Monthly Archives: August 2018

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 4

The J&K Police have called a Major named by the soldier, who was detained on Monday after the recovery of two grenades from his luggage, and is also looking for two persons for questioning.Police sources said Bhupal Mukhia of 17 JAK Rifles, who was arrested from Srinagar airport told the investigators that the packet in which the grenades were concealed was given to him by a soldier at a transit camp at Badamibagh.“A jawan handed over the well-concealed packet to me saying that ‘Major Sahib’ from his unit had directed him to hand it over and deliver it in Delhi,” the sources said.“After the disclosure, we have also called the Major for questioning. We are also looking for the sepoy who handed over the packet and another person who called Bhupal over phone to inquire about the packet (grenades) which were to be delivered in Delhi,” they said, adding that they were cross-checking all claims made by the jawan.“For now, it looks that the Army jawan from whom the grenades were recovered was not aware what was concealed inside,” they said.The Major, who is currently in Jammu will be joining the police investigation in a day or two, the sources said.The police are also trying to find how and from where the grenades were procured.Bhupal serves near the Line of Control in the Uri sector of Kashmir and was to board a Delhi- bound flight before the anti-hijacking wing at the airport detained him after the recovery of the two grenades concealed in the luggage.The Army had initially told the investigators that the grenades were “drill items”.The Army, which has assured action as per the law, has also ruled out that there was any hijacking angle.“After preliminary investigation, it is clarified that it is a case of carriage of grenade and there is no hijacking angle to the incident,” Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said on Monday

Lt Gen DR Soni, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), gives away the citation to IMA Commandant Lt Gen SK Upadhaya in a function held at the IMA in Dehradun on Thursday. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 30

Lt Gen DR Soni, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), gave away prestigious citations for outstanding contribution in the field of training during the investiture ceremony held at Chetwode Hall in the Indian Military Academy (IMA) here today.The proud recipients of this year’s “GOC-in-C ARTRAC Unit citation” were the IMA; Remount Veterinary Corps Centre and College, Meerut; College of Materials Management, Jabalpur; Institute of National Integration, Pune; 126 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army), Jammu and Kashmir Rifles; 707 Target Support Unit and the 136 Field Regiment.On the behalf of the IMA, IMA Commandant Lt Gen SK Upadhyay, received the citation conferred for distinguished service and professionalism in imparting quality training during 2016. All winning academies and units have made exceptional contribution in enhancing training activities of the Indian Army. Officers heading their respective institutions/units along with their subedar majors received the citations from the Army Commander.

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 1

While the Ministry of Defence (MoD) filed close to 800 appeals in the Supreme Court against disabled ex-servicemen in last three years, it managed to win only one case.Admitting this in Parliament this week, Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre said appeals against soldiers with disability accounted for a whooping 61.50% of all appeals filed by the government.Appeals are filed by the government in the SC against judgments of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) and the High Courts that have gone in favour of disabled ex-servicemen who had sought redressal of their grievances concerning pension and related benefits.The matter has been taken up repeatedly with the government by various ex-servicemen’s association as well as MPs, who have pointed out that such appeals were continuing despite the Centre’s directives to all departments for cutting down litigation.Recently, the Defence Minister had also issued directions to implement the recommendations of a committee of experts  that had come down heavily on the Army and the Ministry of Defence for causing agony to disabled soldiers. The committee had termed such actions contemptuous and recommended withdrawal of all appeals filed against disabled soldiers and conceding cases that were covered by the Supreme Court and High Court verdicts. Recommendations similar to the expert committee were also made by the 7th Central Pay Commission that were later accepted by the Centre.The AFT’s Chandigarh Bench had a few months ago reminded the MoD and the Army Headquarters that their frivolous appeals against disability pension of soldiers were causing great distress to the system and shaking the faith of the common person in the rule of law. It said the cost of frivolous litigation should be recovered from the officers taking such decisions.

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 22

The Ministry of Defence has okayed a Rs 70-crore project to procure specialised boots, avalanche rescue bags complete with breathing apparatus and specialised summer suits that will lighten the clothing of the troops on the icy Himalayan heights.The troops will be given a wearable backpack called the “avalanche buoyancy system”. These will inflate on impact with snow and prevent injuries, keep the soldier afloat in the snow and even have a breathing apparatus to allow survival.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Troops will also get specialised soft shoes with a wider footprint. These will be worn over the regular shoes for greater foothold in loose snow. The third on the list are fully covered tracksuits, called summer suits. These will be used in “super high-altitude areas” where temperatures drop to minus 20°C or so. These will allow troops greater mobility, especially on patrols and rescue missions. The multi-pronged effort has come after the MoD ordered the Chandigarh-based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) to study increased avalanches and new vulnerable spots.The Army estimates that avalanches have increased by 20-25 per cent as rising winter temperatures prevent ice from freezing hard.A rise in minimum and maximum temperatures has led to at least three immediate effects: the quantum of snowfall has doubled; winters set in late with maximum snowfall in April; and the rise in minimum temperature does not allow snow to freeze into hard ice. Thus, snow remains moist, resulting in slippery slopes that are avalanche-prone.The average minimum temperature on Siachen glacier rose from minus 40°C in 2012 to minus 30°C in 2016. Last year, 10 soldiers died in an avalanche at Siachen and this year almost the same number in Kashmir.

On acquisition list

Avalanche buoyancy system

Wearable backpacks that inflate on impact with snow and prevent injuries

Specialised soft-shoes

Worn over regular shoes for greater foothold in loose snow

Summer suits

Fully covered tracksuits for “super high-altitude areas” (minus 20°C) so as to allow greater mobility to troops

Kulbhushan Jadhav

Islamabad, April 16

Pakistan has prepared a new dossier about alleged militant activities of Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhushan Jadhav and will share it with the UN and foreign envoys stationed here, media reports have said.The new dossier is based on Jadhav’s early testimonial and statements given in front of the Field General Court Martial about his alleged involvement in espionage and sabotage activities in Karachi and Balochistan, reports said.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The document contains the attested report of Court Martial General, as well as the court proceedings timeline, The Nation reported.Jadhav, 46, was tried through Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) and was awarded the death sentence. Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa confirmed the death sentence last week.The documents will also contain details of arrests and raids done by Pakistan security agencies on Jadhav’s tip-offs.“The dossier will be handed over to different ambassadors in Islamabad. The Pakistani envoys across the world will also present it to their host states,” the paper said.The document will also be shared with the United Nations and other global organisations, it added.On Friday, Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale said they would appeal against the death sentence to Jadhav and demanded from Pakistan a certified copy of the charge-sheet as well as the army court order in the case, besides seeking consular access to the retired Indian Navy officer.Pakistan claims its security forces had arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. It also claimed that he was “a serving officer in the Indian Navy.”        The Pakistan Army had also released a “confessional video” of Jadhav after his arrest.India had acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the Navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.The Jadhav episode could further strain the India- Pakistan ties which were hit after attacks in Pathankot and Uri by Pakistan-based terrorists last year. — PTI

Except for family, Major HP Singh who laid down his life fighting infiltrators in 1999, remains a forgotten hero

Shaurya Chakra awardee Major Harminder Pal Singh’s family at his house in Sector 70, Mohali, on Thursday. Tribune photos: Vicky Gharu

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 13

It has been 18 long years since the Kargil conflict. Fighting the enemy, many a valiant soldier had laid down his life in the operation to protect his motherland. For the family of Kargil martyr, the time span, however, has not done anything to make the memories, of times spent together, any dim.Initially, there used to be special functions by the community and the local administration also to commemorate Shaurya Chakra awardee Major Harminder Pal Singh, the 31-year-old, 6 feet 2 inch lad from Kharar, who was killed in a fierce encounter with militants in Baramullah district of north Kashmir on April 13, 1999, but 18 years down the line, it seems that all others have forgotten the supreme sacrifice of the brave soldier, who had laid down his life for the motherland, except the wailing family.When The Tribune called upon the Kargil martyr’s family now shifted to Sector 70 in Mohali, it has no regrets. While the countrymen have recognised the supreme sacrifice made by their brave son, the government has also done its bit for the family. On this day in 1999, even as lakhs of Sikhs were thronging Anandpur Sahib to revel in the spirit of the Khalsa on the occasion of the tercentenary of their birth, a modern-day Sikh warrior was living up to the Sikh military traditions in the Kashmir Valley.Major Singh had been wounded in the left arm but had recovered to encourage three militants armed with Kalashnikovs and grenades in an eyeball-to-eyeball encounter in a remote North Kashmir on April 13.The 18 Grenadiers Major was shot through the temple by the third militant, but not before he had gunned down two of them. Harminder led the commando platoon of his battalion in what has been described as a “dare-devil” operation in a congested locality of Sadurkotbala village in Manasbal.The Grenadiers revere Harminder as a ‘sant-sipahi’ and his loss made even a tough Haryanvi Jat like Havildar misty-eyed. “Our welfare was uppermost in his mind,” he recollects, adding that perhaps valour ran through his blood.Major’s father Harpal Singh, who had also served the Indian Army and retired as a Captain, has already decided to make his 18-year-old grandson Navteshwar follow in the footsteps of his father. Navteshwar had appeared in Class XII exams from Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, here this year.Harminder’s mother Surinder Pal Kaur said her son’s sacrifice was an honour for her and the family. “It was Pintu’s (Harminder’s nickname) childhood dream to join the Army and do something for the country,” she adds.“Apne liye to sabhi jeeten hain, aadmi to woh hai jo auron ke liye jiye, auron ke liye mare (Everybody lives for self, the man is that who lives and dies for others),” says Rupinder Pal Kaur, late Major’s young widow, who has been serving as a District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) in Fatehgarh Sahib, after she completed her B.Ed following her husband’s death. She adds that Harminder had even written in the birth certificate of Navteshwar that he wants him to earn a name for the family, by serving the nation as defence personnel. Rupinder had given birth to Navteshwar, three months before the death of her husband.The Major’s father Capt Harpal Singh (retd) says, “The Shaurya Chakra award in anyway cannot compensate the loss we have suffered. But then, I am among those fathers who can take pride even in his son’s death”.Major had got married only 18 months before his death to Rupinder, who hails from Sri Ganganagar. Harminder’s younger brother, Ravinder Pal Singh, is an officer in the Merchant Navy.Harminder was twice recommended for decoration and received letters of appreciation from his Corps Commander who had also sent his name for the Army Chief’s commendation certificate.

Commissioned in March 1992

• Harminder was an alumnus of Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Kharar, and Government College, Mohali. He got his commission in the Army in March 1992 and was promoted shortly before his death to the rank of Major. He had qualified for a pilot’s job with the Air Force, but decided against it.

What they said

• Apne liye to sabhi jeeten hain, aadmi to woh hai jo auron ke liye jiye, auron ke liye mare. — Surinder Pal Kaur, Harminder’s mother
• The Shaurya Chakra award in anyway cannot compensate the loss we have suffered. But then, I am among those fathers who can take pride even in his son’s death. — Capt Harpal Singh, Harminder’s father

JALANDHAR: Gurmehar Kaur, 20 who became the face of the fight against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)last month has come up with a blog outlining her stand on the issue.

She took to social networking sites to introduce with her blog ‘I AM’, on Tuesday.

The blog starts with a question ‘Who am I?’ Am I who the trolls think I am? Am I what the media portrayed me as? No, I can’t be any of that. I am my Papa’s Gulgul, I’m my father’s daughter. But. I am not your “Martyr’s Daughter”.

“You’ve read about me, made assumptions based on articles. Here in my own words. My first blog titled “I am” reads her post.

On Wednesday, Kaur during a telephonic conversation with HT said that she will write an article once in a week.

“Right now a lot has been going in my mind, I will pen down my feelings on that incident,” said Gurmehar.

Kaur, a student of English honors in Lady Shri Ram College is preparing for her exams that will be held next month.

While talking to HT last month, Kaur had shared that she might come up with some article on her experience she gained due to the incident that garnered her appreciation and criticism, both.

“I love to read books. I also like to write. So I may just pen an article on the issue,” she had said.

Kaur who took to social media to attack the ABVP after the clash at Delhi’s Ramjas College was trolled on social media.

Notably, Kaur was sucked into the row after one of her social media posts on her father, Martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, and her perceptions about Pakistan and war surfaced. “Pakistan did not kill my father. War killed him,” read the post.

The 20-year-old then was trolled that she was Martyr’s daughter and was not supposed to make such statements.

Srinagar, April 10

A day after eight people were killed in firing by security forces during the election on Srinagar parliamentary seat, the Army today held a recruitment rally for the kith and kin of serving soldiers in Budgam which witnessed the worst violence on the polling day.An Army spokesman said the recruitment rally was held at Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regimental Centre, Rangreth, for the kith and kin of serving soldiers, veterans and ‘veer naries’. “The youth were enthusiastic and displayed a high level of motivation,” he said. This year, approximately 30,000 youth have reported for recruitment rallies out of which around 1,000 are likely to be recruited.“The overwhelming response to the Army’s recruitment rallies in Kashmir region indicates the desire of Kashmiri youth for a better future,” he said. — OC

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with PM Narendra Modi. File photo

New Delhi, April 7

India and Bangladesh share many commonalities and have demonstrated the will to resolve issues, like the long-standing land boundary agreement, then why should the Teesta water sharing issue be allowed to linger, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said in a newspaper article.Hasina, who arrived here on Friday on a four-day official visit, her first in seven years, has in a piece titled ‘Friendship is a flowing river’ in The Hindu, expressed hope that her visit would take the cooperation between the two countries to new heights.Hasina said there was no reason why there should be any contention between the two countries over sharing the waters of common rivers.“Only peaceful co-existence can ensure peace. There are some issues between us. But I believe that any problem can be resolved in a peaceful manner. We have demonstrated our willpower through the implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement. There are some more issues like sharing of waters of the common rivers (the Teesta issue is currently under discussion) that need to be resolved,” she wrote.“I’m an optimistic person. I would like to rest my trust on the goodwill of the great people and the leaders of our neighbour. I know resources are scarce, but we can share those for the benefit of the people of both countries. We share the same culture and heritage. There are a lot of commonalities (at least with West Bengal). We share our Lalon, Rabindranath, Kazi Nazrul, Jibanananda; there is similarity in our language, we are nourished by the waters of the Padma, Brahmaputra, Teesta and so on. The Sundarbans is our common pride. We don’t have any strife over it. Then, why should there be any contention over the waters of common rivers?” she asked.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s assent is seen as crucial for inking of a deal with Bangladesh on sharing the Teesta river waters.In 2011, Banerjee had at the last moment dropped out of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Dhaka visit over her opposition to the Teesta agreement draft, which was set to be inked then.Banerjee has been invited for talks with Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi, but likelihood of an accord on Teesta being signed appear dim. — IANS

The Visit to Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed forces Preparatory Institute ,sector 77-Mohali was coordinated by Sanjha Morcha team led by Lt Gen Jasbir Singh Dhaliwal,Chief patron and Col Charanjit Singh Khera,Gen Secy of Sanjha Morcha for Visit of three times Continuous Congress MLA from Mohali  S. Balbir Singh Sidhu..

The briefing was conducted by Maj Gen B S Grewal ,Director .

The Institute is an elite Institute for Preparing 10th Class pass out from Punjab to enter NDA after Completion of 12th Class. The Academic has been outsourced to a Convent School where as all other Military Training is at Par with NDA along with SSB preparation having in House Ex-GTO and Ex-Psychologist from SSB, both retired from rank of Brig.

There is further scope to introduce SSB training to the Technical Graduate or Graduates to prepare for IMA or OTA , which deprives many graduate from Punjab to join Armed forces.

The details are in the prospectus as below