``This has never happened. It is not that my son was recruited fresh. He's the Air Chief Marshal and they wanted to make enquiries,'' said the angry and hurt octogenarian.

This bizarre ``enquiry episode'' at Air Chief Marshal S K Sareen's father's house began with the visit of the local policeman on September 28 and was apparently to verify the ``character and antecedents'' of the Air Chief Marshal. This is reportedly part of the security clearance required for those attending the Commanders' Conference in New Delhi on October 26.

That the Air Chief's ``antecedents'' were being checked has, understandably, snowballed into a controversy with senior Armed Forces personnel reacting strongly and is now the cause of yet another embarrassment for the BJP Government.

Sitting in his modest house at the RaceCourse area here, Raj Pal -- a retired official of the Indian Defence Accounts Service -- recalled the events of the day. He said it was 9.30 when this man -- saying he was from the local police -- came into the house.

He wanted to know about S K Sareen's whereabouts. Raj Pal was surprised. He told the man that whenever his son visited Dehradun, it was the police and intelligence people who got to know of it first and took care of his security. After this brief conversation, the man left.

Raj Pal immediately called up the Air Chief Marshal. Well after midnight, the father was woken up, this time by the Superintendent of Police, who insisted on seeing him. Three police officials, including the SP (City), Circle Officer and an Inspector, arrived and wanted to know who the person was who had come in the morning.

They apologised and said that no one from their department had come.

While Raj Pal is dismayed that such a thing could happen, SSP Anand Kumar said that the local police had received a wirelesscommunication to verify the antecedents of Sareen who was to participate in the October 26 conference. The communication, he said, had come from Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Prime Minister's Office.

Kumar said since there was no mention of rank in the communication, a local intelligence unit man was sent. But when he got to know that the person in question was the Air Chief Marshal, he came back. Kumar also said he has since clarified the matter with Delhi.

But the Armed Forces fraternity have expressed shock and dismay over the incident. ``It is absolutely humiliating. I am shocked. If they start verifying the antecedents of a service officer with more than 35 years of service the less said the better,'' said former Air Chief S K Kaul.

Air Chief Marshal (retd), S K Mehra termed it not a ``goof-up but a major goof-up'' on the part of the administrators. ``This is something very unusual. When one appoints a person at that level his antecedents are surely known. I am quite surprised at thisdevelopment. You are isolating the Defence Forces by casting doubts on them,'' he added.