NEW DELHI: In an apparent gaffe, the head of the NSG claimed that his men defused an Improvised Explosive Device recovered from DRDO Bhawan here after “no other agency” could handle the situation.
His claim soon turned out to be a damp squib as the explosives were identified to be of World War II vintage.
NSG chief R C Tayal’s comment about an IED having been recovered from the high-security DRDO Bhawan sent alarm bells ringing in the Defence Ministry. Speaking at the inauguration function of the newly constructed building of the anti-hijack unit of the NSG in the presence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Tayal created a flutter saying an NSG team recently defused the IED found at the sensitive DRDO Bhawan.
However, when crosse-checked, the daily report of the Ministry of Home Affairs had noted that three 120 mm shells of World War II vintage were found on April 14 when during construction work.
With a touch of bravado, Tayal hailed the NSG bomb disposal squad as “number one”.