Another controversy hits Defence establishment

Reports of unauthorized mobilization of troops towards the national capital sparked a coup threat, but the Defence Minister AK Antony sought to brush aside the intent and expressed full confidence in the Indian armed forces.
 

Even as the minister termed the reports hinting at a coup planned by the Indian Army as “absolutely baseless”, he did not deny the facts that the troops from a Mechanised Infantry unit of Hissar – just 150 kms from Delhi – and Army paratroopers from Agra did reach the outskirts of Delhi without keeping the civilian authorities in the loop, as is the Standard Operating Procedures (SoP).

“Absolutely baseless. Army has already explained this. It is usual, natural activities. Nothing unusual. We are absolutely confident of the patriotism of the armed forces,” Antony told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju went to the extent of terming the report as “anti-national”.

The un-notified movement of the army troops took place on the night of January 16, the day when Army Chief General VK Singh dragged the government to the court over his age issue. The intelligence agencies alerted the South Block and Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma, who was in Malaysia, was asked to cut short his visit.

On his return, the very next day, Sharma sought an explanation for Indian Army’s Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen AK Chaudhary and sought an explanation. The DGMO is responsible for all the operational matters in the Indian Army. In his report the DGMO termed it a routine military exercise.

Without denying the sequence of events and the explanation sought from the DGMO, the Defence Minister said: “Already the army has explained. We endorse it.” However, many officers who have been posted in Hissar termed the mobilization of troops towards the national capital an unusual thing. The government needs to be notified of all the movements of troops towards or within Delhi. This is part of a procedure established in June 1984 when some mutineers from Sikh units had moved towards the capital after Operation Bluestar.

The army official and the defence ministry are refraining from describing the events as an attempt to “coup”. Instead Antony expressed full confidence in the armed forces and the three service chiefs.

“We are absolutely confident of our armed forces. Do not question their patriotism. They would not do anything to undermine the Indian democracy.

“India is democracy and will continue to be a democracy. Our armed forces will do everything to strengthen the Indian democracy. They cannot do what happens somewhere else,” Antony contended.

The civil-military relationship has been on a downhill since the time the Army Chief took the unprecedented step of taking up cudgels against the government on his age issue. Antony also denied any communication gap between the military and civil establishment.

"There is no communication gap. Nothing wrong with our relation especially with Army Chief. I share a good relation with all three service chiefs," said Antony.