Against the backdrop of allegations of Army personnel being involved in fake encounters in Kashmir, the government on Monday said it would not tolerate human rights violation and any cover-up to protect the guilty.
"Government has a policy of zero tolerance on the issue of human rights violation in the state and there would be no cover-up to shield the guilty," Defence Minister A K Antony told mediapersons on the sidelines of the NDA passing out parade, apparently referring to the recent allegations.
The army had on April 30 said they had killed three unidentified infiltrators in Machhil sector in Kashmir when they sneaked into India from across the border. However, relatives alleged that the three killed were youths who were missing since April 27. The Army has already ordered a high-level inquiry into the alleged fake encounter and said that proceedings will be "judiciously expedited".
Antony also said government has no plans to deploy more armed forces in Kashmir. Replying to questions on the North-East, Antony said infrastructure in the region was being strengthened with more roads coming up in the region. "The infrastructure aspect of the Eastern sector was neglected in the past and the mistakes made earlier would be corrected," he said without elaborating.
Without naming any country, Antony said India will protect "every inch" of its territory. "We don't want an inch of land from anybody. But we will protect every inch of our land," the Defence Minister said, adding India had no territorial ambitions. PTI
