R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, July 17

The Supreme Court has ruled that military service would be counted for seniority in civil service only for those who had offered to serve the country during external aggression.A Bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan made the clarification in a case from Himachal Pradesh where the government had taken into account the Army service of even those who did not deserve it under the Demobilised Army Personnel Rules 1974.The Himachal Pradesh High Court had quashed the orders granting such benefits, forcing the affected ex-servicemen of the HP Administrative Service to come to the SC.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Arguing for the general category officials, advocate Anil Nag pleaded that the HC had rightly noted that the appellants were recruited during the period when there was no emergency arising from any war and as such did not deserve the benefit of military service for the purpose of fixing their seniority in the HP administrative service.The High Court had also taken note of the fact that the rules stipulated that those who had already taken civil employment was debarred from claiming benefit of seniority.Since one of the appeallants, Mohan Lal Chauhan, had already taken up civil employment before his recruitment in HPAS, he was ineligible to claim the benefit of military service, Nag pleaded. However, since Chauhan would retire in May 2017, the SC allowed him to continue in the present post till then. He would get all retirement benefits on the basis of the last post held by him. “The respondents who had succeeded before the High Court shall reap the benefits that are due to them. The present order is passed keeping in view the special features of this case,” the Bench said.

Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 26

The Army saluted martyrs of the Kargil war today and various programmes were held to commemorate the Vijay Diwas, but the Jammu and Kashmir Government seemed to have forgotten the martyrs who saved the state from Pakistan in 1999 as they gave the day a miss.Not a single message was received from the Chief Minister or Deputy Chief Minister to remember the bravehearts who had pushed back enemy forces and infiltrators from Kargil heights against all odds.More than 500 soldiers had laid down their lives for protecting the sovereignty of the country and won back the territory occupied by enemy forces. This war was the most serious engagement between Indian and Pakistani forces after the 1971 war.Many officers and soldiers from Jammu and Kashmir had fought the war and some made the supreme sacrifice for the country. But when the day came to remember their sacrifices, the Jammu and Kashmir Government forgot them.“It is the duty of the government and the public to remember these bravehearts on Vijay Diwas, observed by the Army on July 26 every year. They sacrificed their lives for our secure future and in return they demand nothing but a remembrance,” said Bodh Raj, a resident of border area in RS Pura.It had been a regular practice for the government to issue press notes on behalf of the Chief Minister and ministers to greet the people on important occasions, but not a single official handout was released by the PDP-BJP government to remember Kargil martyrs.The Army observed Vijay Diwas at Drass, Northern Command headquarters and other Army installations and held events to remember the martyrs, but not a single official programme was organised by the state government to remember the 1999 victory.

Forgetting martyrs

• No message received from CM, her deputy or ministers
• Not a single official programme organised by state govt

Respected Veterans,

Jai Hind.

1.       The programme for the Commemoration Ceremony on Kargil Diwas at the National Military Memorial (NMM), Bengaluru, on Tuesday, 26 July 2016, being organized under the aegis of National Military Memorial Management Trust (NMMMT), of which Air Cmde MK Chandrasekhar is one of the Managing Trustees, is as follows:

Programme

 8.30 AM to 9.20 AM: Homage to Martyrs by Veterans and other dignitaries.

9.25 AM: Homage to Martyrs by the Hon’ble Home Minister

9.30 AM: Homage to Martyrs by the Hon’ble Chief Minister

 Regards,

Col Rajan

Convenor, Military Veterans KARNATAKA

Bangalore, 9449043770

Remembrance Day

Remembering India’s War Dead

Soldiers die every day in the line of duty – in the jungles of the North East, in the icy wastes of Ladakh and Siachen, fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and in a myriad other death defying scenarios. Sometimes when the death is dramatic, it makes news – most often they die in quiet oblivion. Either way, they are soon forgotten, except by the families in whose homes the lights went out when they lost a father, son or brother.

What is important however is to realise that the ultimate sacrifice made by soldiers yesterday, today and tomorrow needs to be remembered

Next year will make seventy years since the 1947-48 Indo-Pak war, and we as yet, do not have a proper war memorial for all who have died in all the wars and counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations that we have fought since independence. Families of dead soldiers have been waiting patiently for the war memorial so that they can pray at the site for their loved ones who made the supreme sacrifice. In the meantime many of these families have themselves passed away having waited all these years in vain. The Indian soldier has been told that the memorial is in the pipeline and that this project will be completed in five years time. When did the countdown of five years start and when will it finish? A promise is a promise only if it has a deadline!

In the meanwhile, veterans of the armed forces feel that something ought to be done till then. They have voiced the need for a Remembrance Day and a symbol to remember India’s ‘Unknown Soldier’. The West has the poppy as its symbol of remembrance. Indian veterans feel that no flower could be more meaningful as a symbol of remembrance for the war dead of India than the marigold. They suggest that a day could be nominated as ‘Remembrance Day’ and the marigold as the symbol of remembrance. The poem below encapsulates their sentiments.

                                                                                                           Ian Cardozo, 28 March 2016

 

 

The Marigold

In Remembrance

Our Marigold, this simple flower

In many ways it meets the hour

of valiant soldiers who in combat die

And to their Maker skywards fly.

 

From ancient times, this favourite bloom

Has commemorated ‘womb to tomb’

Of life and death in equal measure

And other moments we all treasure

 

But in time of war, this flower has shed

Her fragrant petals to mourn her dead

For those who fought for you and me

And sacrificed their destiny.

 

So pause a moment all that care

And offer up in silent prayer

This sacred flower for a soldier’s death

To remember, lest we soon forget

 Ian Cardozo, 28 March, 2016

 

 

———- 

 Love Never Fails

An IAF plane lands at the Tambaram Air Force station in Chennai on Saturday. AFP

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 23

The aircrew of the AN-32 transport aircraft that went missing over the Bay of Bengal on Friday had asked the Chennai air traffic control (ATC) for a course deviation a few minutes before it reportedly lost contact with the ATC, it is learnt.IAF sources said around 9 am, the pilot had requested permission from the ATC to alter his course by 10 degrees to the right, ostensibly because of the prevailing weather conditions.The weather in the search area today was bad, with overhead clouds, rough seas and visibility being 3-4 nautical miles.The recently upgraded aircraft, which is reported to have suffered three snags this months, had left Tambaram airbase near Chennai at 8.30 am on Friday and was to land at Port Blair around 11.45 am. It fell off the radar at 9.12 am, 151 nautical miles (280 kms) east of Chennai.Permission to change course, sources said, was accorded. The aircraft had been cleared to fly at an altitude of 23,000 feet, which it would have reached in about 15 minutes after take-off with full load.“The possibilities here are that the aircraft flew into the eye of a storm or suffered a structural or electrical failure. Sabotage also cannot be discounted at this stage. These situations give little or no reaction time to transmit a distress signal,” an AN-32 pilot said.In June 2015, a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft had gone missing off the Chennai coast. Its remains were located 33 days later. An inquiry could not establish the cause of the crash.Under IAF’s standard operating procedure, the long sea stretch between Chennai and Port Blair requires AN-32s to fly with full fuel which is 5.5 tonnes. Five tonnes is pumped by tankers through under-wing access nodes, while the remaining is “poured” through an opening above the wing roots that requires a technician to climb on top of the aircraft and manually operate the fuel cap.An AN-32 pilot recalled an incident many years ago where the fuel cap of an aircraft was not properly secured. Mid-way over the Bay of Bengal, the aircrew observed unusually high fuel consumption. Inspection after landing revealed that the unsecured fuel cap had blown off in the air. “The air friction over the wing is very high and volatile fumes from the aviation fuel could have produced a spark with disastrous consequences. It was a miraculous escape from the aircraft,” he added.

Bhiwani flight lieutenant aboard missing IAF plane

ROHTAK: Flight lieutenant Deepika Sheoran (26) of Bhiwani’s Loharu town was aboard the air force Antonov-32 jet that disappeared half-an-hour after leaving Chennai for Port Blair on Friday.

MANOJ DHAKA/HTThe parents of flight lieutenant Deepika Sheoran showing her picture at their house in Loharu, Bhiwani, on Saturday.

Remaining close to the telephone, her parents in Haryana await update on their daughter. “They say they are looking for the plane… but nothing has been found yet… kaafi delay ho gaya (it has been a long delay) …. she’s missing since 9.15am on Friday,” said the officer’s father, Dalip Sheoran, an executive engineer in the Haryana public health and engineering department.

Deepika, who received commission in 2013, married Coast Guard commander Kuldeep Singh last November.

Since one lived in Mumbai and other in Nasik, they had sought transfer to Port Blair recently. “She came home last week during her transfer period and left on July 16 to join at the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. We went to the airport to see her off,” her father said.

The Russian-made aircraft, which is believed to have disappeared over the Bay of Bengal, took off at 8.30am from Tambaram in Chennai. The last contact with it was at 9.16am, about 151 nautical miles east of Chennai. “Her mother can’t stop crying… but we are hopeful. People have been telling us it will be okay,” said Dalip Sheoran. “We have faith in God.

The cost of India’s peace- time casualties possibly exceeds the figure of the total 12,000 soldiers killed in the four major wars India has fought. The government and the Army need to think of ways of avoiding cheap casualties. The lives of our young soldiers are precious.

Army officials and jawans carry the coffin of Captain Tushar Mahajan, who lost his life in a gun-battle with the militants in Pampore, Udhampur. PTI

The life of the Indian Army soldier, including the officer, comes cheap. Since 1988, over 6,200 men, mostly from the Army, have been killed in anti-terrorist and low intensity conflict operations ranging from terrorism to insurgencies across Jammu and Kashmir and the North-Eastern states. This casualty figure, which continues to rise, exceeds the number of soldiers killed in any of the four major wars India has fought so far, whether the 1962 war with China or the 1947-48, 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. The number of soldiers wounded or permanently incapacitated is separate. 

No-war, no-peace state

The figure does not include casualties suffered in other military engagements during this 28 year period – Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka (1987-1990) in which 1,138 soldiers were killed; Operation Vijay in Kargil (May-July 1999) in which 527 soldiers, including six airmen, were killed; Operation Meghdoot in Siachen, where between April 1984 and December 2015, the Army has lost 869 soldiers; the innumerable soldiers killed in the “no-war, no-peace” environment along the Line of Control since the early 1980s; or the 1,874 soldiers killed or injured during the 10-month long largescale mobilisation of the Army along the Indo-Pak border from December 19, 2001 to October 16, 2002 following the attack on Parliament by terrorists. Indeed, if all the Army’s engagements starting from Independence are taken into account, the cost of India’s “peace-time” casualties are comparable, rather possibly exceed, the figure of the total 12,000 soldiers killed in the above mentioned four major wars India has fought reflecting on both the frequency and intensity of operations that the Army has been engaged in since Independence.

Highly trained commandos

Disconcertingly, the Army has been regularly losing even its best soldiers – highly trained commandos belonging to the Para Special Forces – in low intensity conflict. Two recent incidents serve as a case in point. On February 22 this year, three commandos, including two captains in their twenties with barely three odd years of service each and belonging to the Para Special Forces, were killed in Pampore, South Kashmir while trying to flush out a few terrorists who had taken refuge in a government building after shortly earlier killing two CRPF men and injuring 11 more. Soon after, on April 13, a young major from a Para Special Forces battalion was killed in an encounter with insurgents in Manipur. The Army’s continually rising death toll give rise to a number of questions and issues. For how long can the Army, the last bastion of India’s security, continue to lose its expensively trained officers and soldiers meant to fight wars so cheap, so easy and so soon in their careers to illiterate but motivated terrorists who have nothing to lose? Not only is this continued attrition of soldiers such a “waste”, but it also does no good for the image of an Army of a regional power. It raises questions about the quality of training, tactics, equipment and leadership within the Army as also the question of whether the Army is regularly doing a lessons-learnt exercise and evolving new tactics in its counter-insurgency and jungle warfare schools. But then the government at the highest level also needs to seriously introspect whether it makes sense to keep the Army constantly employed in internal security operations. For over three decades the Army has been under extraordinary pressure fighting low intensity conflict in the form of terrorism and insurgencies that have gradually disoriented the soldier and the Army’s fighting formations. This was evident during the Kargil War, when after being caught by surprise, the Army moved 8 Mountain Division, then deployed in the Kashmir Valley, to fight the war in Kargil. It was not easy for soldiers, until then deployed in counter-insurgency mode, to instantly switch to fighting arduous high-altitude battles.

Shortage of officers

The continuing officer shortages (9,106 or 18.35 per cent of the sanctioned officer strength as of May 2016) has put considerable pressure on the 300 odd Infantry battalions that on an average are functioning with 50 per cent officer strength. The officer shortages combined with the lowering of recruitment standards for officers and the changing economic and social profile of both the officers and soldiers joining the Army have created its own challenges. The ongoing revolution of information and communication technology that now brings instant awareness to the soldier and, consequently, pressure, has added to the challenge. Despite measures taken within the Army consequent to studies conducted by the Defence Institute of Psychological Research, incidence of suicides in high double digits every year is continuing in the Army. About 1,300 Army soldiers have committed suicide in a 14-year period between 2002 and 2015 alone. Added to this are incidents of breakdown in command and control leading to clashes between officers and jawans, the latest incident having occurred in an Army Infantry battalion in Arunachal Pradesh in mid-May.

Complicated security scenario

No other country of its size and importance has such long-disputed borders as India. Neither are the country’s border disputes with China and Pakistan likely to be resolved in the near future. Similarly, the ongoing insurgencies, particularly in Kashmir, show no sign of fading. Rather, the security situation in the subcontinent is only getting more complicated and multi-dimensional. Surely, the government and the Army needs to get smart and come up with better ways to prevent cheap casualties and disorientation of the Army soldier.  

dkumar@tribunemail.com

There is a silent majority within Islam. Radicals aim to empower this community through extreme philosophy.

While India’s record in preventing such radicalization has probably been the best in terms of the per capita ratio of Muslim youth being attracted to the radical ISIS (Daesh) philosophy, security practitioners have primarily been focusing on preventive measures to obviate such influence beyond the threshold.

India’s Muslim community, the largest minority anywhere in the world, is well integrated and mainstreamed in the national narrative. Yet given the history of faith based terror in India, the existence of Islamic terror modules in different parts of the country, ongoing strife in J&K, inter-faith mistrust in some areas and the widespread use of social media through smart phones, the necessity of working on counter radicalization programs is not being felt anytime too soon.

Already some programmes are underway but mostly isolated and disconnected. This needs a coordinated national focus with sensitization on the gravity of the threat. For long term strategy I have been advocating a National Strategic Communication Body, on the lines of  Niti Ayog or even the UPSC. If national narratives on counter radicalization have to be seriously undertaken it needs a comprehensive approach by integrating ideas from diverse fields; academic, medical (psychologists), intelligence, police, bureaucracy, military, diplomatic corps and even the clergy. A representative body of eminent people from these and other suitable areas with access to their core fields can create the narratives and the overall strategy against all extremism but first an understanding of Islam is mandatory.

There is a silent majority within Islam. In India it is the largest, politically insignificant and socially weak segment. Radicals aim to empower this community through extreme philosophy. The Fridaysermons, direct connect in ghettoized communities, social media and local print media are the main instruments. Triggers are activities such as arrest of Muslim youth for anti-national activities and their languishing in custody without trial. The judiciary must proactively examine this.

Seminars are least needed in Delhi. They need to be conducted all over smaller cities and towns, to sensitize and give a sense of empowerment to the local clergy which must be made to realize its own significance. The Singapore model of clergy empowerment could be considered.

It is the social media angle which is tricky. Monitoring needs a professional body with deep data mining facility. Government could consider harnessing the power of major think tanks to undertake this. All such institutions need to display urgency in understanding and undertaking the mission. Intelligence agencies could also involve in providing guidance.

Expatriate labor in the Gulf and other areas is especially vulnerable. Returnees must be made to detach themselves from all such activity through warnings at immigration facilities.

We need not wait till the problem arrives at the door-step. In fact its already here.

Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain is a retired general of the Indian Army.

BURHAN WANI DEATH Crowds defy curfew to turn up by thousands at Hizb militant’s funeral at Tral RESTRICTIONS Mobile internet services suspended to check rumours; Jammu-Srinagar highway closed SECURITY-CHECK Centre rushes additional forces to Kashmir; thre

We expected trouble after his killing… We hope the situation to calm down by tomorrow. A SENIOR HOME MINISTRY OFFICIAL

SRINAGAR: Widespread violence across Kashmir brought back fears of a surge in militancy in the troubled region on Saturday, as tens of thousands of people clashed with police over the killing of a top insurgent leader, leaving at least eight people dead and scores wounded.

PTI AND APKashmiri villagers carry the body of Hizb militant Burhan Wani during his funeral procession in Tral; and (right) protesters throwing stones at police vehicles during a protest in Srinagar on Saturday.

Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s body was buried in his hometown Tral amid mass wailing and angry anti-India slogans, a day after soldiers gunned down the 21-year-old who was the face of militancy in Kashmir for the last five years.

Protesters hurled stones, looted police weapons and set fire to three police stations and two government buildings in towns south of Srinagar. Scores were injured on both sides and three policemen have gone missing, sources said.

Saturday’s violence and its fallout are seen as a major political test for chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and her alliance with a party largely unpopular in the region, the BJP.

Experts fear Wani’s killing could become a rallying point for militants to revive an insurgency that has flagged from its peak in the 1990s when attacks were reported daily, the local economy tanked and residents fled the region in droves.

“Burhan’s ability to recruit into militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he did on social media… Kashmir’s disaffected got a new icon y’day,” former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted on Saturday.

Saturday’s deaths were reported from Anantnag, Kulgam, Bijbehara and Kokernag. One person drowned in the Jhelum as security forces sought to disperse a violent mob. Unconfirmed reports put the toll at up to 11.

Expecting trouble during Wani’s funeral, thousands of armed police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear fanned out across the region and drove through neighbourhoods, warning residents to stay indoors.

Additional director general of Jammu and Kashmir police, SM Sahai, told reporters that officers were forced to fire at the crowds after being attacked. He said 96 policemen had been wounded. Government sources in Delhi said the Centre had rushed additional paramilitary forces to Kashmir.

Many Kashmiris took to social media to pay their “tribute” to Wani, who joined the Hizbul when he was just 15 and became the poster boy of militancy in the Valley, recruiting scores of youngsters with provocative videos and posts.

Wani, the son of a school headmaster, took up the gun 10 days before his Class 10 board exams after his brother, Khalid, was reportedly humiliated by the armed forces during the 2010 street protests that shook Kashmir and left more than 100 people dead. He was buried next to his brother, who was killed in crossfire between militants and police last year.

Despite the violence, the BJPPDP government indicated it will not back down, with BJP leader Ram Madhav saying an “uncompromising” fight against terrorism is important for development.

Authorities closed the Jammu-Srinagar highway and prevented fresh batches of Amarnath pilgrims from proceeding to Srinagar from Jammu. Railway services were suspended and examinations scheduled for Saturday postponed.

Lt Gen DS Hooda, Northern Command chief, and Lt Gen Satish Dua, GOC, 15 Corps, call on Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan in Srinagar on Friday. A Tribune photo

Srinagar, July 1

Lt Gen DS Hooda, Northern Command chief, accompanied by Lt Gen Satish Dua, GOC, 15 Corps, called on Governor NN Vohra here today. The Governor and Lt Gen Hooda discussed several important matters relating to internal and external security management. They also discussed the security arrangements for the forthcoming Amarnath yatra which commences on Saturday. —TNS

Army-run school a boon for children hit by militancy

Bandipora, July 1

An Army-run school in Bandipora district is helping militancy-affected children shape their future.The school imparts teaching with latest methods and provides a healthy environment for the students.The Army Goodwill School provides various facilities and encourages students to take part in extra-curricular activities to regain their self-confidence.Shabnam, principal of the school, said, “None of the schools in Bandipora have the facilities that are provided here. We have smart classes, language lab and computer lab here. Regular check-ups of students are conducted here. There is an RO plant and classrooms are well-ventilated.”Umair, one of the school’s students, said, “We get a lot of facilities in our school. We have library, language lab where we learn English; the ambience of the school is very good.” Around 350 children from the area are enrolled with the school. —ANI