Srinagar, July 7: Senior army officials of 15 Corps stationed at Badami Bagh Cantonment were reluctant to assist the State police and paramilitary CRPF to maintain law and order in the summer capital, highly placed sources said.
They said the State Government formally requisitioned the Army on Tuesday night to deploy its soldiers alongside the Police and CRPF troopers for establishing order.
“However, the senior Army officials were reluctant. They had threadbare deliberations with senior Government officials for hours together to know the nature of job to be undertaken by the soldiers. They behaved as unwilling horses,” sources said.
Official privy to the issue said the Army officials finally agreed to the State Government request on their conditions. “We are ready to help the Government but our soldiers won’t go into the congested areas or lanes particularly in the Old City. Besides, our soldiers should be accompanied by magistrates,” the senior Army officials told the Government’s representatives, sources said.
They said in the wee hours today, 17 columns of Army on board trucks and jeeps held flag marches in various parts of the City. The Army contingents extensively patrolled the civil lines areas besides the road leading to the Srinagar International Airport.
Pertinently it is for the first time in past two decades of turmoil that the services of Army have been utilized for maintaining law and order in Jammu and Kashmir. Army has been at the forefront of anti-militancy operations particularly in the areas near the Line of
Control across the Valley.
Army has been in dock over involvement of its troopers in killing of three civilians of Rafiabad in fake encounter for rewards and promotions in Machil sector of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 7 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 7 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 8 Jul 2010 00:00:00 IST