Capt CS Sidhu (retd) and Baljinder Kaur (left) seek the release of prisoners of war languishing in Pakistani jails, in Amritsar on Thursday. photo: vishal kumar

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 26

Expressing solidarity with the prisoners of war (PoWs) languishing in Pakistan jails, the United Ex-servicemen Front today announced to stage a protest rally at the Attari-Wagah border in July if the Centre failed to initiate steps to get them released.Having traced three such cases of the 1971 war, the front’s in-charge, Capt CS Sidhu (retd), said they would not refrain from disrupting the operations of the Samjhauta Express and the Indo-Pak Dosti bus if the government did not act.The front said the three PoWs had been identified as Sepoy Balwinder Singh of the 10th Sikh Regiment, Sepoy Dharam Pal Singh Dhurkot of the 4th Sikh Regiment and Sepoy Bir Singh of the 15th Punjab Regiment.Baljinder Kaur, daughter of Sepoy Balwinder Singh, hailing from Chabba Kalan Havelian village in Tarn Taran, said she was born after her father’s disappearance. She said Surjit Singh, who had been released from the Kot Lakhpat jail in 2012, had claimed that her father was alive.“I have seen my father only in pictures. He has been missing since December 16, 1971. I urge the governments of India and Pakistan to reunite us with him,” she said.Arshinder Pal Singh, son of Dharam Pal Singh of Lehra Dhurkot (Bathinda), said, “Satish Kumar of Ferozepur, who was released in 1986 from a Pakistan jail, told us that my father was lodged in the Kot Lakhpat jail since 1971. When he told us about a folk song my father used to sing, we were sure about him,” he said.Captain Sidhu said he had written a letter to the Defence Minister to intervene and take up the matter with his Pakistani counterpart to facilitate the PoWs’ release.“Both India and Pakistan have war prisoners, but no side is ready to admit it. We want that Pakistani prisoners lodged in Indian jails be released and vice-versa,” he said.

Families of 1971 prisoners of war seek their release

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 21

Besides a steep fall in the prices of crude oil in the international market, the other area where Narendra Modi government proved fortunate for the country is internal security, as no big incident took place in the last two years, which could be compared with the Mumbai terror attack in 2008 and the ambush laid by the Naxals in 2010 in which 76 CRPF personnel were killed in Chhattisgarh.Many in the security establishment believe that “nothing substantial” has moved on the security front since former Home Minister P Chidambram left. “But during his tenure structures (like National Intelligence Grid, National Ivestigation Agency) and procedures (specific standard operating procedures) were put in place in such a way, particularly after the two watershed incidents (2008 and 2010) that our security architecture so far proved robust,” a senior official in the Ministry of Home Affairs  said.”Thankfully”, the incumbent Home Minister Rajnath Singh chose “status quo” in security matters and instead opted to move faster with regard to “disaster management” and “disaster relief distribution”, the performance of the ministry in the last two years could safely be termed as “satisfactory”, said a former IPS officer. India, in the last two years, witnessed only a few scary moments, when a BSF convoy was attacked in Udhampur, A police station was made the target in Gurdaspur and the Air Force base was stormed by terrorists in Pathankot. But in all these cases the terrorists were neutralised with minimum damage. After witnessing repeated attacks in border areas of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, the Central Government has formed a committee under the chairmanship of former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta to suggest measures to make India’s borders foolproof. However, the exercise of police modernisation and enhancing police-public ratio, which was started by Mr Chidambram, took a beating, as budgetary allocations under these heads were cut substantially.

Achievements

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has taken forward from where the previous regime left as far as infrastructure and procedures to counter terrorism are concerned
• Barring Gurdaspur and Pathankot incidents, no major terror attack in the last two years; terrorists neutralised with minimum damage
• A panel led by ex-Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta formed to suggest measures to make India’s borders foolproof

Downside

• Many in the security establishment believe nothing substantial has moved on the security front since former Home Minister P Chidambram left
• The exercise of police modernisation and enhancing the police-public ratio, started by Chidambram, has taken a beating, as budgetary allocations under these headscut substantially
• Rising cases of intolerance and insurgency in the East continue to be a major challenge

The ITBP has posted over 150 women constables to Leh this month. They will be deployed at BOPs in groups of 15-20 on rotation. file

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 20

In a first, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) has started deploying women constables to guard the rugged Sino-Indian border in Ladakh.“Over 150 women constables have been posted to Leh this month. They will be based at the battalion headquarters in Leh and will be deployed at border outposts (BOPs) in groups of 15-20 on a rotation basis,” an ITBP officer said.The ITBP mans the border with China in J&K, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, with posts being located at altitudes up to 18,000 feet in remote and snow-bound areas. Three BOPs have been indentified where these women constables will be deployed. Modalities such as having women officers and women doctors to cater to the needs of women personnel in forward areas along with requisite administrative and logistic facilities have also been factored in their deployment.“Since women constables have been recruited into the ITBP, it is prudent that they undertake the fundamental duties that the force is meant for, rather than being posted on merely administrative or clerical duties in headquarters or rear echelons,” the officer said.

Deadly fracas in JAK LI unit in Arunachal

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, May 15: A soldier died, probably of a heart attack, when his unit was sent for a 10 km march, sparking a deadly outrage among the jawans who ran riot, attacking their seniors, leaving at least five  officers seriously injured.

The army admitted that an incident of jawans attacking some officers did take place, but was tight-lipped about the place where it took place. However, The Sentinel has learnt that the incident occurred at Hayalung in Arunachal Pradesh where one of the J&K Light Infantry (JAK LI) units of the army are deployed.

Sources said a scuffle broke out between a jawan and the captain of his unit, after which a 10-km march was ordered as a punishment drill.

One soldier refused to march, complaining of chest pain, but his plea was allegedly not considered.

The soldier died during the march, apparently of heart attack.

According to an official source, 10-km marches cannot be ordered at such high altitude places.

The other jawans, outraged at the death of their colleague, attacked the captain, allegedly with rods. A subedar major tried to calm down the agitated soldiers, but he too was bashed up. Sources also said that the commander of the unit was forced to flee.

Five injured officers were admitted at an army hospital. Sources said the captain sustained injuries, including the skull and other vital organs.

The army, however, tried to downplay the incident. In an official statement, the Army said: “A case of death of a jawan during routine training activity has taken place in an infantry unit in the Northeast. It is not a case of any mutiny. The jawan complained of chest pain prior to route march – was checked by unit MO (Medical Officer) and found fit. The jawan later collapsed during route march – was brought to the Field Ambulance where he succumbed. (sic)”

The army said four to five soldiers got emotional when they were being consoled by a senior and “indulged in agitated behaviour leading to minor scuffle”.

The statement was issued after reports emerged on social media of a “mutiny-like” situation in the area.

The Army Headquarters in Delhi has denied any other individual was seriously injured. The Army has also denied that reinforcement units have moved into the area when the situation was getting out of hand.

However, the army chief has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident, it is learnt.

In 2012, in another instance of indiscipline, soldiers had attacked senior officers in Nyoma in Ladakh in an incident the Army dismissed as a “scuffle in an artillery unit during field firing”.

Subsequent reports, however, revealed that the soldiers went out of control after senior officers severely assaulted one of their colleagues and their commanding officer.

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 14

The Army continues to send its men and cannons to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in a bid to keep its men ready for battle after the Defence Ministry flagging the issue of dearth of field firing ranges in Jammu and Kashmir due to non-renewal of lease by the state government.“The cumbersome process of sending troops and artillery to Bobina and Mahajan field firing ranges in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, respectively, is still on,” said Army sources.The sources said the practice of moving troops and arms and ammunition, including cannons, to field firing ranges in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has not only put an avoidable burden on the state exchequer, but hampered operational preparedness and counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir as well.“After the state government refused to renew lease of field firing ranges, the Army has been sending troops and canons via train to Bobina and Mahajan ranges since January 2015,” they added.Under such circumstances, the Army had no option but to send men and machinery outside the state for perfecting artillery fire and other warfare tactics, the sources said.Jammu and Kashmir shares its borders with China and Pakistan, the two countries which have fought wars with India. “Firing ranges are an indispensable requirement of the Army to keep its men ready. The Northern Command has been time and again flagging the issue before the Defence Ministry,” said a defence source.“Even the Defence Ministry has said restrictions imposed by successive state governments vis-à-vis firing ranges have compounded problems of the Army. There are no such restrictions for our adversary on the other side of the western border,” the source added.On February 12, the Northern Command chief, Lt Gen DS Hooda, said the Garhi field firing range was notified to the Army and he was hopeful of getting Kalith and Hirangar ranges soon. He had hoped for forward movement on ranges in Ladakh and wished that things moved faster in Kashmir as well.A rider by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on May 28 last year of a 10-km safety zone around field firing ranges had made things difficult for the Army in re-notification of 10 firing ranges.A fleet of over 25 multi-axle vehicles of the Army moved from Punjab into the Jammu region on Friday night to relocate tanks in the border state.