As tension gripped his relations with the Centre over the leakage of his letter to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the defence preparedness of the country, Army Chief General VK Singh today described the leak as high treason and demanded the Government to punish the guilty ruthlessly.

In a statement issued in Delhi by the Army Headquarters, Singh said his communication with the PM was a privileged one and the leakage of his letter to the PM to the media should be considered as high treason. “Who ever did that did it cynically to tarnish my image and reputation,” he said, demanding the Centre to punish the guilty.

Meanwhile, highly placed sources revealed that the Intelligence Bureau has been asked to find out the sources of the leakage of the confidential letter.

The leakage of the letter created an uproar in the Parliament on Wednesday forcing the SP, JD (U) and RJD members to seek the dismissal of Singh who will retire on May 31. (J)