Treat leak of letter as high treason: army chief

New Delhi, March 29 (IANS) Rejecting allegations that he had leaked his letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an 'outraged' army chief General V.K. Singh Thursday said the leak should be treated as 'high treason'.

A statement by the army chief said he was 'outraged' that the letter, about the shortage of arms and ammunition in the forces, had been leaked. The source of the leak should be found and punished ruthlessly, V.K. Singh said.

'This is an outrage! Official communication with the PM (prime minister), RM (Raksha Mantri or Defence Minister) or anybody for that matter is a privileged information,' the army chief said.

'The leaking of letter should be be treated as high treason. This cynical approach to tar my reputation should be stopped. The source of leak has to be found and dealt with ruthlessly,' he said in a statement.

Gen. Singh, in his letter to Manmohan Singh, has pointed out a shortage of arms and ammunition in the armed forces.

According to reports, the letter, which was written March 12, 2012, states that army tanks have run out of ammunition. The letter emphasises the need to bridge the shortcomings and bring the army to a fighting level.