Monthly Archives: August 2018

srinagar, March 6

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the Pulwama suicide attack, today said the chemicals used in the attack were procured from e-commerce website Amazon.

The probe agency also arrested two youths from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The NIA said one of the accused — Waiz ul Islam, 19, of Srinagar — disclosed that he used his Amazon online shopping account to procure chemicals for making IEDs, batteries and other accessories on the directions of Pakistani JeM terrorists.

“He also personally delivered the items to the JeM terrorists after procuring the incriminating material online as part of the conspiracy to carry out the Pulwama attack,” NIA spokesperson Alok Mittal said. The other youth, Muhammad Abbas Rather, 32, of Hakripora village in Pulwama, has taken the number of arrests in the case to five. “Rather has disclosed that he gave shelter at his home to Jaish terrorist Mohd Umar (IED expert) after he came to Kashmir in April-May 2018,” the NIA said. — TNS

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, March 8

Troops of 39 Rashtriya Rifles under Romeo Force along with the Rajouri district police have rescued nine passengers who were trapped in heavy snow near Dera –Ki-Gali (DKG) the highest point on the border of Rajouri and Poonch districts.

The DKG situated at a height of 6,500 feet from sea level and falls in the temperate region. It experiences heavy snowfall in the winter. According to a report, all the nine, including five women were on way to Bafliaz town (in Poonch district) from Thanamandi town in Rajouri in Tata Sumo.

The vehicle got stuck ahead of the DKG in the heavy snowfall which kept increasing with every minute. On receiving a message from the trapped passengers, troops of 33 RR and cops from their respective posts at the DKG swung into action.

The rescue operation was launched under the supervision of Sajjad Khan, SDPO, Thanamandi, and Commanding Officer of 39 RR and all the trapped passengers were brought to the joint check post at the DKG.

“All passengers were provided tea and medical attention by the Army” said an Army spokesman.

Srinagar, March 9

Two labourers were killed while two others injured in an explosion at an ammunition depot of the Army in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, police said.

The explosion took place at Khundru in the south Kashmir district on Monday afternoon, a police official said.

He said two labourers were killed on the spot due to the explosion, while two others were injured.

The deceased have been identified as Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, resident of Pahloo and Gulzar Ahmad Khan, resident of Uttersoo Maidphall areas of the district, he said.

The two injured labourers identified as Fida Hussain and Shabir Ahmad have been rushed to a hospital, the official added.

Khundru is one of the biggest ammunition depots in the Kashmir valley. There have been few such incidents in the past as well. In 2007, several people were killed in a fire, which continued for days, after an accidental blast at the depot.—PTI

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, March 8

The Cantonment Board Ambala has not been getting service charges regularly from the Army. With the Army owing the board over Rs524 crore, its councillors have planned to raise the issue with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The annual expenditure of the board is between Rs50 crore and Rs60 crore, which includes salaries, maintenance, allowances and contingency funds. The present annual demand of service charges from the Army is Rs64 crore.

“The Army owes us over Rs524 crore. The payment of service charges has been irregular since 2008-09. Around Rs1 crore has been received this year. The board has limited revenue resources like rent, house tax and service charges. If we fail to get service charges, it will be very hard to function in the coming months,” said a senior board official.

“The board is like a local body and the Army pays service charges from the budget allocated by the Ministry of Defence. The board has been struggling in the absence of adequate funds and has decided to send project proposals to the Ministry of Defence to seek grants. If the situation remains the same, things will get difficult next year,” said Ajay Baweja, board vice-president.

“The matter was raised during a meeting with Brig VS Sankhyan, board president. He said he had been trying at his level and asked us to raise the issue. The situation is similar in other cantonment boards. We will meet Rajnath Singh and raise the issue as funds are to be released by the ministry,” he added.

“The board has not faced any major issue so far as it has been using its buffer, which has started decreasing. The board will have to send its projects to the ministry for grants. The board may face some issues in the long term. We have been raising the matter with the Army and the ministry. We are hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon,” said Anuj Goel, board chief executive officer.

Struggling to survive, say board officials

• Cantonment Board Ambala vice-president Ajay Baweja said the board is like a local body and its annual expenditure is between Rs50 crore and Rs60 crore
• The Army pays the board service charges from the budget allocated by the Ministry of Defence and owes it over Rs524 crore
• Baweja said the board had been struggling in the absence of adequate funds and has decided to send project proposals to the Ministry of Defence to seek grants

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 7

Two alumni from institutes in the tricity bagged top honours during the passing-out parade held for the newly commissioned Lieutenants at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai on Saturday.

Lt Harpreet Singh, an alumnus of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (AFPI), Mohali, received the coveted Sword of Honour and the gold medal for standing first in the overall order of merit in the course, while Lt Vaibhav Mahajan, a cadet with No 1 Chandigarh NCC Air Squadron, was awarded the silver medal for standing second. Lt Mahajan had the distinction of commanding the parade.

In all, 167 gentlemen cadets, including 31 lady cadets, became officers on Saturday. The passing-out parade was reviewed by Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff.

Lt Singh, who held the rank of the Academy Cadet Adjutant during the training period, has been commissioned into the Scinde Horse, an elite armoured regiment that dates back to the pre-Independence era. His father, Risaldar Sukh Ram (retd), is a veteran tankman having served with the Hodson’s Horse. The family belongs to Abiana Khurd village near Ropar.

Lt Mahajan, on the other hand, has opted to be a foot soldier and has been commissioned into the Parachute Regiment. An alumnus of Postgraduate Government College in Sector 11 here, he had represented Chandigarh in the NCC Republic Day Camp in New Delhi in 2016. Later, he went to Moscow as part of the Youth Exchange Programme.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 9

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) has opened up its medical facilities located in forward areas to civilians residing in border regions for availing routine medical treatment.

Director General, ITBP, SS Deswal said during his visit here that the practice was initiated recently to reach out to people residing in remote areas who do not have ready access to medical aid.

Earlier, civilians could get medical help only during an emergency or during special camps organised by the force from time to time. Now, they can routinely walk up to any ITBP medical centre and avail treatment.

According to an ITBP officer, over 40 battalions are deployed in the vicinity of the mountainous border with China, with each battalion controlling a number of border outposts (BOPs) situated along the border.

Each battalion HQs as well as BOPs are equipped with medical facilities. Besides catering to general illness, these can also be lifesavers during a medical emergency by providing first aid. The officer said the ITBP move would benefit thousands of civilians.

The ITBP has also been involved in screening persons evacuated from China for Covid-19.

Tribune News Service
Srinagar, March 9

Former decorated Commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt Gen Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon has been appointed as Director General, Defence Intelligence Agency, and Deputy Chief of Integrating Defence Staff (Intelligence) under the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in the Department of Military Affairs, sources said.

The DIA also forms part of the Multi Agency Centre, an umbrella of organisations which looks into infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The 57-year-old Lt Gen Dhillon, who is from the 1983 batch of the Indian Military Academy, handed over the charge of 15 Corps to Lt Gen BS Raju on February 29.

Officials in the Defence Ministry said the order for Lt Gen Dhillon has been issued and he will assume the charge soon. The former decorated Commander of 15 Corps has been appreciated for three major people-friendly operations during his tenure in Kashmir, including ‘Operation Maa’ (mother), ‘Taleem se Taraqqi’ (Education leads to success) and ‘Humsaya hain hum’ (co-habitatants).

Lt Gen Kamal Davar (retd)

Having adorned the uniform for 41 years with great pride, it was truly a memorable moment to be with the ‘Defenders of Punjab’ — the Vajra Corps — in Jalandhar, celebrating on March 1 their 70 years of matchless service to the nation. That I could attend the Raising Day celebrations of the new raising I had commanded, 86 Armoured Regiment at Nabha, made my trip all the more nostalgic.

Meeting battle-hardened veterans who have given their all to this nation is indeed an unforgettable experience which only a soldier can fathom.

Following the bloody Partition of India, the 1947-48 Kashmir war clearly brought out that to thwart Pakistani perfidy, many more units and formations were urgently required to be raised. Thus, the first Corps HQ to be raised in free India on March 1, 1950 was HQ 11 Corps at Ambala. Lt Gen Kulwant Singh was given the honour to do so which he did with aplomb and alacrity. In mid-1951, the Corps was moved and headquartered in Jalandhar cantonment where it is situated now in impeccable surroundings, a majestic yet modern headquarters building to carry out its task to defend Punjab.

Raising a Corps is no mean task as it involves marshalling, training and synergising the capabilities of diverse units and formations. 11 Corps (nicknamed Vajra Corps, attributable to its formation sign), over the years, did that with professional precision and operational effectiveness. Pakistan had unleashed ‘Operation Gibraltar’ in July-August 1965 to foment an uprising against the Indian state. That the loyal Kashmiris followed by the Indian Army decisively threw out the Pakistani infiltrators prompted the Pakistanis to launch ‘Operation Grand Slam’ on September 1, 1965 in the Akhnoor sector. As the Indian Army defended valiantly and successfully in J&K apart from the loss of Chhamb, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri gave his permission to our Army to open a new front and cross the international border in Punjab to teach the Pakistanis a lesson.

11 Corps mounted a three-pronged counter-offensive along the GT axis, the Burki axis and from the south to converge towards Lahore. The Corps met with substantial success getting across the formidable Ichogill Canal, and along the GT axis; 3 JAT under the dynamic leadership of Col Desmond Hayde had captured the border town of Dograi and entered Batanagar on the outskirts of Lahore. However, lack of complete information to the higher leadership prevented 11 Corps units to further their advance into enemy territory.

Meanwhile, the Pakistanis with their formidable Patton tanks counter-attacked south of Amritsar and made some gains in the Khem Karan sector. Notwithstanding being outnumbered and outgunned, units of 2nd Armoured Brigade withstood the enemy onslaught and created mayhem among the invading Pakistani tanks. The battle of Asal Uttar (later famously re-interpreted as the Right Response) became the graveyard of Pakistani tanks. It was here that Havildar Abdul Hamid destroyed four Pakistani tanks. The battles of Dograi, Burki, Asal Uttar bear testimony to the overall success of the Vajra Corps.

I too, as a young subaltern, was wounded in action in the Khem Karan sector and thus have an emotional connect with 11 Corps — no wonder that destiny later gave me the chance to be its 22nd Corps Commander from 1999 to 2002.

In the 1971 operations against Pakistan, 11 Corps troops once again exhibited themselves with valour and professionalism in the battles of Sehjra, Dera Baba Nanak and Burj-Fatehpur, among others.

As many veterans gathered at Jalandhar to commemorate the deeds of the Vajra Corps, the most solemn ceremony was held at the Vajra Shaurya Sthal to pay their tributes to those fallen in battle. Among those who attended were veteran corps commanders like former Army Chief Gen Ved Malik, Lt Gen BT Pandit and the elderly Mrs Gowrishanker, whose husband had won the Maha Vir Chakra in the 1965 ops. An event, immaculately organised by Lt Gen Sanjeev Sharma, the present Corps Commander, will be cherished by all.

The Vajra Corps, over the years, has truly lived up to its motto as the ‘Defenders of Punjab’.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 5

The Union Government has extended the status of “ex-servicemen” to short service commission (SSC) officers who leave armed forces after the completion of initial service period of 10 years, but before completing the extension period of another four years.

A notification issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension a few days ago states that Rule 2 of the Ex-servicemen (Re-employment in Central Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1979, shall be amended to insert the clause that SSC officers released from service after completing initial terms of engagement, otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency, and having granted gratuity shall be eligible to ex-servicemen status.

This implies that SSC officers who chose to leave the services between 10 and 14 years of service will now be eligible to get post-release benefits on a par with those released from service on the completion of the mandatory 10 years of service or those who leave after exercising the option for continuing till 14 years. benefits that these officers will now be entitled to include job quota in government organisations and other schemes.