — it was instituted by the OIOS in March this year — was received by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Army said it had also ordered an internal probe into the allegations and the inquiry is under “judicial scrutiny”.
A senior officer said the Army had received reports of “Indian peacekeepers being involved in sexual exploitation including child abuse” and the Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen M L Naidu, had ordered an internal inquiry into the matter in May.
Sources told The Indian Express that the UN report not only indicts Indian peacekeepers for indulging in a child prostitution ring near a base camp in Masisi but contains evidence of the involvement of Indian soldiers in the racket and recommends strong action against them.
The report, which also contains observations by investigators who have interviewed witnesses, is likely to be made public by the UN OIOS on Wednesday. Sources said that a copy of the report was received by the MEA on Tuesday.
Acknowledging the UN report, the Army has said that it will “corroborate or augment” its inquiry into the issue with the OIOS investigation. “It has also been learnt that the OIOS of the UN has also conducted an inquiry into the matter. We would seek the details of this inquiry to corroborate/ augment the internal inquiry being conducted by the Indian Army,” the officer said.
While Indian Blue Helmets have been charged for a series of aberrations in Congo over the past year, this is by far the most serious allegation against Indian peacekeepers anywhere in the world.
In July, a Colonel posted at the mission was brought under investigation for making statements in support of a rebel group. The UN had initiated an internal inquiry against Colonel Chand Saroha for expressing sympathy for the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) at a public function in April.
As reported by The Indian Express, a UN investigation had also found that Indian peacekeepers in Congo illegally detained, physically assaulted and “sexually propositioned” a local gold trader who had allegedly sold them counterfeit gold dust.
The three Army personnel identified as “JCO Deepak Singh Nayal , Sergeant Suresh Pandurang Bodhak and Lt Col Talum Duby” were also found guilty by an Army court of inquiry earlier this year. The Indian contingent has been charged with a series of allegations, like gun running and having connections with local militia, that have all been dismissed as a “malicious media campaign” by the Army.

Shame UN!