A Rocket scientist working at Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Praveen Maurya has alleged that some spies have been coercing him to share certain classified information on India’s space program with them and threatening him when he refused to yield to their demands. This, he alleged, is being carried out in connivance with some senior officers of ISRO and Kerala police.
Praveen Maurya, the scientist who alleged he was being pressed to carry out the espionage, took to Twitter on November 9, 2022, to share a link to his LinkedIn post in which he published a copy of the letter he wrote to India’s Prime Minister documenting the threats and harassment he has faced and requested for an Intelligence enquiry into the same.
I was approached by spies to carry out #espionage. It was done in collusion with Kerala Police. Written multiple letters from Chairman #ISRO to Prime Minister but no action. Need an Intelligence inquiry. Kindly help. @PMOIndia @isro @narendramodi https://t.co/NZKesguK7p
— Praveen Maurya (@praveen_isro) November 9, 2022
Maurya included a copy of his letter to the Prime Minister dated August 5, 2022, to his November 9, 2022, LinkedIn post. He also shared that he has sent similar letters of complaint to the Home Minister and the ISRO Chairman.
Maurya said that currently, he is working on Gaganyaan, India’s first human space mission. A person named Ajikumar Surendren, who he alleged is working for some people in Dubai, approached him to carry out espionage. He promised him huge money in exchange for some confidential information from ISRO.
Praveen Maurya further alleged that Ajikumar Surendren offered him to become a permanent spy. When he refused, Ajikumar Surendren used his daughter to implicate him in a false POCSO case. This, Maurya alleged, was done in collusion with Kerala police. Some senior ISRO officers were also helping Ajikumar Surendren to execute his plan. Thereafter Ajikumar offered to take back the POCSO case if he agreed to comply with his demands, alleged Praveen Maurya.
In his LinkedIn post, Maurya also accused certain senior ISRO officers of simply discarding his letters with the ludicrous reason, “It is a staff grievance.” However, according to Maurya, the ISRO officials do not want a CBI or Intelligence inquiry into the complaint for the following reasons:
- As some senior ISRO officers were helping the spies to execute their plan. So, the entire racket of these anti-national officers present in ISRO will come under the scanner of the intelligence bureau.
- Officers from the Police department will also be under the IB scanner.
- One of the senior officers in ISRO, who is the main player, is the relative of a former chairman of ISRO. If intelligence enquiry is approved, he will surely come under the scanner.
He further wrote, “IB is ready for an enquiry. All they need is an official request from the Department of Space which they are not giving for the reasons mentioned above.”
ISRO scientist accuses Kerala police of being involved in the racket
Praveen Maurya went on to level severe allegations against the Kerala police, sharing how he was tortured and intimidated by them at the behest of Ajikumar Surendren.
In his letter to the PM of India, Praveen Maurya detailed how the Kerala police and some officers of ISRO implicated him in false POCSO and NDPS charges and how he was intimidated and harassed for not succumbing to the espionage demands.
Maurya claimed that because the Kerala police were actively involved in the entire racket and were continually pressuring him to give in to the demands, he was forced to leave Kerala and return to his native town of Uttar Pradesh. He urged India’s Prime Minister to launch an investigation into the matter in order to uncover the truth and punish the nation’s enemies.
Nambi Narayanan – the victim of persecution by the Congress party
It may be recalled here how in the year 1994, ISRO scientist Nambi Narayan had also become a victim of persecution by the Congress party. The political rivalry between the two factions of the Kerala Congress party led to the arrest of Narayanan, along with two other scientists D Sasikumaran and K Chandrasekhar, in November 1994. The Kerala police had levelled espionage charges under sections 3,4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act against the scientists.
In 2018, the Supreme Court ordered a high-level probe to investigate the role of erring police officials in the espionage case relating to Nambi Narayanan. In April this year, the court directed the CBI to take over the probe and conduct further investigation into the case.
