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Army placed on standby in Ayodhya

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

Responding to a request by the Uttar Pradesh administration, units of the Indian Army have been placed on standby for possible deployment in Ayodhya.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said that there is no specific request for deployment. Units of the Faizabad-based Dogra Regiment Centre have been placed on alert, the MoD spokesman said. "The Army will be deployed only as a last resort," a senior MoD bureaucrat added.

In such instances, the army is deployed without a blanket clearance to open fire. Army units are accompanied by magistrates, who are empowered to give the order to fire if need be. Except when engaged in anti-insurgency operations, the Army is always cast in the role of "aiding the administration".

Senior army officials have expressed concern that such regular deployment in communally sensitive areas could "affect the secular fabric" of the one-million strong Army.

In a meeting last week, senior Army commanders expressed concern about the deployment in Gujarat, which necessitated pulling troops back from the border. Senior army officials have conveyed to the government their concern over the use of the Army in times of communal clashes.

By way of example, army officials point out how, in the wake of the 1984 Operation Blue Star targeting militants holed up in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, there was widespread revolt by Sikh soldiers.

"Such deployment affects the efficiency and mindset of the Army," argues Major General (retd) Afsir Karim, "besides having an impact on the morale, and on the secular fabric of the force."

In the mid-eighties, Karim was in charge when the Ahmedabad-based 11 Division was deployed for three months in the city for tackling anti-government protests that turned violent and communal.

Army officials have mooted the creation of specially trained light Army units for such emergencies, leaving the main force free to concentrate on its real job. The suggestion, however, has been awaiting government clearance for years now.

A MoD spokesman said that the authorities are "aware of the concerns", but added that the Army would be deployed only in extreme cases and "only to aid the civil authorities".

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