Report on troop movement ‘absolutely stupid’: Army Chief

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,” Gen Singh said today when asked to comment on the report.

The report in

Indian Express that said 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 created a storm in the Government.

The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and the Defence establishment had yesterday dismissed as “alarmist” and “absolutely baseless’’.

The Army Chief is in Nepal to attend the three-day Regional Seminar on Natural Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance.