Army to stay in Srinagar till necessary: Pallam Raju

With the Army being called out in Srinagar, the government today said the force would remain on the streets till it was necessary, but it would like it to be short.

With the Army being called out in Srinagar, the government on Wednesday said the force would remain on the streets till it was necessary, but it would like it to be short.

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"Army steps in only when things go out of control ..... It is not a situation the Army would like to be in. But whenever it is necessary and in the interest of the nation, we step in," Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju told reporters here.

"(Army will stay) as long as it is necessary. But we would like to make it as short as possible," Raju said, when asked about the presence of the army in Srinagar.

He was interacting with the media on the sidelines of a CII-sponsored seminar on anti-tank missiles here.

The minister said it became necessary for the army to stage a flag march in the state's capital at the request of the state government in view of the ground situation.

"The moment the situation is under control, everything will return to normal," he said.

Indefinite curfew has been imposed in the city following violence on Tuesday that left three persons dead and over 70 injured.