Lucifer

Indeed I wrote about it in 2004 B Raman RAW chief told me then B Raman himself and the Cabinet Secy and principal secretary of Rajiv also wrote how Italian security people were brought to train Indian security men See this shameful story from their mouth B Raman In an article published in 'The Statesman' on 16 May 1999, Bahukutumbi Raman (1936–2013), who was a veteran Indian intelligence officer, Additional Secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat, and the former head of the counter-terrorism division of India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, reportedly expressed concern about Rajiv Gandhi’s confidence in Italian security services. “Many intelligence officials were uncomfortable with Rajiv Gandhi's uncritical admiration for the Italian security set-up. It was difficult to convince him that the Indian security set-up had nothing much to learn from its Italian counterpart. One had an uneasy feeling that he was letting his love and affection for his Italy-born wife affect his judgement of the capabilities of Italy and his trust in them.” Raman then refers to this specific incident when he says: “Rajiv Gandhi, in his over keenness to benefit from Italy's security expertise, even got Sonia Gandhi's businessman brother-in-law associated with a training project and tried to use me, much to my discomfort, as a channel of communication with her Italian brother-in-law. Somehow I had to wriggle out of it. Won”t one face such problems in a much more intense form under Mrs Sonia Gandhi?” Six year later, this passage was reproduced by A. Surya Prakash in Organiser on 9 May 2004. BG Deshmukh BG Deshmukh the then Cabinet Secretary also recorded these humiliating happenings B G Deshmukh, From Poona to the Prime Minister’s Office: A Cabinet Secretary Looks Back, HarperCollins Publishers India, Chapter: What I Knew About Bofors, pp.219-20* *1. October 1986: Proposal to send Indian security officers to Italy* "Sometime in October 1986 one of the security officers at 7 Race Course Road said that two or three of them would be going to Italy within a couple of weeks for special training." B. Raman's memoir 'The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane (2007)' independently describes the training episode. He records that Rajiv Gandhi wanted the first group of SPG officers trained by Italian security specialists. According to Raman: Italian experts conducted training at the R&AW guest house outside Delhi. Indian trainees complained about rude treatment. Deshmukh states that the proposal had neither been examined nor approved by him. When he raised the matter with Rajiv Gandhi, the Prime Minister reportedly replied: "the Party would bear the expenses" Deshmukh objected because the security force protected the office of the Prime Minister, not Rajiv Gandhi as a private individual. He argued that the government should bear the expenses. *2. Involvement of Rajiv Gandhi’s Italian relative* "Satish Sharma said that Joshi, director of RAW could speak to a certain Italian, whom he named, and settle the details." When Deshmukh asked about the Italian intermediary, R&AW Director Joshi explained: "this person was Rajiv Gandhi’s in-law." *3. Proposed payment of approximately US$250,000* Deshmukh records that R&AW Director Joshi subsequently returned with an unusual report. "Joshi came to me after a week with a curious follow-up report." According to Deshmukh, the Italian intermediary wanted the payment delivered personally in Italy, in Italian currency, rather than collected through arrangements made by R&AW's Geneva office. "Joshi was not at all happy with this as it would entail carrying about a quarter of a million US dollars in Italian currency in a big suitcase, which was sure to invite trouble." *4. Deshmukh objection* "I told Rajiv Gandhi that the arrangement suggested was not acceptable, specially because the amount asked for was so large." Continued....