Troop movement routine, no need to notify govt: Army chief

Army Chief General V K Singh has dismissed reports of "unusual" movement of two elite units of army towards the capital in mid-January calling it "routine" for which there was no need to "notify" the government.

"Notify for what? What was happening? We keep doing this so many times," he told The Hindu when asked if the army had notified the government on the movement of the two units.

An Indian Express report on Wednesday on the troop movement on the night of January 16-17, the day the army chief had approached the Supreme Court on the age issue, had created a furore that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony had rubbished it as "alarmist" and "baseless".

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To a question whether the government had sought a clarification on the January 16 movement of troops, Gen Singh said, "It was not like that. No clarification was asked for. These were routine issues. I don't think one or two units ever bother anyone. It was not as if the whole of the armoured division was marching towards Delhi. This is just a figment of imagination."

He also rejected any link between the timing of the troop exercises and his moving the Supreme Court and suggestions that the movement was meant to scare the government or exert pressure.

"How is there any connection? You have gone to the Supreme Court. What is there to scare the government for?These are fables of a sick mind," the army chief said.