A British delegation will discuss the shared heritage between the militaries of India and Britain, while a session will be devoted to the diamond jubilee of the 1965 war

The ninth edition of the Military Literature Festival is scheduled to be held in Chandigarh from November 7-9 on the theme of “Heartland and Rimland Powers in Multi-domain Warfare and India”. The western, southern and eastern edges of Eurasia have been categorised as Rimland, with central and northern areas being the heartland.

Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria will inaugurate the festival, while Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan will deliver a keynote address on the concluding day. The closing ceremony, dedicated to heroes of the 1965 India-Pakistan War, will be presided over by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Operation Sindoor in the context of employing air power in multi-domain warfare will figure among the discussions along with other topics like multi-domain threats from Pakistan and China, challenges in the maritime domain, role of energy in the changing geopolitical scenario and changing dynamics in Af-Pak region and Iran.

A British delegation will discuss the shared heritage between the militaries of India and Britain, while a session will be devoted to the diamond jubilee of the 1965 war. Homage to martyrs, a bravehearts motorcycle rally, weapons and equipment display, exhibition of military paintings and stamps, screening documentaries, horse show and dog show are other events.

The service was first piloted in Delhi on July 31

The Department of Posts has launched a dedicated service to facilitate the pick-up, booking, transmission, and door-step delivery of medicines that are not available at ECHS polyclinics under Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme, an official statement said on Friday.

Under the initiative launched in collaboration with the Department of Ex-servicemen (DESW), medicines will be procured and packaged through Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) Common Service Centre (CSC) stationed at ECHS polyclinics, while logistics and delivery will be managed by India Post’s trusted delivery network.

“The Department of Posts (DoP), in collaboration with Department of Ex-servicemen (DESW), has launched a dedicated service to facilitate the pickup, booking, transmission, and doorstep delivery of medicines that are not available at ECHS polyclinics under Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS),” the statement said.

The service was first piloted in Delhi on July 31, where it received an encouraging response and subsequently expanded to the NCR region, covering Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

“Building on the success of the pilot wherein more than 1,700 packets of medicines were delivered, a comprehensive mapping of 458 ECHS locations across the country has been completed, and the service will be available across the country from October 17,” the statement said.Non-communicable diseases drive two-thirds of global deaths: Report’
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The service will ensure timely and reliable delivery of medicines to ECHS beneficiaries, the postal department said.

BrahMos Aerospace has rapidly scaled up its production capabilities to meet the increasing demands of the Indian Armed Forces

BrahMos cruise missiles produced at the new BrahMos Aerospace Unit in Lucknow are set to enter service with the Armed forces, with the first batch to be flagged-off jointly by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday.

The missile, capable of travelling at Mach-3 and carrying out precision strikes at ranges up to 300 km, was widely believed to have been used to strike multiple targets inside Pakistan during ‘Operation Sindoor’ in May 2025 as part of India’s retribution to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that had killed 26 persons in April 2025.

Designed to be launched by combat aircraft, warships, submarines and road-mobile launchers, it was also operationally deployed as a deterrent during the protracted stand-off with China along the Line of Actual Control that began in the spring of 2020.

Developed jointly by India and Russia, the missile entered Indian service in 2007. Its first production unit was set up in Bengaluru.

BrahMos Aerospace, the missile’s producer, had set up a new Integration and test facility in Lucknow in May 2025. This state-of-the-art facility is equipped with modern systems for missile assembly, integration, testing and final quality checks.

During his visit, the Defence Minister and Chief Minister will also inaugurate the Booster Building and witness a live demonstration of the booster docking process, a defence spokesperson said on Friday. They will also review presentations at the airframe and avionics, pre-dispatch inspection (PDI) and warhead buildings along with the BrahMos simulator equipment.

Director-General, BrahMos, Dr Jaytirth R. Joshi will hand over the GST bill and cheque to the Chief Minister, symbolising revenue generation for the state. The continuous production of BrahMos missiles, being projected as a major milestone for the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC), will provide sustained GST revenue and generate employment opportunities for highly skilled youth in Uttar Pradesh.

The BrahMos facility in Lucknow’s Sarojini Nagar stands as one of the most significant projects under the Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor. It carries out the complete process of assembly, integration and testing to the highest technical standards. The Lucknow unit is the first in the corridor to manage the entire manufacturing and testing process indigenously, reinforcing both strategic autonomy and industrial growth.

BrahMos Aerospace has rapidly scaled up its production capabilities to meet the increasing demands of the Indian Armed Forces. Besides ensuring timely fulfilment of domestic defence requirements, the advanced technologies being developed here will pave the way for next-generation variants of the BrahMos missile system.

The Tribune Editorial: Intelligence agencies link this escalation to Operation Sindoor.

THE five-fold surge in arms smuggling across Punjab’s border with Pakistan signals a dangerous reactivation of Pakistan’s covert playbook. With 362 weapons seized so far this year compared to 81 last year, Punjab once again finds itself on the frontline of a shadow war. Intelligence agencies link this escalation to Operation Sindoor, India’s precision strikes on terror hideouts in Pakistan and PoK earlier this year.

Carried reward of Rs 9 crore; 110 of them women

As many as 208 Maoist cadres, including a central committee member, laid down arms before authorities in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur on Friday, making it the largest mass surrender in the history of anti-Naxal operations in the state, officials said.

The 98 men and 110 women cadres, all members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) carrying a collective reward of Rs 9.18 crore, gave up 153 arms before state Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and other leaders. The weapons include 19 AK-47 rifles, 17 SLR rifles, 23 INSAS rifles, an INSAS LMG, 36 .303 rifles, 11 BGL launchers, four carbines, 41 bore single shotguns and a pistol.

With this, most of North Abujhmad is now relatively free of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and only South Bastar remains to be freed from Naxal violence, official sources said.

Officials hailed the surrender as one of the most significant breakthroughs in recent years, saying it underscored the growing success of the government’s Naxal Eradication and Rehabilitation Policy-2025, which combined development, dialogue and trust-building measures to encourage militants to return to the mainstream. The large-scale surrender is expected to accelerate the peace and development efforts in the region and further weaken the Maoist network in the Bastar division, once considered the stronghold of LWE in India.

Among the top Maoist leaders who surrendered were Rupesh, alias Satish, (central committee member); Bhaskar, alias Rajman Mandavi, (DKSZC member); Ranita (DKSZC member); Raju Salam (DKSZC member); Dhannu Vetti, alias Santu (DKSZC member); and Ratan Elam (regional committee member).

Officials said the surrender represented a decisive step towards lasting peace and inclusive development in Bastar and the broader Dandakaranya region, once considered the epicentre of Naxalism.

“Today marks a historic day not only for Bastar but for the entire state and nation. Those who had lived for years under the shadow of violence and fear have renounced arms and embraced the Constitution under the ‘Poona Margem’ — From Rehabilitation to Rejuvenation programme,” the Chhattisgarh CM said in Jagdalpur.

Sai further said the youth who were once trapped in the false ideology of Maoism had now reposed faith in the power of democracy, the ideals of the Constitution, and the sensitive policies of the state government by returning to the social mainstream.

The surrender came within 24 hours of 170 Naxals giving up arms in Chhattisgarh on October 16, with some of them carrying rewards ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 1 crore. On October 14, Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Sonu, (70), a member of the CPI (Maoist)’s Politburo, had surrendered in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli along with 60 other cadres.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited expects to complete delivery of all aircraft by 2032-33

Indigenous fighter jet Tejas Mark-1A made its maiden flight in Nashik on Friday. Deliveries to the Indian Air Force (IAF), however, are expected to take a few more weeks, pending completion of weapon integration and testing.

Plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is validating weapon parameters before handing over the aircraft, originally scheduled for delivery in March 2024. The company is still integrating the Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, a laser-guided bomb and the ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile, each meant for specific air-combat roles. The IAF has asked for the integration to be completed so that the aircraft is combat-ready on delivery.

HAL Chairman and Managing Director Dr DK Sunil said, “We are conducting weapon trials, and the results are positive. I expect that in the coming months we’ll complete this task and be in a position to deliver the aircraft.”

The aircraft is structurally complete, with the remaining updates limited to software changes, he added.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed two contracts with HAL for a total of 180 Tejas Mark-1A jets — 83 aircraft for Rs 48,000 crore in January 2021, and another 97 for Rs 62,370 crore last month. HAL expects to complete delivery of all aircraft by 2032-33.

At Nashik, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh witnessed the maiden flight and inaugurated the third Tejas Mark-1A production line. He described the jet as a symbol of India’s self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

HAL is also facing delays in the supply of General Electric (GE) F404 engines, essential for the Tejas Mark-1A. Nearly a dozen aircraft are ready at HAL’s facility, but only four engines have been delivered so far. “GE has overcome earlier supply issues, though ramp-up is still slow,” Dr Sunil said. “As production stabilises, we’ll be able to meet the 2032-33 timeline.”

Singh noted that India’s annual defence production has now reached Rs 1.5 lakh crore, crediting the growth to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. He also commended HAL’s Nashik team for integrating the BrahMos missile on the Sukhoi-30MKI during Operation Sindoor, strengthening IAF’s operational readiness.

Bhullar, middleman remanded in judicial custody

In one of the biggest corruption crackdowns in Punjab’s police ranks, the CBI has unearthed papers related to over 50 properties, besides a staggering trail of cash, gold, luxury watches, liquor and firearms during searches on the premises of arrested DIG (Ropar Range) Harcharan Singh Bhullar, a 2009-batch Punjab-cadre IPS officer, and his associate middleman, Kirshanu Sharda.

The searches, carried out at multiple locations in Chandigarh and Punjab following their arrest on Thursday evening, led to the recovery of Rs 7.5 crore, 2.5 kg of gold jewellery, 26 luxury watches, including Rolex and Rado, four firearms with 100 live cartridges and documents related to more than 50 immovable properties allegedly held in the names of Bhullar’s family members and suspected benami entities.

The CBI also seized locker keys, details of several bank accounts and Rs 5.7 lakh along with 108 liquor bottles and 17 live cartridges from Bhullar’s farmhouse in Samrala near Ludhiana. From the residence of the alleged middleman Kirshanu Sharda, Rs 21 lakh and several incriminating documents were recovered.

Both Bhullar and Sharda were today remanded in judicial custody till October 31.

According to the CBI’s case, registered under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, DIG Bhullar had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 4 lakh and monthly illegal gratification through Sharda for “settling” an FIR registered against the complainant. The verification process revealed that the demand had later escalated to Rs 8 lakh.

Both Bhullar and Sharda were arrested around 8 pm on October 16 in Chandigarh in the presence of independent witnesses. The CBI said all mandatory legal formalities were followed, and their medical examination was conducted at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh. Family members were informed of the arrests.

A CBI team had earlier laid a trap the same day after verifying the bribery demand. Sharda was caught red-handed while taking Rs 5 lakh, part of the total Rs 8 lakh, from the complainant on behalf of Bhullar. The tainted bribe money was recovered from his possession in the presence of witnesses. During the trap, Sharda allegedly confessed that he was collecting the money on Bhullar’s instructions. A subsequent controlled call between the two was recorded, in which Bhullar acknowledged receipt of the Rs 5 lakh and asked Sharda to bring the complainant and the remaining bribe amount to his office.

During verification on October 11 at the Sector 9-D market in Chandigarh, the CBI recorded a WhatsApp call in which Bhullar allegedly directed Sharda to collect Rs 8 lakh, saying “8 fadne ne 8” and “Jinna denda nal nal fadi chal, ohnu kehde 8 kar de pura.” ( “8 ਫਡਨੇ ਨੇ 8” ਅਤੇ “ਜਿਨਾ ਦੇਂਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਨਾਲ ਫਦੀ ਚਲ, ਓਹਨੂੰ ਕਹਿਦੇ 8 ਕਰ ਦੇ ਪੁਰਾ।)”“8 फडने ने 8” और “जिन्ना देना नल नल फड चल, ओहनु केहदे 8 कर दे पूरा।”Sharda later told the complainant, “Edda kehna pata ki hai… kehnda hai August da ni aaya, September da ni aaya,” implying the DIG was demanding monthly payments. The mobile number used in the call was verified as belonging to DIG Bhullar. The recorded conversation and verification established the bribery demand, leading to registration of the CBI case.

The CBI has expressed strong apprehension that being a senior police officer, Bhullar, if released, may influence or intimidate witnesses, tamper with or destroy crucial evidence or otherwise obstruct the fair and impartial course of investigation. “The investigation is at a crucial and nascent stage. Several material witnesses remain to be examined, and the process of verifying documentary and financial evidence is ongoing,” the federal agency said, while adding that the searches were part of the continuing investigation aimed at uncovering the full extent of the alleged corruption and misconduct.

The case was registered on October 16 by the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch, Chandigarh, based on a written complaint dated October 11 by Akash Batta. The complaint was followed by verification confirming that DIG Bhullar, through his middleman, had demanded bribes and monthly payoffs for not taking coercive police action against the complainant’s business. Both accused were produced before the CBI Special Judge in Chandigarh, where the agency sought 14-day judicial custody and the same was granted by the court.

Restrictions back in UT ahead of ‘silent peace march’

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday ordered a judicial inquiry by retired Supreme Court judge Justice BS Chauhan into the September 24 violence in Leh that left four persons dead and nearly 100 injured, the announcement coming on the eve of a “silent peace march” planned in Ladakh against the action by security personnel on protesters.

The MHA order said Justice Chauhan will be assisted by retired District and Sessions Judge Mohan Singh Parihar as judicial secretary and IAS officer Tushar Anand as administrative secretary. The development is expected to break the deadlock between the Centre and the two main groups representing the protesters — Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) — as a judicial probe was one of their main demands for resuming talks.

“In order to ensure an impartial inquiry, the Ministry of Home Affairs today notified a judicial inquiry to be conducted by former Supreme Court judge BS Chauhan into the circumstances leading to the serious law and order situation, police action and the resultant death of the four individuals,” a government statement said.

The Tribune had reported on October 6 that the Ladakh leaders had been assured of a judicial probe by the Centre through back-channel communication.

The government also said it was “always open to dialogue and will continue to welcome discussions with the LAB and the KDA through its high-powered committee on Ladakh or any other suitable platform”. “We are confident that continuous dialogue will yield the desired results in the near future. The government stands committed to the aspirations of the people of Ladakh,” the statement said.

The state government has chalked a number of events to commemorate Guru’s martyrdom anniversary across the state

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will extend a formal invitation to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a series of events being organised by the state to commemorate the 350^th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

A spokesperson said the Chief Minister will extend an invitation to these dignitaries to be a part of the commemorative events.

A detailed official programme of events will be shared with both the President and the prime minister, and they will be requested by the Chief Minister to attend those according to their convenience, he said.

The state government will make complete logistical and security arrangements, making this a memorable experience for one and all.

It has already chalked a number of events to commemorate this once-in-a-lifetime occasion across the state in a befitting manner, said the spokesperson.

This series of events will be organised with deep reverence and respect across the state, primarily on the sacred land of Sri Anandpur Sahib under the auspices of the state government.

The underlying message of the series of events will be to encourage the people to follow the high ideals of secularism, humanism and the spirit of sacrifice as preached and practised by the ninth Sikh Guru, who laid down his life to protect the right of freedom to worship and preserve human rights along with secular values.

Meanwhile, various ministers of the state have been entrusted with the task of extending invitations to the chief ministers of the various states to attend the events.

BSF and Pakistan Rangers personnel during the beating retreat ceremony at Attari in Amritsar. File

It has been more than 50 days since the beating retreat ceremony at the joint check-post in Hussainiwala was suspended following the extensive damage to the venue in recent floods. The daily ritual usually draws thousands of visitors to witness the electrifying drill between the BSF and Pakistan Rangers.

Besides, the disruption caused by the ravaging Sutlej has silenced the patriotic spectacle — the Light and Sound show, which attracts countless tourists to pay homage to Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, BK Dutt and Punjab Mata, leaving local shopkeepers and service providers struggling for survival.

Ceremony timing advanced to 5 pm

Fazilka: The timing of the beating retreat ceremony has been advanced to 5 pm with effect from Thursday at Sadiqi (Fazilka), Hussainiwala (Ferozepur) and Attari (Amrtisar). Officials said the timing had been changed keeping in view the early sunset hours during the autumn and approaching winter. Earlier, the ceremony used to start at 5.30 pm. — OC

Floods have virtually scarred the Hussainiwala site. Roads, grills, generators and parking areas have been severely damaged, as part of the memorial complex and surrounding fields have remained inundated. Once buzzing with visitors, the memorial park and the parking zone now lie deserted due to floodwater.

The devastation has come at a time when the historic place was already struggling to recover from the 2023 floods, which had destroyed the state-of-the-art light and sound system setup under the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan scheme. It took two years to repair the hi-tech equipment and the spectacle of Independence struggle had just started leaving its imprint again when the floods struck again.

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture had announced Rs 25 crore package to develop this sacred place earlier this year; the DPR had been finalised and the work had to start when the deluge caused destruction.

BSF officials, on the condition of anonymity, said: “The entire area near the joint check-post has been severely damaged, especially tiles, pavement and railings. Damaged tiles in the check-post area will take some time for repair. They added that the National Highway Authority of India was reconstructing the entire stretch of flood-ravaged road, including a bridge on the way, leading to the JCP area.

Jagdish Kumar, a local shopkeeper who runs a stall near the memorial complex, said the suspension of the beating retreat had slashed tourist numbers drastically. “Besides Punjab, people from Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi used to visit daily. Now, only those bringing relief material visit the area. Our work is fully dependent on visitors, and after 2023, the recent floods have again left us with no income for weeks,” he said.