THE ‘BRIDE QUALITATIVE REQUIREMENT’ WAS THROWN OUT OF THE WINDOW AND SELECTION WAS DONE. THE LOGIC: IF GIRL’S MOTHER IS SO DIGNIFIED, SHE WILL ALSO HAVE THE SAME DNA

Army procurement process for warlike and nonwarlike inventory revolves around a term GSQR (general staff qualitative requirement). Procurement goes through a stiff process of trials in all type of terrain, within the laid down guidelines of the GSQR which encompasses issues of price, transfer of technology, back up support and enhancing the war winning potential.

Similarly, there is another term QR (qualitative requirement), which means “right man for the right job”.

In 1983, my brother-in-law was the most eligible bachelor looking around eagerly for a beauty, to be the “fauji bride”. There was nothing like a site Shaadi.com and one generally scanned matrimonial columns of newspapers for finding the “queen of heart”.

Suddenly, a term struck me — BQR (bride qualitative requirement) — mainly derived from a combination of GSQR and QR. A consensus was arrived on the BQR as appended below. She should be three or four years younger than the “man”. Must be five feet three inches or more in the socks. Prepare to live in remote areas with temperature varying from 45°C (deserts) to –35°C (high altitude areas). Ready to move every two years on permanent posting. Has the capability to convert even tentage accommodation into a home. Ability to live in a “fixed salary profile”. Be ready to live in a “separated family accommodation” when the husband moves to the field area. Two educated girls from Delhi were shortlisted, from Lady Shri Ram College and Miranda House. With date and time fixed, the “holy journey” to select the bride commenced from Jalandhar to Delhi. En route, the BQR was further refined saying that the girl should also be dutiful, respectful and should have the “right sanskars”. Mom, dad and the young man by now were wellversed with the core issues as given in the BQR.

My dashing brother-in-law was advised to spell out the BQR in an appropriate, tactful and civilised manner, without being offensive or pro-active to the girl. And once he was through with his choice, he was to indicate to the parents that they could now go ahead for serious business of fixing the date, venue and other modalities of the wedding ceremony. The indication was to be done by holding the right moustache with left hand for 15 seconds meaning that celebrations could now commence.

But the drama unfolded sooner than later in the very first stop of selection venue of the girl from Lady Shri Ram College. Girl’s brothers and father escorted the selection team to the drawing room. Everybody was waiting for the prospective bride to be making the entry next. But it was the girl’s mother who made a grand entry.

The BQR designed over a period was thrown out of the window as my brother-in-law was holding both his moustaches with his hands — the selection was done. The logic as told to us later was that if the girl’s mother is so dignified, charming and beautiful, the daughter will also have the same DNA and qualities. He was not wrong as the girl proved herself as an “ideal fauji wife”.

Gut power is the virtue of successful army officers which enables them to take “quick decisions”.

Congress rushed to the defence of DU student Gurmehar Kaur whose social media campaign against the alleged violence by ABVP has attracted a sharp attack from the saffron camp.As Union minister Kiren Rijiju followed up on finance minister Arun Jaitley’s “alliance of subversion“ barb, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi tweeted his support for the student whose father lost his life in the Kargil war. “Against the tyranny of fear we stand with our stu dents. For every voice raised in anger, intolerance & ignorance, there will be a Gurmehar Kaur,“ Rahul tweeted.

Former UPA minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram lashed out at Jaitley for calling the debate on intolerance in the wake of violence in DU as led by an “alliance of subversion“.“When Jaitley was President of DUSU in 1975, was he heading an `Alliance of Subversion’?“ Chidambaram tweeted. Congress spokesman Manish Tewari slammed Rijiju for saying that Kaur’s mind was polluted.

Capt slams ABVP

Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday lashed out at ABVP over Kargil martyr’s daughter Gurmehar Kaur gettingf rape and death threats for speaking out against the student party. “The girl’s father laid down his life for the country during the Kargil war and she is now being victimized for her legitimate act,“ said Amarinder.

`For every voice raised in anger, there’ll be a Gurmehar’

DU Student, 20, Is Compared To Dawood

The slugfest over last week’s violence at Delhi University’s Ramjas College has snowballed into another nationalist-versus-liberal confrontation, with Kargil martyr’s daughter and DU student Gurmehar Kaur coming under fierce attack from the saffron camp for her social media post condemning the “violence by ABVP“ and an earlier post in which she said war, not Pakistan, had killed her father.The student, daughter of Kargil martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, said on Monday that she had received “rape threats“.

Comparing Kaur with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, BJP MP from Mysuru Pratap Simha tweeted on Monday,“ At least Dawood did not use the crutches of his father’s name to justify his anti-national stand“. Hours later, Union minister Kiren Rijiju waded in with a tweet suggesting Kaur was being influenced.

“Who’s polluting this young girl’s mind? A strong arm (sic) force prevents a war. India never attacked anyone but a weak India was always invaded,“ Ri jiju tweeted, drawing sharp reactions from a section of the Twitterati that criticised him for undermining her freedom of expression. Some even asked why he was questioning Gurmehar’s opinion endorsing peace between India and Pakistan, while being silent on ABVP’s role in the student clashes at Ramjas College.

Kaur got support from Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhifor raising her voice against intolerance. Rahul’s office tweeted, “Against the tyranny of fear we stand with our students. For every voice raised in anger, intolerance and ignorance, there will be a Gurmehar Kaur.“

Kaur’s father captain Mandeep Singh was killed in the 1999 Kargil conflict, when she was two years old. The Lady Shri Ram College student lodged a complaint with the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Monday , alleging that she had been threatened with rape on social media.

Rijiju later clarified he was merely referring to Gurmehar’s social media post that shows her holding up a placard that reads “Pakistan did not kill my dad, war killed him“.Reacting to a tweet asking if 20-year-old Gurmehar could not have a view without being hounded, Rijiju posted: “Everyone has right of views (sic) but she said Pakistan didn’t kill our brave martyr and India should shun war. India never perpetrated violence“.

In fact, a battery of senior BJP leaders were in a combat ive mode refuting allegations of intolerance against the government and the BJP . Union I&B minister M Venkaiah Naidu said while “dissent was agreeable, disintegration was not“. “Certain misguided sections are trying to mislead young population and create social tensions and hurt sentiments of the people of India. Having a different opinion apart from majority opinion is agreeable but not disintegration. Nobody can advocate disintegration,“ he said “How can anybody advocate azadi for J&K? You want to make universities labs for separatist experiments?“ Naidu asked. He said, “ABVP is a nationalist organisation. Other organisations have different views, let them express it.Why should outsiders go and disturb peace of campuses?“ RSS’s student wing ABVP was accused of violence during a seminar on `Culture of Protests’ at Ramjas College last week, in which JNU student Umar Khalid was invited to speak. His name was later withdrawn.

On Monday , ABVP held a Tiranga rally on DU’s North Campus, protesting against the All India Students Association for raising shouting “anti-India slogans“.

Home minister Rajnath Singh said he was in touch with Delhi Police over the situation arising out of the Ramjas College clash. He has asked police to act with caution and “practise restraint“.

Congress’s Manish Tewari slammed Rijiju for suggesting that Kaur’s mind was being polluted. “The gentleman shouldn’t be in Parliament… it’s unfortunate, this emanates from the top, they feel by insulting martyrs’ families, they will get to Modi’s Cabinet.“

Tewari said the assault on students and teachers by alleged ABVP activists at Ramjas College was part of a concerted effort by right-wing forces. “There is this pattern of intimidation and violence going on across the country …The time has come for all to come together and fight this relentless assault on the Indian democracy by elements of the Sangh Parivar,“ Tewari said.

Meanwhile, former UPA minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram lashed out at finance minister Arun Jaitley for calling the debate on intolerance in the wake of violence in DU as led by an “alliance of subversion“. “When Jaitley was president of DUSU in 1975, was he heading an ‘alliance of subversion’?“ Chidambaram tweeted.

BJP using ABVP to take control of varsities: AAP

New Delhi: TIMES NEWS NETWORK

AAP functionary Atishi Marlena and MLAs, Sarita Singh and Alka Lamba, will meet the Delhi Police chief on Tuesday to complain against rape threats issued to DU student Gurmehar Kaur. Last week, Kaur spoke out against ABVP in connection with the violence at Ramjas College.On Monday , in response to MoS (home) Kiran Rijiju’s tweet on Kaur’s post wherein he said: “Who’s polluting this young girl’s mind? A strong arm force prevents a war. India never attacked anyone but a weak India was always invaded,“ Marlena asked: “Who is polluting the minds of ABVP workers who go around beating people ..who issue death and rape threats to women on social media?“ Calling ABVP the goon brigade of BJP, AAP has asked what action has been taken by police against those ABVP members who allegedly indulged in violence at Ramjas College last week.Marlena said that Delhi Police, which has travelled to even Gujarat to arrest an AAP MLA, had failed to take action against a single ABVP member despite proof of violence against them.

“Kaur, who spoke out against ABVP’s violence, is being explicitly threatened with rape but what has Delhi Police done about it. This is not about specific threats.Women are being threatened online with death and rape all the time and many of those issuing these threats are people being followed by senior BJP members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi,“ added Marlena.

Singh, AAP MLA from Rohtas Nagar, said BJP was trying to capture Indian universities through ABVP’s “gundagardi“. “DU and JNU have united over several issues in the past year. What has happened over the past two years that there is no space for dissent, that difference of opinion is tackled through violence,“ she asked.

The party accused Delhi Police of playing to the tune of the Centre, harassing those who spoke out against BJP and its allies and not taking action against those genuinely guilty of perpetuating violence.

Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba spoke about journalists who were threatened and heckled by some people at Patiala House court last year and mentioned BJP MLA O P Sharma who was caught on camera beating up people outside the court.

“What action has been taken against these people?
BJP has made it a habit of lodging cases against those whom it targets and while they are harassed by the police, no action is ever taken against the real culprits,“ she said.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 27

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has relocated the Headquarters of the Additional Directorate General, North-West, to Chandigarh from New Delhi. The headquarters is responsible for all border roads and associated projects in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.The move has been undertaken to augment infrastructure development in the western and north-western border regions and to have better coordination with state governments, Army and other stakeholder agencies. The headquarters began functioning from Chandigarh a few days ago.PK Mahajan, a highly experienced officer, has been appointed the first Additional Director General (ADG) at Chandigarh. He was the first Chief Engineer of BRO’s Rohtang Tunnel project and had played a key role in its conceptualisation, planning and execution. The BRO has two ADGs, the other one responsible for road infrastructure along the eastern borders. The ADG North-West has nine BRO projects under its jurisdiction in the aforementioned states, these being Beacon, Chetak, Deepak, Himank, Hirak, Rohtang, Sampark, Shivalik and Vijayank, which cover the deserts as well as some of the highest passes in the world like Khardung La, Chang La and Baralacha La.Mahajan said with changes in the BRO set up, the pace of road construction as well as inter-departmental coordination is expected to improve. He added that efforts were underway not only to provide road connectivity to the remotest places on the borders but also to ensure that the lines of communication in harsh terrain and inclement weather conditions remain open.

Thane/New Delhi, February 26

The Thane police today claimed to have busted a recruitment racket in the Army following leak of question papers of an examination conducted by the Army Recruitment Board.Eighteen suspects, including a retired serviceman and a paramilitary force employee, have been arrested during raids in Maharashtra and Goa since last midnight.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Army sources in the national capital said tests were cancelled at examination centres, including in Kamptee, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Ahmedabad, Goa and Kirkee.The examinations were held for a number of posts, including those of soldier clerk, strongman and soldier tradesman, at 52 centres across the country.The sources said the Army had ordered an internal inquiry and action would be taken based on the findings. Tests were likely to be “countermanded” in more centres.Joint Commissioner of Thane police Ashutosh Dumbare said 350 students who possessed question papers were also detained for questioning.A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, IT Act and Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused, who were being brought to Thane for further probe.Among those arrested, nine were from Pune, six from Nagpur and three from Goa, he said. Of the detained candidates, 79 were from Pune, 222 from Nagpur and 49 from Goa, the officer said.The Thane police had received information a couple of days back from an institute which conducts coaching classes for Army job aspirants that some city students were to be given the question papers in advance for a price.Around 80 personnel laid a trap and caught the students and middlemen from lodges and other places with copies of question papers, the officer said. The middlemen had also arranged for fake domicile and residence proof for students hailing from other places. The beneficiary was to pay Rs 4 to 5 lakh to the middlemen, said Dumbare.The police suspect the papers were leaked from the press where it was printed or from the distribution centres. DCP (Crime) Parag Manere said the papers were leaked through WhatsApp. — PTI

Army question paper leaked; ex-serviceman among 18 held

Thane Crime Branch officials show a examination paper of the Army Recruitment Board that was allegedly leaked, in Mumbai on Sunday. PTI

Thane/New Delhi, February 26The Thane police on Sunday claimed to have busted a recruitment racket in the army following leak of question papers of an examination conducted by the Army Recruitment Board.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

As many as 18 suspects, including a retired serviceman and a paramilitary personnel, have been arrested during raids in Maharashtra and Goa since last midnight.Army sources said in the national capital that tests were cancelled at examination centres including in Kamptee, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Ahmedabad, Goa and Kirkee.The examinations were held for a number of posts, including those of soldier clerk, strongman and soldier tradesman, at 52 centres across the country.The sources said army has ordered an internal enquiry and further action will be taken based on the findings. Tests were likely to be “countermanded” in more centres.Joint Commissioner of Thane police Ashutosh Dumbare said 350 students who possessed question papers were also detained for questioning.A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, IT Act and Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused who were being brought to Thane for further probe.Among those arrested nine were from Pune, six from Nagpur and three from Goa, he said.Of the detained candidates, 79 are from Pune, 222 from Nagpur and 49 from Goa, the officer said.The Thane police had received information a couple of days back from an institute which conducts coaching classes for army job aspirants that some city students were to be given the question papers in advance for a price.Around 80 officials of the Thane city police laid a trap and caught the students and middlemen from lodges and other places with the copies of question papers, the officer said.The middlemen had also arranged for fake domicile and residence proof for students hailing from other places so as to enable them appear for the exams in that zone.The beneficiary was to pay around Rs 4 to 5 lakh to the middlemen, said Dumbare.The police suspect that the papers were leaked either from the press where it was printed or from the distribution centres.The Thane city police are exchanging information with Director of Army Recruitment Exams and also the Military Intelligence wing regarding the leak, he said.DCP, Crime, Parag Manere said the papers were leaked to aspirants through Whatsapp.Following the tip-off about the leak, Thane police, with the help of their local counterparts, conducted raids in Nashik, Pune and Nagpur in Maharashtra, and Goa.Some aspirants were found writing the papers at different places in Thane during the raids. — PTI

Youths throw stones at security personnel during clashes in Srinagar. PTI

The Army has woken up to the reality that increasing public support to militants in the Valley poses a greater threat to its objective of establishing and maintaining peace in Kashmir. On Feb 14, when the Army lost four soldiers, including a Major, in two separate encounters in north Kashmir’s Bandipora and Kupwara districts, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat termed the militant supporters as “over-ground workers”.More baffling is the fact that public support is visible in areas where the anti-insurgency campaign has been most effective. In Hajin area of Bandipora, which was the home of counterinsurgency king Kuka Parray, hundreds of youngsters came on streets during the raging gun-battle to help the holed-up Pakistani militants escape. This was not the first time — at least five times, militants were helped by local supporters to escape the cordon.“It (the people gathering at the encounter sites) is a difficult situation for us,” admits J&K Police Director General of Police (DGP) Shesh Paul Vaid.This trend began much before the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8 last year. In the much highlighted Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) encounter in Pampore on Srinagar outskirts last year, which left three commandos, including two officers, dead, people gathered around the encounter site, played songs in mosques and tried to hamper the 3-day-long operation.Such crowd behaviour started from south Kashmir — a virtual breeding ground for militants: youth would march towards the gunfight sites to help militants escape. In many cases they succeeded. The trend is gaining ground in north Kashmir districts, the region that lies close to the Line of Control.All this is despite curbs of people’s movement – such as imposing prohibitory orders — before an encounter begins. In reality, such measures yield little. “They throw stones to distract the forces,” says Inspector General (IG) Operations of the CRPF in Kashmir, Zulfiqar Hassan. “In recent two encounters — Frisal Kulgam and Hajin Bandipore — even though we killed five militants, the mob helped the militants to escape.” Hassan, however, says militants pressure people to help them to escape. “These days forces want to wind up anti- militancy operations as quickly as possible to avoid law and order situation. Besides, it is the hiding militant that keeps an eye on forces’ movement and it is he who has the initial initiative. That’s the reason forces are suffering casualties in the first push during the operation,” the officer said. “In a few cases civilians are used as human shields by militants to escape.” The villagers have their own version. A resident of Arwani Anantnag, Riyaz Ahmed, says people facing frequent clampdowns have become immune to the fear of security forces. “There is a lot of anger among the youth. There is no political dialogue. All this causes frustration, which leads people to help the militants. Also, most militants are locals, so, they enjoy support and sympathy,” he said. Whatever is happening is in sharp contrast to the initial anti-militancy campaign launched by the Army. During the early years of 1990s, militants when trapped in a house, were all for themselves. The people would either flee or submit to the orders the men in olive green, till the encounter was over.Another trend is picking up: youngsters go live on social media during their attempt to reach out to militants. The social media, officials said, help militants and separatists to garner support. In Kashmir, the power of social media became evident, after Burhan Wani’s death that triggered a five-month-long unrest and left nearly 90 people dead. 

Militant strength

• 250 approx Total militants
• 225 approx Listed militants
• 130 Locals
• 95 Foreigners
• 110 Lashkar-e-Toiba(foreigners as well as locals)
• 90 Hizbul Mujahideen(all locals)
• The rest are associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad and Al-Badr

Water accumulated in the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal near Patiala’s Sarala village on the Punjab-Haryana border on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MANOJ MAHAJAN

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 22

“Ithay ton kisse ne nahi aauna. Tusi patarkaar vi kabrao na (Nobody will come from this side. Journalists should not worry),” said Haryana’s Harjit Singh, who owns land in Ismailpur village. He claimed that no political outfit could dig the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal.Ismailpur is the first village in Haryana’s Ambala district and borders Kapoori village in Patiala district.Water flows in the canal near the Haryana border with Irrigation Department officials claiming that part of the canal in Punjab gets water from Bhakhra, but it is too less to flow to Ambala.The SYL canal at almost the entire stretch near Kapoori passes along the Bhakhra Main Line, which is full of water.Roads and two bridges in Ismailpur had no police presence in spite of an alert, and there was no restriction on the entry of vehicles as a team of The Tribune visited the site today afternoon. The police, however, have put up a naka 2 km inside Punjab.A group of five elderly farmers sitting on the outskirts of Kapoori said that the INLD and for that matter any other party could not dig the canal. They pointed to water in the canal to prove their point.“Whatever little water flows in it is because of monsoon and nearby Bhakhra channel. Can you believe that anyone can dig it with tools or machinery? The announcement to dig the canal is just to hog the limelight,” one of them said. Others nodded.Two of them — Sarbjit Singh and Ram Kishan — were from Haryana, while the rest were from Punjab.They were worried that calls for a march over riverwaters had disturbed camaraderie among people, who were one once.“The dispute is among two states, and not two countries. There has to be a solution. Communities cannot be divided over a matter that does not suit one political party,” a farmer said.Villagers in Kapoori, where the foundation stone of the canal was laid, said the canal had turned fellow villagers, who were once neighbours, into enemies. For this, they blamed political leadership of the two states.“The INLD’s announcement is a political stunt. As the party is fighting for its survival, it dawned upon its leadership to safeguard Haryana’s interests,” Kapoori resident Baldev Singh said. “In Punjab, the ruling SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress did nothing for years. Now, they are issuing statements that they won’t allow water to flow out of Punjab.”Some villagers said political outfits were raking up the matter to settle scores. “It is like playing a political football for vested interests,” said Gurjant Singh, who got back 3 acres acquired for the canal.“The Punjab Government tells the Supreme Court that land was returned to actual owners and it was difficult to re-acquire the land. It’s a disputed land and owners do not know whether or not they own it. Further, the land has been dug deep. At some places, the depth is more than 20 ft. I do not have resources to fill the land and start irrigation,” he said.

From conception to conflict

• 1981: The CMs of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan sign an agreement for the allocation of surplus Ravi-Beas waters in the presence of then PM Indira Gandhi.
• April 8, 1982: The foundation stone of the controversial SYL canal, envisaged in 1976, laid by Indira Gandhi at Kapoori village in Patiala. The SAD launches a morcha against the SYL soon after the stone laying.
• 1984: The digging for
• the canal begins
• July 24, 1985: The Rajiv-Longowal accord signed. With the formation of the government under the command of Surjit Singh Banala, the canal construction expedited.
• 1990: Most of the digging completed. However, work had to be suspended — first owing to the killing of labourers and then due to the killing a chief engineer and a superintending engineer associated with the canal.
• January 2002: The SC directs Punjab to complete the canal in a year.
• July 2004: The Punjab Assembly unanimously passes the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, for which Presidential Reference was sent to the Supreme Court, which declared the Act invalid in 2016.
• 2016: The Punjab Assembly passes the Punjab Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (Rehabilitation and Revesting the Property Rights) Bill, 2016, to return SYL land to farmers. tns

Sonia didn’t speak to Capt for 6 months

Chandigarh, February 22

State Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh has said his government in 2004 had passed the state law terminating the Punjab’s water-sharing pact with neighbouring states without consulting the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and had acutely upset her.An upset Sonia did not meet him for six months after his government passed the law, said Capt Amarinder during the launch of his biography “The People’s Maharaja” here on Tuesday.The Supreme Court had last November struck down the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, as “unconstitutional”.“Mrs Gandhi wouldn’t see me. She didn’t see me for six months as the Chief Minister. The friends then told her either sack him (Amarinder) or see your CM. So, she eventually called me and, sitting across the table, asked me ‘why did you do this (passed the Termination Act)’. I said this was necessary for Punjab.“Then she said why didn’t you ask me, to which I said had I asked you, would you have said yes. To this, she said no… Then I told her I did it because it was in the interest of Punjab,” the Congress leader said.The former CM said he told the Congress president that he passed the Act because he did not want the Gandhi family to suffer more from the malady of terrorism.

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Maharashtra Legislative Assembly building. (PTI)

Maharashtra neta Prashant Paricharak with his shocking comment on the Indian Army, stirred controversy. While addressing a rally, Paricharak talked about how army wives are unfaithful, he said, “Baby despite husband being away. Husband at border, wife has baby”, according to an India Today report. This comment comes in the wake of the stone pelting clash in Kashmir. Two days after Army Chief Bipin Rawat issued a stern warning to all the stone pelters in Kashmir when the operation against militants, where three soldiers were heavily stone-pelted at Parray Mohalla of Bandipore in the northern part of the region.

Prashant Paricharak. (Twitter)

On Friday, clashes erupted in Jammu and Kashmir’s capital Srinagar just days after the warning of army chief Bipin Rawat. The protests broke out after the days prayers as the youngsters waved the ISIS flags. This incident took place near Jama Masjid in Srinagar after the prayers were over and people were captured raising Pakistan’s flag and also pelted stones.

An Islamic State suicide bomber on Thursday struck inside a famed shrine in southern Pakistan killing at least 75 people in the deadliest attack in the country in more than two years. The incident was condemned at the international level including United Nations and the United States. Since the clashes in Jammu and Kashmir took place just one day after the attack, it is a big concern of the Indian government.

Says can’t accept Supreme Court ruling as 10 lakh acres in southern Punjab will go dry if SYL project completed

Sutlej -Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal issue has the potential of taking Punjab back to square one. There are people already waiting in the wings and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) will ginger them up.” Punjab Congress chief and former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh delivered this warning at the launch of his biography, ‘The People’s Maharaja’, written by Khushwant Singh.

SANJEEV SHARMA/HT(From left) Author Khushwant Singh, Hay House Publishers India chief executive Ashok Chopra and Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh at the launch of the former chief minister’s biography, ‘The People’s Maharaja’, in Chandigarh on Tuesday.

The event was attended by the who’s who of the region, including Amarinder’s close friend Aroosa Alam from Pakistan.

Amarinder cautioned that 10 lakh acres will go dry in southern Punjab if the canal is built. “Six lakh families will have to go without food. Do you think people will sit back? The youth will draw weapons,” he said.

In a free-wheeling interaction moderated by Hindustan Times senior resident editor Ramesh Vinayak, Amarinder said that the ruling SAD-BJP Government had not pursued the case well. “They should have at least told the court about the quantum of water available in the state. I can’t accept the ruling at all,” he said, telling how he had circumvented the canal during his tenure as chief minister.

“I asked the secretary, irrigation, how we could avoid it, and he said there is a way but you might get sacked,” Amarinder recalled, while narrating the sequence of events that led to the Bill terminating all water agreements.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi was so miffed with him that she refused to meet him for six months.

THE 1984 CHAPTER

Dwelling on the run-up to Operation Bluetsar, Amarinder recounted how he used to make 10 trips to Amritsar every month from 1980 to February 1984 in a bid to resolve the Punjab imbroglio. “Ravinder Singh of Akali Dal and I worked very hard and many a times we thought a solution had been found, but either (Parkash Singh) Badal would drop it or Prime Minister Indira Gandhi would.”

Amarinder said he opted out of the negotiations in February 1984, saying he had done his bit. Amarinder recalls how he was caught unawares by the military operation as he was always told that it would be the last option. “I told the PM even then, that I would quit if it took place.”.

ALWAYS A SOLDIER

Amarinder said though he had enjoyed every phase of his life, his stint in the army was his favourite. “I would have stayed on had circumstances not intervened,” said Amarinder, who continued his tryst with the forces by authoring three books on military history in the past five years.

Khushwant recalled how shocked he was when he visited Amarinder in October last year and found him contemplating a book on the Battle of Saragarhi. His book on the 1965 war earned him accolades from none other than the son of Gen Ayub Khan of Pakistan, who went on record to praise it as the most credible book on the war in which he too had taken part as a young officer.

POLL PREDICTION

Coming to March 11, incidentally his 75th birthday and the first time in 15 generations that a scion of the Patiala family has crossed this mark, Amarinder said he expected the Congress to bag 65-odd seats as people wanted stability and good governance.

He gave around 40 seats to the Aam Aadmi Party and the remaining handful to the Shiromani Akali Dal.

“There is a groundswell of anger against the Akali misrule, that’s why I opted to fight from Lambi,” he said.

Amarinder signed off saying he hoped the book will see many more updates and chapters.

The couple in custody for the murder of Indian Air Force corporal Vipan Shukla (inset) in Bathinda on Tuesday. Photo: Pawan sharma

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 21

The chopped body of Indian Air Force (IAF) corporal Vipan Shukla, who had gone missing on February 8, was found today in the staff quarters at the Bhisiana air force station.The police arrested IAF sergeant Shailesh Kumar and his wife Anuradha, who is eight months’ pregnant, for the murder. A co-accused, Shailesh’s brother-in-law Shashi Bhushan, is absconding. A preliminary investigation revealed that Shukla had illicit relations with Anuradha. On getting pregnant last year, she allegedly asked him to marry her as she was prepared to divorce her husband. However, he rebuffed her and told her to get an abortion done.Sources said Anuradha and her husband later hatched a conspiracy to murder Shukla. Her brother, who works in the Merchant Navy, became their accomplice.Police sources stated that around 10.30 pm on February 8, when Shukla was taking a walk, Anuradha sought his help to pack her luggage. He entered her house, where Shailesh and his brother-in-law hit him fatally on the head with an axe and hid the body in a trunk.On February 19, they chopped the body into pieces and packed it in 16 packets. They then kept the parts in the refrigerator and a cupboard in their new quarters, the sources added.The police said Kumkum Shukla, the victim’s wife, had registered a complainant at Balluana police post on February 9 about her disappearance.A police team, along with IAF officials and a dog squad, searched the quarters and recovered the body parts.

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has reiterated its advice to local youth against running towards the site of gun-battle and issued prohibitory restrictions of up to three kilometers around an encounter site in the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Shopian.

The advisory came amidst a political war of words on the army chief ’s recent statement that such people will be dealt with harshly.

“District administrations of Srinagar, Budgam and Shopian advised people not to move towards or assemble near the places where encounters take place between security forces and militants to avoid loss and injuries to precious human lives,” the advisory, released on Thursday evening, said.

It added, “However the restrictions shall not apply to the movement of ambulances, medical, paramedical staff and Government employees.”

The government advisory comes after a year since it first issued such a notice in Pulwama district, following the increasing cases of locals rushing towards the site of a gun-battle to allegedly distract security forces and help the militants in escaping.

Speaking to HT, J&K director general of police, SP Vaid said, “We can advise and if someone still wants to jump into the fire, then what can we do?”

HT had reported exactly a year ago about this trend and experts had observed in the story that “common people openly putting their lives at stake to save militants” was an emerging reality in Kashmir.

Army chief Bipin Rawat has recently commented that those who hinder counter-insurgency operations or display flags of Pakistan and the Islamic State in Kashmir will be considered as “anti-national” and would “face action”.

Asked about why people are continuing with this trend despite knowing the dangers, Vaid said: “Vinasha kale viparith buddhi (When one’s doom approaches, then one’s mind, one’s intelligence works perversely),” he said.

Reacting to Rawat’s statement, senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “The issue of internal security of the country is a serious one and there can be no compromise on it. But as I had said during the last Parliament session, atrocities should not be inflicted on innocents. Action should be taken against those involved in wrong doings but there is need to adopt restraint.”

Encounter sites in J&K tohave3km no­go zones

Officials say move is to stop civilians from risking lives

The Jammu and Kashmir government has reiterated its advice to local youth against running towards the site of gunbattle and issued prohibitory restrictions of up to three kilometers around an encounter site in the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Shopian.

WASEEM ANDRABI/HTKashmiri protesters throw stones at police and paramilitary soldiers during a demonstration after the Friday prayers in Srinagar.

The advisory came amidst a political war of words on the army chief’s recent statement that such people will be dealt with harshly.

“District administrations of Srinagar, Budgam and Shopian advised people not to move towards or assemble near the places where encounters take place between security forces and militants to avoid loss and injuries to precious human lives,” the advisory, released on Thursday evening, said.

It added, “However the restrictions shall not apply to the movement of ambulances, medical, paramedical staff and Government employees.”

The government advisory comes after a year since it first issued such a notice in Pulwama district, following the increasing cases of locals rushing towards the site of a gun-battle to allegedly distract security forces and help the militants in escaping.

Speaking to HT, J&K director general of police, SP Vaid said, “We can advise and if someone still wants to jump into the fire, then what can we do?”

HT had reported exactly a year ago about this trend and experts had observed in the story that “common people openly putting their lives at stake to save militants” was an emerging reality in Kashmir.

Army chief Bipin Rawat has recently commented that those who hinder counter-insurgency operations or display flags of Pakistan and the Islamic State in Kashmir will be considered as “anti-national” and would “face action”.

Asked about why people are continuing with this trend despite knowing the dangers, Vaid said: “Vinasha kale viparith buddhi (When one’s doom approaches, then one’s mind, one’s intelligence works perversely),” he said.

Reacting to Rawat’s statement, senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “The issue of internal security of the country is a serious one and there can be no compromise on it. But as I had said during the last Parliament session, atrocities should not be inflicted on innocents. Action should be taken against those involved in wrong doings but there is need to adopt restraint.”

“Congress is falling to this temptation of politicising the army chief’s statement… This party can go to any extent for political benefits. It is speaking the voice of separatists for lowly political gains,” Union minister Jitendra Singh retorted.