Peace for the World

Peace for the World
First democratic leader of Justice the Godfather of the Sri Lankan Tamil Struggle: Honourable Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam

Thursday, April 5, 2012

India rejects army movement sparked coup fears


4 April 2012                                                     India does not have a history of military interference in its politics
Army tanks in Delhi - 26 January 2004
BBC
The Indian government has dismissed a report that two key army units were moved towards the capital in January without the government being informed.
The unexpected movement on the night of 16 January created confusion in the government and sparked fears of a coup, the Indian Express reported.
"It's all bunkum," a spokesman in the prime minister's office told the BBC.
The defence ministry and the army too denied the report. They said the units' movements were a "routine exercise".
The report comes at a time when the government and the army have been involved in a series of disputes.
The Indian Express said the incident took place on the night of 16 January - the day army chief General VK Singh filed a case in the Supreme Court in an acrimonious row with the government over his age.
"Intelligence agencies reported an unexpected movement" by two key military units from Hisar (in Haryana state) and Agra (in Uttar Pradesh state) towards Delhi, the report said.