GJM Intercepts ‘Scrambler-Guarded' Police Wireless Sets to Get Secret Info: Sources

Kolkata: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders intercepted most of the confidential conversations that Bengal police were having among themselves about security measures in the Hills through Very High Frequency (VHF) and High Frequency (HF) wireless sets.

Wireless communication experts, who are assisting the state government in tracking the movement of top GJM leaders in the neighbouring states and countries, made this startling revelation.

Sources said, ADG, Telecom, Debasish Rai was briefed about the matter and the experts made a demo of how GJM leaders managed to decode the conversation routed through wireless sets.

“The state agencies usually communicate among themselves through wireless sets backed with Scrambler safety technology. This technology prevents outsiders (those who are not in the wireless loop) to listen to the conversation. But it's seems that GJM leaders are a step ahead, and with some latest technology, managed to breach wireless security,” a source in the police department said.

When asked about the next course of action to prevent GJM leaders from listening to the conversation, he said, “Now we have made a proposal to upgrade the security system by installing Software Define Radio (SDR) technology. This will help us restrict these protesters from listening to our conversation.”

It is learnt that a team of experts has already reached Siliguri to assist the local administration in tracking the leaders.

“Some of their (GJM) conversations we managed to track it down to Nepal and bordering areas of Tibet. We suspect some highly skilled people, who are experts in such a technology, are helping these leaders in their movement. This a serious matter because we suspect that they have also managed to breach the communication security network of paramilitary forces as well,” police sources said.

The matter saw the light of the day on June 5 after the state agencies got some wireless signals from the Hills. After a thorough investigation, it was found that these Very High Frequency (VHF) and High Frequency (HF) sets were being used by the GJM leaders.

Joyoshi Das Gupta, District Magistrate of Darjeeling, wrote a letter to VV Singh, Wireless Adviser at Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing (Department of Telecommunications), requesting the ministry to assist the state agencies in investigating the matter.

It is learnt that Eastern Army Command has also been alerted about the matter by the state government.

Meanwhile, a large number of GJM leaders on Monday gathered in front of District Magistrate office and demanded the immediate withdrawal of paramilitary forces from the Hills.

They also ransacked and torched a couple of government offices in Gorubathan in the Kalimpong district.