Movement of army units a routine exercise: Par panel head

Chairman of the Parliamentary standing committee on defence Satpal Maharaj today sought to play down the controversy over the alleged unnotified movement of two army units towards the capital in mid-January, saying such exercises are routinely held.

"The army troops' movement in the month of January was a routine exercise and such exercises are routinely held," Maharaj, a Lok Sabha member from Pauri, said in a statement here.

He said the Indian Army has full faith in the Constitution as well as the high values of democracy and is committed to protecting them.

Maharaj, however, did not comment on whether the army should have notified the government on such movement.

Members of Parliament had on April 4 quizzed Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma and Army Vice-Chief SK Singh on a media report of "suspicious" movement of troops near the capital in January but they dismissed it as baseless.

Sharma and Singh, appearing before the Parliamentary panel, said it was normal process of testing the preparedness of the armed forces, sources said.

Army Chief Gen VK Singh, too, has dismissed reports of "unusual" movement of two elite units of army towards the capital, calling it "routine" for which there was no need to "notify" the government.