In the wake of several video complaints being shot by members of various armed forces going viral on social media, the army called for strict guidelines for monitoring the usage of phones by army personnel.
A recent, surprise check at the Army Head Quarters revealed over 80 officers of the Indian Army to be in possession of unauthorised smartphones, as reported by News18.
Officers of various ranks, including Brigadiers and Colonels, had their phones confiscated in the check ordered by General Bipin Rawat.
The surprise checks were conducted at the Army Headquarters in South Block, Kashmir House, L & M Block, Sena Bhawan and RK Puram. Flying squad teams had also been deployed for this inspection aimed at checking the leak of information of the military and use of smartphones.
The concerned officers have been warned and sources cite that the operation confirms the profiling of officers for the check.
Under the Army HQ guidelines, only officers with the ranks of Major General and above are authorised to possess and use smartphones within the premises of Army HQ and affiliated institutions.
The junior officers “wilfully ignore” and flout the guidelines by carrying smartphones and laptops to their offices. This lax attitude has lead to confidential information getting compromised, according to sources.
After a jawan complained against the Sahayak system in the army, General Rawat responded to the controversy calling social media a two sided weapon.
(Source: News18)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)