Army in Srinagar till necessary: minister
By IANSWednesday, July 7, 2010
NEW DELHI - The government Wednesday said the Indian Army would stay in Srinagar to keep peace for as long as it was necessary.
The army will be in Srinagar “as long as it is necessary”, Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
“But we would like to make it as short as possible,” he said, when journalists asked him about the the army staging a flag march in Srinagar following the widespread violence Tuesday.
The minister said it was not a situation the Indian Army would like to be in but it was necessary for the force to step in to keep peace after the request from the state government.
“The army steps in only when things go out of control. It is not a situation the army would like to be in. But whenever it is necessary and in the interest of the nation, we step in,” he said.
He described the situation as under control for the moment and expressed the hope that “everything will return to normal soon”.
