Days after report about a private Chinese firm’s monitoring of over 10,000 Indian individuals and organisations surfaced, the Centre on Wednesday took up the matter with the neighbouring country. The External Affairs Ministry raised the issue with China’s Ambassador in New Delhi, news agency ANI reported quoting sources.

“MEA raised the issue of Chinese company Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co. which was allegedly spying on prominent Indians, with the Chinese Ambassador today. China said that Zhenhua is a private company and stated its position publicly,” ANI said quoting sources.

Also Read: Congress demands urgent discussion on ‘Chinese surveillance on Indians’

The Government of India takes very seriously the protection of privacy and personal data of Indian citizens, it added.

The government has also reportedly formed an expert committee under the National Cyber Security Coordinator to study the reports of surveillance of prominent Indians by China’s Zhenhua Data Information Technology Company.

The matter had also reverberated in the Parliament during the ongoing monsoon session.

The Congress has already demanded the government to assure the nation over the issue.

“We condemn this unequivocally. Have the Chinese used this 2 yr old Company to influence Govt policies in any manner? Will the Govt investigate & assure the Nation?” Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala has said in tweet.

“Or they didn’t know that we were being spied upon? Why is the government failing to protect our strategic interests over and over again?” he said.

A report published in the The Indian Express on Monday claimed that Zhenhua had been collecting data on top Indian leaders, including President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi, and their families, as well as several chief ministers, among others.