New Delhi, Dec. 25: The military secretary in army headquarters who was the subject of an investigation in Calcutta over an alleged land scam has now been named in another report for his links with the same Bengal-based realtor.

The latest report, submitted to the Central Command headquarters in Lucknow yesterday, also blames seven officers — a major general, three brigadiers, a colonel and two junior officers — in suspicious deals, an army source told The Telegraph today.

This is likely to open up more investigations in army land deals from north Bengal to Uttarakhand.

The military secretary is responsible for all personnel administration in the army and is one of the senior-most officers and aides to the army chief, General Deepak Kapoor.

The inquiry by a major general in the Central Command has asked for further investigation into the role of Lt Gen. Avdhesh Prakash, the military secretary.

The inquiry is a preliminary investigation. If higher command is convinced of a prima facie case, it may order the gathering of “summary of evidence”, court martial, and/or disciplinary or administrative action.

Major General Daulata was asked to investigate the allegations that Siliguri-based realtor Dilip Aggarwal and his associates were unfairly given a contract of Rs 1.7 crore to build a war memorial and museum at the Kumaon Regimental Centre in Ranikhet.

The monument was meant to commemorate some of the stalwarts of the army. Three army chiefs and the first winner of the Param Vir Chakra, the highest military gallantry award, were from the Kumaon Regiment.

The inquiry report has also named Major General V.K. Bhatt, currently chief engineer in the Western Command in Chandigarh, and brigadiers Ahmed Ali, who was a sub-area commander in Lucknow, and Bhupinder Singh, commandant of the Kumaon Regimental Centre.

Brigadier Bhupinder Singh was already “attached” to the Central Command in Lucknow to gather “summary of evidence” in other cases when this investigation was taken up. The source could not identify the third brigadier.

Major General Daulata is junior to the military secretary, and according to army rules cannot investigate the role of Lt Gen Prakash.

By the same token, the eastern army commander, Lt Gen V.K. Singh, who convened the court of inquiry in the north Bengal land scam, cannot take action against the military secretary who is not under his command.

The eastern army commander has recommended action. The recommendation to “terminate the services” of the military secretary will have to be diluted, delayed, accepted or rejected by the army chief because the military secretary is posted in army headquarters and is one of his eight principal staff officers.

Army sources said in the inquiry report on the Kumaon Regimental Centre deal, Major General Daulata has “brought out the involvement without blaming” of the military secretary in investigations over a suspected land scam in Ranikhet.

Lt Gen Prakash is the Colonel Commandant of the army’s Kumaon Regiment. Aggarwal, the realtor, is alleged to be close to him.

The military secretary is alleged to have used his influence to give a trust run by Aggarwal a no-objection certificate to build a Rs 295-crore school on land adjacent to a military station in Sukna, Darjeeling district.