Cong attacks Centre after FIR filed over Aadhaar data breach

New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday attacked the Centre after the UIDAI filed an FIR with the Delhi Police over a newspaper report on the breach of details of more than one billion Aadhaar cards, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "evasive" and shooting the messenger, instead of probing the leak.

Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said "every Indian must condemn this mindless act" of the government.

UIDAI Deputy Director B M Patnaik has informed the police that an input was received from The Tribune newspaper that it had purchased a service being offered by anonymous sellers on WhatsApp, that provided unrestricted access any of the more than 1 billion Aadhaar numbers, according to the police.

The FIR mentions the names of the journalist and the people the reporter reached out to purchase the Aadhaar data, but they have not been shown as accused, the police said.

The Congress also raised questions on the Modi government's "intentions" on privacy issues as it referred to former Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi reportedly saying last year that "no citizen can have an absolute right over his/her body". It charged the government with being "dismissive and oppressive" instead of being "responsive" to issues flagged.

"Intent, & 'Intentions' of Modi Govt on Privacy were thoroughly exposed when it had proclaimed that 'no citizen can have an absolute right over his/her body'," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in another tweet.

"In SC, Modi Govt had accepted Aadhaar data leak! Now instead of investigating, an evasive Modi ji shoots the messenger!" he added.

Addressing a press conference here, party spokesperson Shobha Oza said the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) filing the FIR in connection with the report showed the government's "dictatorial mindset".