Lt-General Kapil Vij, commander of 2 Corps was removed from his post after the US expressed "concern" over the forward deployment of the strike formations under his command. General Vij is known to be a “highly accomplished officer”. In fact the 2 Corps, which is actually based at Ambala, is India’s leading strike corps, carrying the strongest punch and having more force multipliers than the other two strike corps. The 2 Corps holds almost 50 per cent of the Indian strike capabilities and although based at Ambala it is responsible for guarding the borders till Ganganagar. The 2 Corps is trained, equipped and tasked to launch offensive operations inside enemy territory. A strike corps has a substantial armour(tank) component and possesses nuclear missiles. All three strike corps, including the Mathura-based 1 Corps and the Bhopal-based 21 Corps, have been mobilised in the ongoing Operation Parakram. Sources disclosed General Vij had undertaken an exercise along the IB and was trying out some new tactics which he had himself worked out. The officer was apparently carrying out exercises on armoured thrust, and a noticeable number of 2 Corps’ battle tanks were very close to the border which pressed the panic buttons across the border. As part of an unofficial understanding, the Indian Army keeps its armoured elements east of the Indira Gandhi Canal, which by and large runs parallel to the border. The Pakistani armour keeps a similar distance on its side of the border. Reports said that 2 Corps elements penetrated this buffer, moving up to a distance of just 2 km short of the border. Although this has to be read in the context of the current military posturing, such a position of a strike corps is interpreted as "readiness to declare war". Government sources confirmed that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) issued instructions that the general be shifted. Consequently, the army asked Lt-General Vij to proceed on leave. He has been replaced by Lt-General B.S. Thakur, the chief of staff of the Army Training Command, Shimla. Indian Army spokesman Col. Shruti Kant denied reports that Gen. Vij had been sacked. "General Vij is a soldier of high professional repute. He has gone on long leave due to some personal reasons after completing his normal command tenure". The normal command tenure is between 14 and 20 months. Last week US satellites picked up the movement of the 2 Corps. The satellite images apparently showed that some armour columns of 2 Corps had moved into strike areas from their concentration areas, which are generally at a safe distance from the border. Forward movement of strike corps can be construed as a threatening stance. "The information was also made available to Pakistan. The Americans discussed the issue with Pakistan during US Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to Pakistan last week. Following this, the US expressed its concern to India," said sources. The US reportedly confronted India with the images. But the government apparently professed ignorance, and denied that it had instructed the strike formations to move to forward locations. "The PMO immediately asked the army to take action against Lt-General Vij," a senior officer revealed. Army Headquarters complied by asking the corps commander to go on leave. Sources in the army admit that it is "improbable" for a strike commander to issue movement orders without the approval of his seniors. Lt-General Vij's immediate superior is Lt-General S.S. Sangra, commander-in-chief of the Western Army. An Armoured Corps officer, Vij has earlier commanded 31 Armoured Division from Babina. He was promoted to Lt-General in June 2000, and was given command of the strike corps, a prestigious assignment. Army Headquarters said that the replacement of Lt-General Vij is no reflection on his professional competence. In the current build-up, 2 Corps is a crucial formation. It was this corps which was to conduct an exercise to display India's armoured might. However, as a conciliatory measure, India has decided not to hold the exercise. What did Lt-Gen Vij do? As GoC of 2 Corps, he moved his armour close to war-time positions along the Punjab-Rajasthan stretch of the Indo-Pak Border. Why was he removed? US satellites picked up the movement. The US shared the images with Pakistan. Pakistan expressed anxiety, US confronted India. India said it wasn't aware of the movement. PMO ordered Vij's replacement. Could Vij have acted on his own? Highly unlikely, especially because this is a strike corps. At the very least Vij would have cleared the movement with his immediate superior, Lt-Gen S.S. Sangra, GoC-in-C Western Command.