India writes letter to France, seeks details

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 27

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has shot off a stern letter to France seeking immediate details of the data-leak case pertaining to the six Scorpene-class submarines being built in India.

Terming the availability of data in open domain as ‘alarming’, Parrikar has asked for each detail, including facets of a secret probe launched in Paris.

The Australian, a Sydney-based newspaper reported on Wednesday how 22,400 pages detailing the combat and performance capabilities of six Scorpene-class submarines produced by India in partnership with French company DCNS have been leaked. The French government holds some 62% stake in DCNS.

Publically, Parrikar, while talking to the media in India, has assuaged the fears that the data-leak is not a big worry. His letter to France seeks greater details and has the blessing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was briefed on the subject in detail and how in the ‘worst case scenario’ – meaning some of the 22,400 pages contain data that is actually the same as India-specific scorpene – there are issues of concern.

Senior government officials have been told “hope for the best and prepare for the worst”. The best-case scenario is the leaked documents are irrelevant to the India-specific Scorpene submarines. The worst-case scenario is that the data on the signatures, acoustics and weapons systems land in the hands of potential adversaries. “There are some areas of concern assuming the worst-case scenario, Parrikar had said yesterday.

The Good and the bad for India

In India, the sea trials of the submarines are still on, hence its noise emission levels, distinct signature that help enemy submarine hunters, do not form a part of the data.

Weapons data is with us, Parrikar had assured yesterday. The nature of weapons, its firing abilities, and underwater noise following the release of the weapons do not form part of the data leak. Minutes after Parrikar said this in New Delhi the reporter for the newspaper, Cameron Stewart, tweeted this evening: “India’s Defence Minister says leaked data on Scorpene submarines does not include weapons systems. Wrong. We will release weapons docs (documents) on Monday”.

The Australian does not have an edition on Sunday morning; hence, the next tranche is expected on Monday. The newspaper has clarified that portions of the documents have been redacted/blackened out to protect Indian security interests. The original documents do not have any such mask.