Pune: Against the backdrop of allegations of
Army personnel being involved in fake encounters in Kashmir,
the government today 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
