DC Correspondent, Chennai, May 5
The Army on Tuesday warned it would have to retaliate if incidents of this kind seen in Coimbatore on May 2, when its convoy was attacked by cadres of MDMK and Periyar Dravida Kazhagam, recurred. Though the Army took the Saturday event as an ‘aberration’, it might be possible always for its troops to practice restraint like that day and they might have to respond in self defence, causing avoidable hurt to people, Major General EJ Kochekkan, General Officer Commanding Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala Area told reporters here.
While the PDK and MDMK cadre had attacked the Army convoy suspecting that it carried weapons for the Sri Lankan Army, Maj Gen Kochekkan clarified that the troops were only returning after a training stint in Andhra Pradesh. The pro LTTE activists had blocked the convoy at Nilambur near Coimbatore and damaged some of the trucks besides ransacking the material.
Admitting that for now the event could be dismissed as just an ‘aberration’ Maj Gen Kochekkan said, “If that incident became a pattern, active measures will have to be adopted and when it gets adopted then the results could be much worse and catastrophic. It must be avoided at all costs.” He added that if such incidents repeated, the troops would “take action in self defence as the law permits”.
He also said some of the mortars thrown out of the trucks by the rioting mob had explosive contents and it was lucky that they did not explode. Some personal items of the soldiers had been burnt in the incident and “some physical discomfort caused to the personnel, who were only returning after practising long range firing”.
Pointing out that the Indian military was ‘completely apolitical’ and toiled for national security, he appealed to parties not to politicize the issue. There were no plans for his Southern Command to supply weapons to Colombo, he asserted.
He said the Army has initiated an internal enquiry to plug any possible lapses, including intelligence failure. Also a complaint has been lodged with the State Chief Secretary seeking early action against the rioters.
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Warm Regards!
CK Sharma
