Army rebuts Mamata''s charges, says exercise done with police coordination

Kolkata, December 2

The Indian Army on Friday refuted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegations that troops were deployed at toll plazas without the state government’s knowledge.

"This is being done in coordination with local police authorities. The exercise was earlier planned for November 27 and 28. The dates were changed to November 30 to December 2 on a specific request by Kolkata Police due to Bharat Bandh called on November 28," said GOC Bengal area (officiating) Maj Gen Sunil Yadav. "We deny all charges with all contempt." Allegations of collection of money by Army personnel are also totally baseless.”

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Maj Gen Yadav said the Indian Army’s Eastern Command had conducted a similar exercise in November 2015 and that two inspectors of the Kolkata Police had surveyed the toll plaza on November 27.

Banerjee had called the army deployment “unprecedented and a very serious matter”.

"The issues raised by the police were addressed and were telephonically informed to the police," he said. “It is happening in nine states now across 80 locations… We have our specific targets for data collection. After doing the work for 36 hours our work was done and we had left the toll plaza near Nabanna. The exercise will continue as planned earlier and will end tonight.”

(Read: Controversy over army deployment in Bengal echoes in Parliament)

A defence spokesperson said on Thursday that the army usually conducted a biennial exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of an emergency.

"There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out according to government orders", Wing Commander SS Birdi had said.

The exercise gave an estimate about the number of vehicles passing through a certain area that could be tapped during operations, he had said. 

Banerjee, who left the secretariat on Friday evening after staying put for 36 hours in protest, threatened to explore "legal options" if the army was not withdrawn.

"We have never seen such arrogance (by Centre). If army is not withdrawn we will explore legal options," she said.

Banerjee said she had great respect for the army, but was "sad" at the manner in which they were being used for "political vendetta". — Agencies