By IANS
New Delhi : The Indian Army is to join a UN probe on alleged gold smuggling by its peacekeepers in the Congo – after an internal probe had cleared the soldiers.
Lt. Gen. Rajinder Singh, the director general (Infantry) at Army Headquarters here, has been asked to join the probe into the allegation being conducted by the UN peacekeeping office, official sources said Thursday.
Singh is expected to arrive at the UN headquarters toward the end of the month.
“We had conducted the probe and found no wrongdoing but it is possible we missed something. Since the UN is now conducting the probe, we also want to be a part of it as it is the reputation of the Indian Army that is involved,” the sources said.
Rights bodies had alleged that UN peacekeepers deployed in Congo’s North Kivu province near the Rwandan border were trafficking in gold.
Interestingly, when the episode first came to light in July, the Indian peacekeepers were not directly named. The UN mission in Congo then launched an enquiry, as did the Indian Army. Even now, there is no direct allegation that Indian troops are involved.`