Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the media report on two key army units being moved suspiciously closer to the capital from their bases outside was 'alarmist' and should not be taken at face value.
"These are alarmist reports. These should not be taken at face value," Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
Clarifying the government's stand, Singh said the army chief's office is an exalted office and all of us have an obligation to do nothing that lowers its dignity.
A national daily, in a front page report on Wednesday said the Hisar-based Mechanised Infantry and elements from a unit of the airborne 50 Para Brigade based in Agra had moved towards the capital in January. It said the movement took place on the night of Jan 16, without following the standard operating procedure of informing the defence ministry in advance.
It said since this happened around the time when army chief Gen. V.K. Singh was waging a judicial battle against the government over his age row, it created unease and suspicion in the corridors of power in Delhi.
Routine exercise
The army told the newspaper the units were engaged in routine training exercises to test their mobility in fog and did not need to warn the government in advance. Defense ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said it was not true the maneuvers had caused alarm in the ministry.
The troop movements happened at a time of high friction between Army Chief Vijay Kumar Singh and the government. The newspaper said the accepted view is there was a breakdown in communication rather than a plot of any kind.
'Travelling' towards Delhi
On the night in question, lookouts confirmed the two units were travelling towards Delhi, the report said.
Defense Minister A.K. Antony was informed and the government ordered police to check all vehicles on roads to Delhi as a way of slowing traffic. The Defense secretary, the ministry's top civil servant, cut short a trip to Malaysia to handle the situation.