Two key Army units moved towards Delhi: Indian Express
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Aditya Mookerjee
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Mr Shekhar Gupta has the resources to monitor troop movements, and does so. I regard him as a very respected journalist, and editor. I do not read The Indian Express, but want to do so. Mr Gupta will keep his readers updated about affairs in the military. He must have made a great feature about the INS Chakra, today. I will subscribe online if the paper is not available.
Bhadra
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I like that . So IB is the resource of Mr Sekhar Gupta. Still better, the Home Secy and Secy in PMO. When a "Senior Minster" is the sources who has IB and others under him, does he need anything more !!
Sekhar Ghupta is ghuptoing for his Rajyasabha seat or some Padma award along with share in kickbacks !
People of India have great, infallible trust in our soldiers. Government of India must investigate the sources of income of this corrupt and controversial journalist, like it did with the NGOs who were creating trouble in TN. I am sure that this guy in on pay cheque of some of those people who have been beaten black and blue by our brave General.
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God bless the Indian people for their faith in the Army,
But there is no doubt the muck has tarnished the sheen that it had.
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KATHMANDU: Army chief Gen V K Singh has dismissed as "absolutely stupid" a report that the Indian government panicked for several hours in the face of unexplained troop movements near Delhi in January.
"This is absolutely stupid," Singh said on Thursday when asked to comment on the report.
A report in The Indian Express had said that the government was "spooked" on the night of January 16-17, because of the movement of a mechanised infantry battallion from Haryana's Hisar and a sizeable section of 50 Para Brigade creating a storm in the government.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and defence minister AK Antony had on Wednesday dismissed the story calling it "alarmist" and "absolutely baseless".
The Army chief is in Nepal to attend the three-day Regional Seminar on Natural Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance.
http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/12543143.cms
"This is absolutely stupid," Singh said on Thursday when asked to comment on the report.
A report in The Indian Express had said that the government was "spooked" on the night of January 16-17, because of the movement of a mechanised infantry battallion from Haryana's Hisar and a sizeable section of 50 Para Brigade creating a storm in the government.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and defence minister AK Antony had on Wednesday dismissed the story calling it "alarmist" and "absolutely baseless".
The Army chief is in Nepal to attend the three-day Regional Seminar on Natural Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance.
http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/12543143.cms
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Army movement: No protocol breach; news report trashed
NEW DELHI: A report that movement of two Army units towards Delhi on the night of January 16 set off alarm bells in government was swiftly and strongly denied although the sensational claims were the subject of animated discussion in official and political circles through the day.
In an unusual move, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself dismissed the report - rather than relying on official machinery - published in the Indian Express on Tuesday when he told mediapersons at a function that "these are alarmist reports, they should not be taken at face value."
While the Prime Minister took the report head on, defence minister A K Antony said claims about the government being 'spooked' were "baseless" and was at pains to stress that "Indian armed forces will do everything to strengthen our national interest and they will be part of our democratic government ... they will do nothing to undermine Indian democracy."
The Prime Minister also countered a question on the recent standoff with Army chief V K Singh, saying "the Army chief's office is an exalted office. All of us have an obligation to do nothing to lower its dignity."
The report said a unit of mechanized infantry from Hisar and a detachment of the 50 Para brigade from Agra had moved without notifying their movements in breach of protocol and this triggered a series of interventions. In the wake of General Singh's bitter row with the government over his date of birth, the report created a sensation.
A meeting of Parliament's standing committee on defence also discussed the report with MPs insisting previously scheduled business be set aside and vice chief of Army staff Lt Gen SK Singh and defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma respond to their queries.
Sharma categorically told the committee that there is no requirement for a notification ahead of the movement of military units during routine exercises. He also denied having to reach office late on January 16 night due to the allegedly alarming developments and said the report was "loose talk".
The suggestion that the troop movement coincided with Gen Singh filing a plea on his age issue before the Supreme Court also puzzled official sources who pointed out that the court was yet to deliver a verdict.
Army officers pointed a coup was unthinkable with just about 800 soldiers and pointed out that there were over 6,000 Army troops within the capital.
The defence ministry in a statement said "The points raised in the report have already been clarified by the Army... such exercises are conducted by the Army from time to time." Official sources also said claims of the PM being awoken or specifically alerted about the troop movements were incorrect and claimed the report suffered from several inaccuracies.
The Indian Express said central intelligence agencies reported an unexpected and non-notified movement of the two military units and that a "bemused establishment" alerted the minister of defence and the government put in motion a contingency plan. The newspaper issued a statement on Tuesday that it stood by its report.
The report said that the director general of military operations was asked for an explanation and instructed to send the units back immediately. The mechanized unit was parked at an industrial park near Bahadurgarh, while the Paras stayed put in the barracks of an artillery regiment near Palam.
Antony told the media that the country couldn't "take the luxury of having such controversies. Please protect the honour and dignity of our armed forces". The defence secretary said there was "no breach of protocol" and no requirement for the Army to notify the MoD about troop movements.
At the Army headquarters, Major General S L Narasimhan, additional director general, public information, said the troop movements "were routine training at formation level to check the effectiveness of mobilization as per standard operating procedure of the local formations.
Almost all units of the Army carry out a number of such training at different times of the year." He said such routine trainings "does not need authorization". Narasimhan added that once the "effectiveness of the mobilization was checked the troops were called back as per the Standard Operating Procedure."
Despite aggressive denials, some officers found that the movement of the two units towards New Delhi slightly unusual. In some Army quarters it was read as misplaced posturing by a "frustrated" General V K Singh, without any coup or takeover ever being considered but meant to coincide with the hearing of his age controversy."
http://m.timesofindia.com/india/Arm...shed/articleshow/12540467.cms?intenttarget=no
NEW DELHI: A report that movement of two Army units towards Delhi on the night of January 16 set off alarm bells in government was swiftly and strongly denied although the sensational claims were the subject of animated discussion in official and political circles through the day.
In an unusual move, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself dismissed the report - rather than relying on official machinery - published in the Indian Express on Tuesday when he told mediapersons at a function that "these are alarmist reports, they should not be taken at face value."
While the Prime Minister took the report head on, defence minister A K Antony said claims about the government being 'spooked' were "baseless" and was at pains to stress that "Indian armed forces will do everything to strengthen our national interest and they will be part of our democratic government ... they will do nothing to undermine Indian democracy."
The Prime Minister also countered a question on the recent standoff with Army chief V K Singh, saying "the Army chief's office is an exalted office. All of us have an obligation to do nothing to lower its dignity."
The report said a unit of mechanized infantry from Hisar and a detachment of the 50 Para brigade from Agra had moved without notifying their movements in breach of protocol and this triggered a series of interventions. In the wake of General Singh's bitter row with the government over his date of birth, the report created a sensation.
A meeting of Parliament's standing committee on defence also discussed the report with MPs insisting previously scheduled business be set aside and vice chief of Army staff Lt Gen SK Singh and defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma respond to their queries.
Sharma categorically told the committee that there is no requirement for a notification ahead of the movement of military units during routine exercises. He also denied having to reach office late on January 16 night due to the allegedly alarming developments and said the report was "loose talk".
The suggestion that the troop movement coincided with Gen Singh filing a plea on his age issue before the Supreme Court also puzzled official sources who pointed out that the court was yet to deliver a verdict.
Army officers pointed a coup was unthinkable with just about 800 soldiers and pointed out that there were over 6,000 Army troops within the capital.
The defence ministry in a statement said "The points raised in the report have already been clarified by the Army... such exercises are conducted by the Army from time to time." Official sources also said claims of the PM being awoken or specifically alerted about the troop movements were incorrect and claimed the report suffered from several inaccuracies.
The Indian Express said central intelligence agencies reported an unexpected and non-notified movement of the two military units and that a "bemused establishment" alerted the minister of defence and the government put in motion a contingency plan. The newspaper issued a statement on Tuesday that it stood by its report.
The report said that the director general of military operations was asked for an explanation and instructed to send the units back immediately. The mechanized unit was parked at an industrial park near Bahadurgarh, while the Paras stayed put in the barracks of an artillery regiment near Palam.
Antony told the media that the country couldn't "take the luxury of having such controversies. Please protect the honour and dignity of our armed forces". The defence secretary said there was "no breach of protocol" and no requirement for the Army to notify the MoD about troop movements.
At the Army headquarters, Major General S L Narasimhan, additional director general, public information, said the troop movements "were routine training at formation level to check the effectiveness of mobilization as per standard operating procedure of the local formations.
Almost all units of the Army carry out a number of such training at different times of the year." He said such routine trainings "does not need authorization". Narasimhan added that once the "effectiveness of the mobilization was checked the troops were called back as per the Standard Operating Procedure."
Despite aggressive denials, some officers found that the movement of the two units towards New Delhi slightly unusual. In some Army quarters it was read as misplaced posturing by a "frustrated" General V K Singh, without any coup or takeover ever being considered but meant to coincide with the hearing of his age controversy."
http://m.timesofindia.com/india/Arm...shed/articleshow/12540467.cms?intenttarget=no
LurkerBaba
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Thread closed, new developments to continue here http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/...army-movement-trashed-no-breach-protocol.html
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