Monthly Archives: August 2018

There are heroes and there are heroes. So goes the popular perception of bravehearts. In the military sense, heroism is often an event, an episode or a happening quite often unplanned but sometimes planned as well. This is when there is an opportunity; a chance to do something unexpected; something out-of-the-box; something extraordinary either individually or in a buddy pair, sub-team or team action. The soldier gets involved in a manner led by gut instinct, grit, enterprise, cold courage tested almost always against impossible odds. Such a braveheart is led by selflessness and unit/country-first ideals… always and every time.So, there are heroes and there are heroes. By implication, this means that some heroes rise above heroism itself. When they do, they need to be respected, admired; placed on an altar where only the finest examples of humanity belong: deathless heroes. I was proud to come across one such person: Brig NS Sandhu, MVC.Then Lt Col NS Sandhu was in command of 10 Dogra in the climacteric Battle of Dera Baba Nanak (DBN) during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. This 3 Cavalry veteran of the Battle of Khemkaran (1965 Indo-Pak war) had, as a Major, delivered a gritty performance during that battle (his ‘C’ squadron destroyed 14 Patton tanks) which saved Punjab for India. As CO of 10 Dogra, he handled the enormously complex challenge of capturing the strategically important DBN Bridge as only a high-grade war veteran could — with admirable presence of mind, courage, coolness and situational awareness.Everything that could go wrong went wrong but Lt Col Sandhu was that kind of person who brought order to a convoluted battlefield situation rapidly spiraling out of control. He did this on a pitch-dark night amidst elephant grass (sarkanda)-driven disorientation of vital battlefield force-multipliers; accurate enemy ground fire and artillery fire. He did the right thing — he took charge leading from the front. He handled the amorphous battlefield situation with the instinct of a seasoned veteran instead of ‘taking counsel of his fears’; an escapism which the iconic British-Indian General, Bill Slim, had learnt to avoid while assiduously converting ‘defeat into victory’ in Burma during World War II.Narinder Sandhu too achieved spectacular success despite casualties to his officers/men and he himself getting wounded. It came as no surprise when the DBN Bridge was captured by 10 Dogra on the misty morning of December 6, 1971. Equally unsurprising was the award of Maha Vir Chakra to Lt Col Sandhu for his exceptional leadership.This was a straight-legged narration of the officer’s heroic acts in two successive wars, but we were talking about a bit more; about deathless heroism, remember?November 22, 2016 was a day which the young Research Team members of the Directorate of Defence Services Welfare, Punjab, are unlikely to forget in a hurry. On this day, Brig NS Sandhu was host to the Research Team at his gracious, well-appointed home in Chandigarh. The association of young researchers with this real life hero goes back to the time in early 2015 when the Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and Museum research work began with initially raw research rookies on board. He was one eagerly awaited veteran who always met them with a smile, encouraged them with kind, motivational words, leaving them spell-bound.The meeting on November 22 was therefore planned as a brief ‘get well sir’ visit to check on their mentor’s health which, they were aware, had been under severe stress and scrutiny.Dressed in a French grey jacket-and-black-trouser combination with a peach pocket square and attitude to match, Brig Sandhu was waiting on his lawn with a smile that matched his jaunty pocket square. Expecting to find him bed-ridden and surrounded by tubes and catheters, the Research Team was far too shocked to ask about his well-being because the inquiry seemed so irrelevant. It was only later that the young researchers learnt, albeit reluctantly, from their deathless hero how he had combated grave health-related adversity without losing his infectious smile, composure or equanimity.There are real life heroes after all… and a few of them are deathless.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 31

The Indian Army has formalised a procedure that will allow Indian private companies to work on existing weapons and equipment to suggest modifications and improvements.These companies will be allowed to work on ‘in-service’ equipment. The Vice-Chief of the Army will be approving the authorisation for handing over the service equipment. An advisory support committee will assist him.The equipment can be handed over for a year, extendable by six months, said the new protocol.The companies can modify, upgrade and even provide substitution of whole equipment or its sub-assemblies.The idea is to see that private industry and the academia gets access to military equipment to help in innovating the design, integrating additional systems and developing new variants.

Seoul, April 21

North Korea will immediately suspend nuclear and missile tests and scrap its nuclear test site and instead pursue economic growth and peace, the North’s state media said on Saturday, ahead of planned summits with South Korea and the United States.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country no longer needed to conduct nuclear tests or intercontinental ballistic missile tests because it had completed its goal of developing nuclear weapons, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.North Korea said that to create an “international environment favourable” for its economy, it would “facilitate close contact and active dialogue” with neighbouring countries and the international community.It was the first time Kim directly addressed his position on North Korea’s nuclear weapons programmes ahead of planned summits with South Korean President Moon Jae-in next week and with US President Donald Trump in late May or early June.The pledge to halt the development of nuclear weapons, initiated by his grandfather and continued by his father, would mean a significant reversal for the young, third-generation leader, now 34, who has staked his security on his nuclear arsenal and spent years celebrating such weapons as an integral part of his regime’s legitimacy and power.A testing freeze and commitment to close a test site alone would fall short of Washington’s demand that Pyongyang completely dismantle all of its nuclear weapons and missiles.But announcing the concessions now, rather than during summit meetings, shows Kim is serious about denuclearisation talks, experts say.”The northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK will be dismantled to transparently guarantee the discontinuance of the nuclear test,” KCNA said after Kim convened a plenary session of the Central Committee of the ruling Worker’s Party on Friday.The North’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).The Pyunggye-ri site in northern North Korea is its only known nuclear test site, where all of its six underground tests were conducted, including the last, its largest-ever detonation, in September.”We will concentrate all efforts on building a powerful socialist economy and markedly improving the standard of people’s living through the mobilisation of all human and material resources of the country,” KCNA said.Trump welcomed the statement and said he looked forward to a summit with Kim.”North Korea has agreed to suspend all Nuclear Tests and close up a major test site. This is very good news for North Korea and the World – big progress! Look forward to our Summit,” Trump said on Twitter.South Korea said the North’s decision signified “meaningful” progress toward denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and would create favourable conditions for successful meetings with it and the United States.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he welcomed North Korea’s statement but it must lead to verifiable denuclearisation.”This announcement is forward motion that I’d like to welcome,” Abe told reporters. “But what’s important is that this leads to complete, verifiable denuclearisation. I want to emphasise this.”The United States, Japan and South Korea have historically been the main targets of North Korea’s anger.”We’re all looking for evidence that Kim is really serious about negotiations, and announcements like this certainly suggest he is, and that he is trying to make clear to the world that he is,” said David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Fears of war

North Korea has said its nuclear and missile programmes are necessary deterrents against US hostility. It has conducted numerous missile tests with the aim of being able to hit the United States with a nuclear bomb.The tests and escalating rhetoric between Trump and Kim raised fears of war until, in a New Year’s speech, the North Korean leader called for reduced military tensions.He later improved ties with South Korea and sent a delegation to the Winter Olympics in the South in February.Nam Sung-wook, professor of North Korean Studies at Korea University in Seoul, said it was “sensational” that Kim had personally declared plans to suspend nuclear development, but added that his remarks left a number of questions.”It still does not seem clear if it means whether the North will just not pursue further development of its nuclear programmes in the future, or whether they will completely shut down ‘all’ nuclear facilities. And what are they going to do with their existing nuclear weapons?” Nam said.South Korean President Moon said on Thursday North Korea had expressed a commitment to “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula, and had not attached conditions, but Washington had remained wary and vowed to maintain “maximum pressure” on Pyongyang.The United States said on Thursday that in the run-up to Trump’s planned summit with Kim, countries should continue to put financial and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang to surrender its banned nuclear weapons.Many US officials and experts doubt Kim’s sincerity about denuclearising, viewing the recent flurry of diplomacy as a ploy to win relief from economic sanctions.UN Security Council sanctions imposed on North Korea after its first nuclear test in 2006 and extended over the past decade have aimed to deny it a considerable amount of international trade, banning critical exports such as coal, iron ore, seafood, textile while limiting oil imports.That has threatened the policy of “byungjin” – simultaneous military and economic development – that Kim Jong Un has adopted since taking power in late 2011.”Easing tensions and cooperating with the international community is critical if Kim wanted to advance the economy,” said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute think-tank south of Seoul.Koh Yu-hwan, professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, said he did not believe Pyongyang was ready to give up its existing nuclear weapons and missiles.”Kim is just saying that now that the nuclear development is complete, he will put all the efforts toward building an economy,” Koh said.

Reuters

New Delhi, April 8

With a trooper getting to spend an average of only five years out of 30 with his family during service, the BSF has launched a new concept to set up over 190 jawan guest houses across the country for newly-married couples.More than 2,800 rooms will be built or carved out of the existing infrastructure in the eight frontiers of the force along the western and eastern border flanks of the country, a Border Security Force officer said.BSF Director General K K Sharma said the Union home ministry has recently accorded sanction to the force’s proposal to set up 15 studio apartment-like facilities at each of its 186 battalion locations and few other stations.”The duties in the force are tough and hard and jawans have to remain alone for the maximum part of their service. An average jawan gets to spend only about 2.5 months in an year with his family and if one has a service of about 30 years, then this figure comes to about five years in the entire job period. “To ensure that the jawans get more time with their families, we are creating such facilities at 192 locations all across the country,” Sharma told PTI.The problem of living alone, separated from the family, affects the newly wed more and hence, they are the ones who will be given priority in the allotment of these facilities, he said.He said while there are guest houses for the officers and sub-officers, there was no such facility for the jawans who are in the constable and head constable ranks.”So, we have decided, to create a guest house of 15 studio apartment-like configuration in each battalion which will have an independent bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and television facility and newly wed personnel in the jawan ranks will be allowed to stay with their spouse for a stipulated period, the director general said.Sharma said the measure is part of the overall initiative to reduce stress and fatigue among the troops and to keep them motivated.A senior BSF officer explained that these 15-room guest houses will have a common drawing room and will be provided with basic equipments for the kitchen and daily chores. While preference will be given to newly married troops, those who want to bring their wives and children for vacations will also eligible to avail these facilities for a specified period, the officer said.Sharma said the force has also mooted a proposal to grant permission to the troops for residing out of the barracks in a rented public accommodation at locations along the Bangladesh and Pakistan frontiers where there is no threat to the security of the personnel.”The troops will be allowed to rent premises at such locations and reside with their families. However, this approval will be given in specific areas only where there is no threat to the security of the troops,” he said.The BSF, raised in 1965, is tasked to guard the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh and has about 2.5 lakh personnel in its ranks. – PTI

Jupinderjit Singh and Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5

With specialised eyewear that will recognise a suspect and flash his or her criminal data on the glass screen — the Punjab Police are, indeed, set to go hi-tech.   The first in the country to enrol themselves with a pilot project started by a Gurgaon-based company, details of 80,000 criminals have already been fed into a server connected to the eyeglasses to be worn by the men in khaki. Gathering and feeding in data was an arduous exercise that took a year.The eyewear, that looks like Google Glass (an optical head-mounted display designed in the shape of a pair of eyeglasses), can help spot a suspect in a crowd. Not just the criminal’s name, but his entire criminal history can be accessed in a few seconds.“This technology is a quantum jump for prevention of crime,” said a senior police official, pointing out that it was not uncommon for criminals to walk past a police check-post without raising suspicion. “Smart glasses will solve the problem, recognising the iris and face contours, even if the criminal is disguised.” As of now, the police have to put up posters of proclaimed offenders to get a clue on their whereabouts and track them down. “Punjab has more than 6,000 proclaimed offenders who have been evading arrest for many years. A number of gangsters too are at large,” the police officer said. Explaining the ‘wonder glasses’, co-founder and CEO of the company Atul Rai says each of these have an in-built camera that “captures input” to trigger facial recognition. “Identifying the suspect from the digitised criminal database, it projects the results on the glass screen. The ‘smart glass’ fuses speech and image recognition to identify potential threats to society — criminals, intruders and terrorists. “We are taking the personal security feature to the next level, giving users a unique opportunity to stay alert and actively resist crime,” explains Rai, whose company has developed PAIS (Punjab AI System), an advanced artificial intelligence technology that can register,  identify and anticipate criminal activity.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet in the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea, April 27, 2018. Reuters

Seoul, April 27

When Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong Un came down the steps towards the inter-Korean border today he was escorted by a phalanx of bodyguards carefully chosen for their fitness, marksmanship, martial arts skills and even looks.

Men in sharp suits and matching blue and white striped ties fanned out ahead of and around Kim as he approached the Military Demarcation Line for a historic handshake with his Southern counterpart Moon Jae-in.

Some of the men had bulging pockets.

North Korea is one of the world’s most tightly-controlled societies, but even so security for its leader is iron-clad.

Foreigners attending any event where Kim will be present must go through hours of security procedures beforehand, and surrender all electronics, including phones.

The Guard Command, the military unit tasked with ensuring the safety of the leadership, is an elite institution close to the centre of North Korean power — it provides the centrepiece display of the annual kimjongilia and kimilsungia flower festivals in Pyongyang to honour Kim’s father and grandfather.

Ri Yong Guk, a defector from the North who served on a security detail for Kim Jong Il, wrote in a 2013 memoir that as many as six different layers of security guards protected the leader on trips to the countryside to inspect military units, plants or farms.

“It is one of the world’s tightest security blankets through which even a single ant would find it hard to go,” he wrote.

The arrangements for the current leader are reportedly even tighter, and during a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the foundation of its regular armed forces in February, Pyongyang paraded three kinds of security units dedicated to protecting Kim’s life.

Kim was repeatedly seen accompanied by a stout military general in uniform with a holstered gun.

The protection afforded to the Kim family was also on display when the leader’s sister Kim Yo Jong visited the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, accompanied by tall bodyguards with crew cuts, sunglasses and earphones.

Former US president Bill Clinton once described the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula and where Friday’s summit was being held as “the scariest place on Earth”.

Despite its name, the DMZ is among the most heavily fortified areas on the planet.

Around 50 kilometres north of the South Korean capital Seoul, the four-kilometre-wide space stretches for 250 kilometres across Korea and bristles with electric fences, minefields and anti-tank barriers.

At the joint security area at Panmunjom the two sides, technically still at war, come face-to-face, with stern South Korean guards — also chosen for their height and looks — standing stock still only metres from the North Korean positions.

Soldiers are permitted to carry only sidearms in the area, but it is an open secret that both sides have larger weapons stashed nearby for use in case of emergencies.

In November, a North Korean soldier defected under a hail of automatic rifle fire from his comrades.

Back in 1984, a 22-year-old Soviet tourist bolted from North to South at Panmunjom, triggering a gun battle in which three pursuing North Korean soldiers were killed, along with a Southern trooper, although defector Vasily Matuzok was unharmed. AFP

New Delhi, April 19

At least 48 MPs and MLAs have declared cases related to crime against women, with BJP having the highest number of such politicans at 12,  a report said on Thursday amid a nation-wide outrage over rape incidents, including in UP’s Unnao where a ruling party lawmaker is an accused.

“Out of 1,580 (33 per cent) MPs/MLAs analysed with declared criminal cases, 48 have declared cases related to crime against women,” as per the report by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

This includes 45 MLAs and 3 MPs, who have declared cases of crime against women such as charges related to assault of woman with intent to outrage her modesty, kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her to marriage, rape, domestic violence and trafficking, the Delhi-based think-tank said.

 Giving party-wise details, the report said that BJP has the highest number of MPs and MLAs i.e. 12, followed by Shiv Sena (7) and Trinamool Congress (6) who have declared cases related to crime against women.

 The report is based on an analysis of 4,845 out of 4,896 election affidavits of current MPs and MLAs. This includes 768 out of 776 affidavits of MPs and 4,077 out of 4,120 MLAs across the country.

“All major political parties give tickets to candidates with cases of crime against women especially rape and therefore hindering the safety and dignity of women as citizens.

“These are serious cases where charges have been framed and cognisance have been taken by the courts. Hence, political parties have been in a way abetting to circumstances that lead to such events that they so easily but vehemently condemn in Parliament,” the report said.

Among states, Maharashtra has the highest number of MPs and MLAs (12), followed by West Bengal (11), Odisha and Andhra Pradesh each with five MPs and MLAs who have declared cases related to crime against women.

ADR and National Election Watch (NEW) have recommended that candidates with serious criminal background should be debarred from contesting elections. Also, political parties should disclose the criteria on which candidates are given tickets and that cases against MPs and MLAs should be fast-tracked and decided upon in a time-bound manner, they added.

According to the report, in the last five years, recognised parties have given tickets to 26 candidates who had declared cases related to rape. During this period,  14 independent candidates with declared cases related to rape have contested for Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state assembly elections.

As per the analysis, 327 candidates who had declared cases related to crime against women were given tickets by recognised political parties. Also, 118 independent candidates with declared cases related to crime against women had contested for Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state assembly elections in the last five years.

Among major parties, in the last five years, 47 candidates with declared cases related to crime against women were given tickets by BJP. As many as 35 such candidates were given tickets by BSP, followed by 24 from Congress. The candidates had contested in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state assembly polls.

The report also noted that among states, in the last five  years, Maharashtra had the highest number of such candidates at 65, followed by Bihar (62) and West Bengal (52) (including independents).

The analysis comes at a time when there are rising rape incidents, including those reported from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, Unnao and Surat in Gujarat. PTI