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Chief of Army Staff General Bikram Singh has issued instructions to set up a board of officers that will be tasked with the responsibility of disbanding the clandestine military intelligence unit established by his predecessor General V.K. Singh. The so-called ‘technical support division’ was controlled directly by General V.K. Singh, who had taken on the government over his age-related issue, a battle that he eventually lost in the Supreme Court. It maybe recalled that this outfit was set up with a funding of Rs.18 crore, and was given the responsibility of tapping the phones of top political leaders and bureaucrats. It has now been ordered to shut down. General Bikram Singh has issued directions to probe the unit’s mandate, tasks executed by it and its financial records. A three-star general will head the clean-up act. “The army wants to fix responsibility before disbanding the unit. It’s surprising why a unit with no strategic relevance was reporting directly to the army chief,” a senior officer said. General V.K. Singh retired on May 31, and before superannuating, had claimed he was born in 1951, contrary to official records that showed he was a year older. Post-retirement, he has continued to speak out against the government, even sharing the stage with Anna Hazare. It was alleged the snoop unit had illegally deployed two sets of mobile phone interception equipment.

Army to disband VK Singh's intelligence unit