Thank you Vice President Hamid Ansari for your service to this nation and the kind words you've said in your farewell interview. We will certainly work towards your suggestions.
http://citizensrightsgroup.com/hami...ast-record-as-ifs-officers-deserves-scrutiny/
Hamid Ansari Vice President of India is politically coloured in his outbursts – Past record as IFS officers deserves scrutiny.
Hamid Ansari is Vice President of a sovereign and secular India. After taking oath of the Constitution to serve the country he has to throw away his bias towards any religion, caste, creed or breed. While speaking at a function of Muslims,
he openly advocated “Affirmative Action for Muslims” as the key for inclusive development. He raised many economic and political issues with regard to development of Muslim community in this function. Overall, his outbursts were a colorable exercise to raise issues related to Muslims. This action is highly unbecoming for this esteemed post to which he was elected to serve the country without bias and with dignity.
Ansari is a career diplomat and during most of his tenure he had been in Gulf or Muslim countries. He was supposed to safeguard interests of India and Indians in those countries but his track record confirms that in most of these countries he was a non-starter.
R.K.Yadav a former officer of R&AW in his book “Mission R&AW” wrote about his misdemeanor in Iran where he was Indian Ambassador during 1990-92. Fortunately, I was also serving in Indian Embassy in Iran as Attaché during his tenure.
Whatever R.K.Yadav has written in his book about Ansari is factual. In addition to these details, there were certain other incidents when RAW officers were hounded and tortured by Iranian intelligence to which Ansari was a mute spectator beyond any doubt and imagination. Some other incidents which occurred during Ansari’s period in Iran are hereinunder:
- Sandip Kapoor was kidnapped from Tehran Airport by Iranian intelligence when he returned from annual leave from India. He was drugged and tortured for three days and his whereabouts were never informed to the Indian Embassy. He was later thrown on a lonely road near Tehran Airport. Ansari never protested to the Iranian govt. on this diplomatic aberration much to the discomfiture of staff of the Embassy. Instead Ansari wrote to Indian govt. detailing possible faults of Sandip Kappor which was highly objectionable. Although RAW head in the Mission gave factual details to his hqrs. about this abduction, torture and drugging, but it was closed as a stray incident.
- In another incident, D.B.Mathur was kidnapped in the morning while he was coming for his duty in the Mission. When he was found untraceable at all possible places, the matter was brought to the notice of Ansari to take up with the Iranian govt. Amazingly, Ansari did nothing in this regard. Next day, when family members of Mathur were crying for his safety, wives of all the staff members of Embassy went to Ansari’s office and Gheraoed him for his inaction in this case. He was hurled all sorts of abuses by the ladies for his casual attitude as Ambassador. According to my sources, R.K.Yadav in the meantime met Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Delhi who spoke to Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. Indian govt. soon took this matter with Iran govt. Finally, Ansari was also made to run to the Iranian govt. by these ladies to bring back Mathur who had been kept in Tehran’s notorious prison with other criminals and was tortured. Later Mathur was made a scapegoat and asked to leave Tehran within 72 hrs. After this incident, Mission staff became very insecure due to callous attitude of Ansari. A former Indian diplomat working in foreign press at Bahrain wrote in this regard to which Ansari blamed RAW.
iii.
Mohammad Umar another employee was picked up by the Iranian intelligence and was lured to work for them. Umar was working at the residence of Ansari at that time. Somehow, Umar freed himself from the clutches of Iranians and informed Ansari of this incident. Ansari instead of raking up this matter with Iran govt. put blame on Umar and tried to implicate Mohammad Umar for his connivance with the Iranian intelligence.
- Some local Indians working in the Mission were given work permits every year by the Home Deptt. of Iran. While renewing these permits, they were asked to work as their agents. When they made complaints to Ansari in this regard, he did not take any corrective action but left them to defend themselves.
- Even Indians working in Iran for various companies were harassed by the Iranian authorities and subjected to various hardship. But Ansari did not care about them also.
After these incidents,
Ansari sent a fake report to Govt. of India suggesting to shut down the RAW unit in Indian Embassy at Iran due to their exposure with the Iranian intelligence. He cited their presence as detrimental to improving relations with Iran. He found this cue to write his suggestion because RAW Station Chief, a known womanizer, was repatriated for his illicit relation with an Iranian lady.
However, I was asked by RAW hqrs. to come on annual leave early to give correct picture of all the incidents. I gave following details of harassment of Indian staff at Tehran Embassy to the RAW hqrs.:
- Incidents of Sandip Kappor and D.B.Mathur and callous attitude of Ambassador Hamid Ansari in this regard.
- Womanizing activities of PK Venugopal, station RAW head.
iii. Harassment of T.Ashok, HOC along with his father by Iranian intelligence.
- Frisking of S.C.Sharma, Second Secretary while going for shopping in Tehran and impounding of his bag.
- Harassment of Naval Attache Capt. Seth.
- Trackers planted by Iranian Intelligence in Embassy vehicles.
vii. Son of Hamid Ansari was caught in inappropriate condition with ladies on 2 different occasions by the Iranian intelligence whom he personally got released.
viii. Incident of harassment of Mohammad Umar.
Among these incidents, two were only related to RAW and rest were concerned with other staff members of the Embassy.
It is pertinent to mention that prior to Ansari no such incidents of harassment of Indian Embassy officials and Diplomats had taken place in Iran Even after Ansari’s departure from Tehran, no harassment of Indian Diplomat/Staff took place in Tehran.
U.A.Usmani, First Secretary (Protocol) who was working for 10 years in this position used to regularly recommend Student Visas to number of Iranian students for study in Indian Universities. These recommendations were scrutinized by Counselor Section which was under RAW officials.
There were reports that Usmani was taking bribe to recommend these Visas. When this was brought to Ansari’s notice he instead of taking action against Usmani rebuked RAW head in this regard. Subsequently, RAW got these recommendations verified from the concerned Universities and detected that
Usmani was using fake letters to get these Visas by taking bribe from Iranian students. Despite these concrete reports, Ansari did not take action against Usmani. What was it? A religion bias.
It was known that
Hamid Ansari with the connivance of his friend Rattan Sehgal, the then JS(Pers) in MEA started campaign against RAW officers in Gulf countries citing many untoward incidents with the result many competent officers were transferred without assigning any reasons. It would be pertinent to mention here that
Rattan Sehgal was asked to take retirement when he was found in company of a lady CIA official. Earlier, Rattan Sehgal who was in IB was asked by the then IB Chief, M.K. Narayanan to use his doon connections with PM Rajiv Gandhi to take the post of JS(Pers) in MEA which hitherto was with RAW. This campaign started prior to 1993 Mumbai blasts. When Mumbai bomb blast incident took place, RAW stations in Gulf were in shambles with the result such human loss took place in Mumbai. This short-sightedness and bureaucratic rivalry made this nation to pay heavy price due to such mean thinking officers.
While in Tehran,
Ansari got involved with some influential families of Iran with the result his son got married in one of these families. It was highly unethical and inappropriate when he was holding such high position in that country. Had son of some RAW officers done so, there would have been a lot of hue and cry but in case of Ansari’s son, the matter was put under carpet.
There were also reports that while
Ansari was serving as Ambassador in Kabul and Iran, he was visiting Pakistan under the garb of fake issues. It was highly improper for an Ambassador to do so but no action was taken despite reports in this regard.
Hamid Ansari as a gentleman is highly acclaimed in the Indian political circle but his activities while serving as an IFS officers were always questionable in view of the facts narrated above. His recent bias for Affirmative Action for Muslims is nothing new but inherent quality which he cherished long back.
(Naresh Sood)
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