Tribune file photo
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 29
Almost a year after the Supreme Court granted permanent commission to woman Army officers, many of them are still litigating to get their due.
On Friday, a Bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud asked the Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain to sort out the issue with the authorities concerned and posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks.
“They are your own officers. They have served the Navy and the Army. Please try to sort it out with the authorities. Why push them into the litigation cycle again? There in their years of retirement now…These women (officers) have served the nation. Why should they be made to go to the AFT (Armed Forces tribunal) again? Sit down with them and sort it out,” a Bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud told Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain.
Maintaining that the 2020 judgements have to be implemented in letter and spirit, Jain assured the Bench those genuine issues that were resolvable within the framework of the rules and will be resolved.
In two verdicts in 2020, the top court had held that serving women Short Service Commission Officers in Indian Navy and Army were entitled to Permanent Commission on a par with their male counterparts.
There are issues of arrears of salary, gratuity and pension that needed to be resolved.
Earlier this month, 11 women army officers had moved the Supreme Court seeking compliance of its directions to the Centre for grant of permanent commission, promotions and consequential benefits to them “in an inclusive, fair, just and reasonable manner”.
Lieutenant Colonel Ashu Yadav and 10 other women Army officers alleged that the directions were not being complied with in “letter and spirit”.
The procedures for grant of permanent commission were “vitiated with arbitrariness, unfairness and unreasonableness”, they alleged in the petition.
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 29
Condemning today’s violence by some miscreants at the Singhu border, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh urged the Centre to conduct a thorough probe to identify the so-called locals who had purportedly broken through tight security cordons to attack farmers and their property.
“Were they really locals?” asked the Chief Minister, seeking a proper investigation to identify the trouble-makers and ascertain where they came from. “I can’t believe that local people could have turned against the farmers like this. Miscreants might have been brought from other places by vested interests to foment trouble,” he said, adding that locals calling the farmers traitors was not something he could believe to be true.
Govt scanning FIRs on union leaders
Sources in the government said the Congress government was examining the FIR slapped on the farm leaders. Meanwhile, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee has offered legal aid to farmer leaders who have been named in FIRs registered by the Delhi Police, provided the leaders agree to the offer.
Calling for an immediate end to the vilification campaign launched against farmers in the wake of the Red Fort violence, the Chief Minister warned that maligning the farmers in this manner could lower the morale of the armed forces, 20 per cent comprised
Punjabis. Spreading false information against the farmers could create divisions, which could cause problems for Punjab, he warned, urging the media to handle the situation properly and sensitively.
AAP, Cong complicit, alleges Chugh
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh has condemned CM Capt Amarinder Singh for demanding action against the Delhi Police. Condemning the Republic Day violence, Chugh said the AAP, Congress and other parties also stood exposed by their direct and indirect support to the farmer unions.
“What is happening and what happened at Singhu today is what Pakistan wants,” said Capt Amarinder, pointing out that he had been warning for a long time that Pakistan would try to exploit the unrest over the farm laws to disturb Punjab’s peace.
Asserting that his sympathies, and those of his government and party, were with the farmers, the Chief Minister said every farmer in the country has his/her heart at Delhi’s borders at present.
Even as soldiers battle the winter conditions, the greater challenge for the Indian Army lies in anticipating events and preparing for contingencies in the coming summer months. The PLA military strategy appears to be focused on two objectives — strengthening control over the disputed areas along the LAC and overcoming their war-fighting weaknesses in Tibet.
ETERRENCE NEEDED: India must secure the disputed areas before the snow melts and PLA movements become easier across the LAC. PTI
The standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh is set to continue through the winter. There is minimal possibility of any significant military moves during the winter months, and it has been reported that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has already moved 10,000 soldiers from depth areas back to their permanent garrisons in Xinjiang and Tibet military regions. The Indian Army, even if it wishes to, will find it more difficult to pull out soldiers. With the roads to Ladakh closed, both the moving out of troops and their re-induction in an emergency, is extremely difficult.
Even as soldiers battle the winter conditions, the greater challenge for the Indian Army lies in anticipating events and preparing for contingencies in the coming summer months. The overall political intent of the Chinese leadership in precipitating the crisis along the border is still open to differing interpretations, but eight months into the standoff, there is greater clarity to their military aims. The PLA military strategy appears to be focused on two objectives — strengthening control over the disputed areas along the LAC and overcoming their war-fighting weaknesses in Tibet.
It is becoming increasingly evident that the primary element of the PLA’s military strategy is to change the nature of disputed areas to give permanence to their claims. In Ladakh, this is being attempted by physically occupying the disputed areas on the north bank of Pangong Tso or physically preventing the Indian patrols from going up to their claim lines at Depsang. Despite nine rounds of military-level talks, there has been no movement forward on disengagement from these two areas.
The construction of a village in the disputed Longju sector of Arunachal Pradesh is another ploy to firm up China’s claims. While this area has been under Chinese control since 1959, the fact that India also has a claim to this area is well known to both sides. It had been an accepted norm that both countries should avoid any provocative move in the disputed areas. In 2014 and 2016, the PLA had objected to the construction of small irrigation projects at Demchok, claiming this was a disputed area. However, all protocols and norms have now lost their sanctity.
In 2005, both countries signed an agreement on the ‘Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question’. Article VII of the agreement states, “In reaching a boundary settlement, the two sides shall safeguard due interests of their settled populations in the border areas.” By building villages and settling civilians in disputed areas, India could be presented with a fait accompli during the border negotiations.
The second element of the PLA’s strategy is to overcome its war-fighting weaknesses in Tibet, and many of the steps undertaken by the PLA in this regard precede the Ladakh standoff. The most obvious disadvantage is faced by the PLA Air Force due to the rudimentary support facilities at the airfields and the problems in operating from high-altitude facilities, which limit the fuel and weapon payloads that can be carried by an aircraft. Some of these weaknesses are now being attempted to be overcome through the development of new military facilities. A September 2020 Stratfor report by Sim Tack pointed out that after the Dokalam incident of 2017, China “started constructing at least 13 entirely new military positions near its borders with India.”
The new constructions include three air bases, five permanent air defence positions, and five heliports. Four air defence positions are coming up within the existing airbases, along with other facilities such as additional runways and blast pens. The report states that the recent Chinese infrastructure developments are aimed at “strengthening its ability to project air power along the entire Indian border.”
Another area where the PLA has a deficiency is its training standards and the ability to fight a high-altitude war. Here again, some attempts to improve standards are visible. In the last few years, the Chinese Army has attempted to introduce realism in training by setting up “blue forces” in the combined-arms training centres that act as an enemy to PLA units.
Coming specifically to Tibet, the PLA Army and Air Force training exercises have steadily increased over the years. These details have been comprehensively covered in an Observer Research Foundation paper, “PLA joint exercises in Tibet: Implications for India.” What is noteworthy is that in 2018, 2019 and 2020, major PLA exercises were held in January and February, the coldest months of the year. However, for now, the Indian Army still retains its superiority in high-altitude warfare.
The 2020 Ladakh incursion by the PLA was an operation that was preceded by many months of preparation and military infrastructure development in Ladakh. It also shows that China is now moving aggressively to establish its claims over the disputed areas and has discarded all the agreements that had kept the peace along the LAC.
What does this mean for the coming summer months? It would be strategically prudent for the Indian Army to prepare for a contingency in which the PLA attempts to move into more disputed areas along the LAC, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh. To counter this, we must aggressively secure these areas now before the snows melt and the PLA movements become easier across the Himalayan watershed defining the LAC.
An argument is often made that the existing stalemate resulting from our firm stance is a victory for us because we are not acquiescing to Chinese demands. There is certainly some merit in this argument because a stalemate is generally considered a setback for the superior power. However, remaining entirely on the defensive could also mean that we have passed on the initiative to the Chinese and will continue to react to their actions. With talks not making any headway, the summer months could see military jockeying in the disputed areas. Strong and visible military preparation in these areas would serve as deterrence to any PLA action and strengthen our hand in future negotiations.
Deep Sidhu. File photo
New Delhi, January 28
The Delhi Police have issued lookout notices against 44 persons named in 33 FIRs registered so far in connection with the violence during the farmers’ tractor parade.
The police said names of Punjabi singer and actor Deep Sidhu and gangster-turned-social activist Lakha Sidhana had been added to the FIR registered at Kotwali police station over Red Fort violence.
In a separate FIR over the same incident, the police have invoked sedition charges. The officials said a case under Section 124A (sedition) of the IPC had been registered and the incident was being investigated.
Meanwhile, in a high-level Ministry of Home Affairs meeting, the police were directed to ask the accused 37 union leaders to submit their passports.
The police have also served show-cause notices to the leaders, asking them to explain as to why action should not be taken against them for breaching the agreement with the police for getting permission to hold the rally. — TNS
New Delhi: Elite units of the Indian Army are likely to get the Belgian Malinois, a specialised attack canine being trained for assault operations in urban areas, ThePrint has learnt.
Sources in the defence and security establishment said a couple of Army units already have these dogs, which they have procured on their own, but a formal decision is now being taken to ensure more units get these canine soldiers in an institutionalised manner.
The sources explained that the canines will be used for urban warfare and help bring down casualties in the fatal funnel, a tactical term that refers to doorways in which soldiers cannot see what’s on the other side and find it difficult to move out of in the case of incoming projectiles such as bullets.
They added that many injuries in military operations occur in the first stages when rooms in buildings are being recced or searches are being carried out in jungles or orchards.
Sources said the Belgian Malinois are being trained to carry out surveillance of rooms through head-mounted cameras and for scouting in the jungles.
Also read: ‘Stark need for modernisation’ — why armed forces want a big jump in defence budget
Known for their super agility, sharp mind and spectacular endurance and aggression, the Belgian Malinois dog breed is a favourite of special forces and enforcement agencies across the world.
The specialised breed played a role in the Osama Bin Laden raid of 2011 and chased down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi through a dark and dangerous tunnel in Idlib, Syria, in 2019.
Unlike a German Shepherd, these dogs are ideal for parachuting and fast-roping out of aircraft because of their smaller frame.
In India, the CRPF was the first to introduce them in anti-naxal operations. Other central armed police forces such as the ITBP and the NSG have since added these canines to their ranks. The NSG even showcased its Belgian Malinois at the Republic Day parade Tuesday.
The Army is now planning on formally introducing them, a source said, adding that the Meerut-based Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) has now set up a specialised school of training for urban warfare operations.
The Army uses Labradors and German Shepherds in operations and Great Swiss Mountain dogs in snow-bound areas besides Cocker Spaniels in limited numbers.
The canines play a critical role in the operations and many of them have won battle honours, such as commendations from the General Officer Commanding (GOCs) and even the Chief of Army Staff.
For instance, Mansi, a four-year-old Labrador, had become the first K9 selected for a posthumous war honour, after she and her handler Bashir Ahmed War laid down their lives countering an infiltration bid by terrorists in north Kashmir in 2015.
Mansi was honoured with the ‘Mention of Despatches’ certificate, acknowledging her contribution to the Army.
Almost every security camp in operational areas and along the Line of Control (LoC) are home to a number of desi dogs that alert the personnel against possible intrusions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in August last year in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme highlighted the bravery of India’s canine soldiers, mentioning Sophie, a Cocker Spaniel, and Vida, a Labrador, and urging the people of the country to go for a desi pet if they are planning to adopt one.
Modi also mentioned Balram, a dog that detected a large amount of explosives on the Amarnath Yatra route in 2006; Bhawana, who detected an IED but was killed along with her handler when it was triggered while being defused in 2002; and CRPF’s sniffer dog ‘Cracker’, a Belgian Malinois.
Also read: Eye on China, India to host Indian Ocean Region defence ministers’ conclave next month
New Delhi: The Bangladesh armed forces’ participation in the Republic Day parade will add a “new dimension” to defence ties between India and Bangladesh, said Colonel Mohammad Mohtashim Hyder Chowdhury, leader of the Bangladesh contingent.
In an interview to ThePrint, Chowdhury said, as the parade got over: “This will add a new dimension to the defence relationship between India and Bangladesh… This was our first experience. I believe a new dimension will now come in our joint military drills and exercises that we will carry out. We’ve been doing many joint exercises despite the pandemic and this will continue.”
A 122-member contingent of the Bangladesh armed forces participated in the Republic Day parade Tuesday. The march was led by Lt Col. Abu Mohammed Shahnoor Shawon and his deputies Lieutenant Farhan Ishraq and Flight Lieutenant Sibat Rahman.
The contingent comprised soldiers of the Bangladesh Army, sailors of the Bangladesh Navy and pilots of the Bangladesh Air Force.
According to Chowdhury, the parade was “new and unique” for them and was the “first exposure” for the armed forces in terms of participating in the military parade of a foreign country.
“All of us had a very positive attitude and we are all excited to be here. Obviously, all these will have positive impact for the future too for both the countries,” he said.
Also read: 1971 to 2021 – We fought together, now Bangladesh Army marches with us on Republic Day
Chowdhury noted that the soldiers found it easy to participate in the parade because both countries followed similar drill customs and etiquette.
The majority of the soldiers in the contingent hail from the most distinguished units of the Bangladesh Army, comprising 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11 East Bengal Regiment and 1, 2 and 3 Field Artillery Regiment.
The birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s ‘Father of the Nation’, is also being celebrated in the country since 2020 as ‘Mujib Borsho’ or ‘Mujib Year’.
This also marks 50 years of India and Bangladesh establishing their diplomatic ties.
The contingent will be visiting Agra and Ajmer Wednesday, after which they will be leaving for Dhaka.
Also read: India is Bangladesh’s true friend — Sheikh Hasina to PM Modi at virtual summit
GONE WRONG: It took just a few agent provocateurs and saboteurs to derail the protest and turn the tide. Tribune photo
It was as if a Republic Day tableau took a violent life of its own and ended in a sad, silly skit at the Red Fort. The genuine fears of farmers about the possible privatisation of procurement of foodgrains were sustaining the two-month-long agitation that had become some sort of a model for protesters. The langar, community living and the peaceful, resolute and joyous mass mobilisation triggered by idealism had captured the imagination of the nation. Despite certain elements in the electronic media trying to unleash a smear campaign, all that the farm protests elicited was sympathy and solidarity. Yet, it took just a few agent provocateurs and saboteurs to derail the protest, turn the tide, transform the flower petals of adulation showered by supporters into stones of anger. This should never have happened.
Does a negotiation hold any meaning if one side has to win and the other lose conclusively and completely?
Pause. Every mass movement ought to stop to catch breath when its just demands are met halfway. When the government on January 20 agreed to suspend the contentious farm laws for 18 months (with one of the negotiators suggesting even two years), the farmer leaders should have agreed to reciprocate this gesture. Mature leadership demands a transactional strategy of giving in to take more or ceding to claim the moral high ground. The farmer leaders ought to have sought a longer period of suspension — say, two or three years — and returned home like victors and giant-killers. That a duly elected government agreed to suspend a law for about two years was in itself a great victory for the protesters. Suspension, after all, was just one step short of the repeal or withdrawal of the laws.
But this offer was not accorded the respectful deliberations it deserved, and instead was rejected by certain hotheads. It was widely reported that 15 of the 32 farmer unions from Punjab had voted to suspend the agitation and return home. That was the turning point. The 17 who made the 15 succumb to their wishes were taking over the agitation in a show of majoritarian strength and not in the true spirit of democratic decency towards the minority opinion. The more extreme elements who voted against accepting the government’s offer should be held responsible for all that went wrong on Republic Day. The intriguing details of hooliganism by some protesters — like former BJP supporter Deep Sidhu — turn the entire drama at the Red Fort into a multi-act conspiracy play with more prompters backstage than actors upfront.
The farmer agitation was a sort of pilgrimage for many Punjabis. Those who chose to see only multi-million tractors, blaring speakers worth lakhs, pizzas and foot massages obviously did not look at those who walked hundreds of kilometres to reach the protest site — a practice of piety for Indians across the country. It was this sombre, prayerful protest that got discredited because some of the units of the Bharatiya Kisan Union decided to take a maximalist position. Does a negotiation hold any meaning if one side has to win and the other lose conclusively and completely? That does not happen even in an outright war unless it is something akin to the destruction of the LTTE and its maximalist chief V Prabhakaran, which resulted in untold misery and racial humiliation to an entire community. The 17 hotheads need to analyse the loss of integrity of the farmer agitation.
Rethink. When the President, while addressing the joint sitting of Parliament, on Friday reiterates the government’s commitment to respect the Supreme Court’s decision to keep the farm laws on hold, soon after the government’s representatives offering to suspend the laws, the farmer unions ought to recalibrate their next move. The government’s suggestion to suspend the laws, obviously, was a face-saving exit from the cul-de-sac of its own making. Now, by not accepting this proposal, the farmers are walking into a dead end of another kind. They need to rethink their strategy all over again, while keeping the idealistic embers burning for the long haul.
For all we know, this Gandhian agitation had the potential to throw up a political alternative for the next general election. By the end of two months, there were comparisons drawn between the farmer agitation and the Anna Hazare movement against corruption that destroyed the credibility of the UPA government and laid the ground for the BJP’s return to power in the 2014 election. The anti-corruption protests had never descended into violence or chaos and were carefully crafted to create a new political platform, which became a nationwide phenomenon, putting the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal in positions of power. Instead of taking a similar trajectory, the farmer protests have been reduced to an identity play with religious symbolism and brainless bravado as the primary scripts. Non-stop protests by hotheads who mistake negation for negotiation can only promise a comic show of athleticism atop a slippery pole, which the entire Republic Day fiasco was finally all about.
Restart. The gains thus frittered away could be best recouped by taking a break now for a new beginning. Government procurement had helped lift masses of farmers from poverty. They would all gradually get aligned with the protesters if they continue to walk the narrow path of non-sectarianism and non-violence, transforming the movement into a national campaign. But that requires the masses to be reassured that this is a farmers’ movement and not a clash of inflamed egos of a few wealthy Punjabi landowners. A decent interval can bring down the tempers and soothe bruised minds and rebuild the protest, if required. On its part, if the government has understood the mood of farmers and does not attempt to implement these laws at all, then the slogan of ‘repeal’ becomes an empty threat of disruption. Our farmers should not turn victory into defeat. How unfortunate it is not to realise that you have succeeded and to keep chasing a mirage!
Tribune News Service
Singhu/Tikri/Hisar/Ambala, January 29
The emotional appeal of Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait has given a ‘fuel’ to farmers’ agitation which witnessed a fall in numbers following the Red Fort incident during the January 26 tractor parade.
Hundreds of farmers from Hisar, Bhiwani, Kaithal, Jind, Sonepat and Panipat districts rejoined the protest sites at Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri borders with enthusiasm.
Live updates:
On National Highway-44, several farmers are headed towards Delhi borders on their tractors.
“The farmers have been coming to Tikri from various villages of Rohtak and Jind districts since last night. Rumours of farmers going back are being spread by the BJP supporters to weaken the agitation,” said Virender Hooda, a farmer leader camping at Tikri.
He claimed a large number of farmers would reach Tikri by the evening. Many had already reached Ghazipur border, he added.
“Tikait episode at Ghazipur border has created a sense of sympathy among the people of Haryana hence it is the main reason behind the returning of farmers to the protest sites,” said a farmer leader.
Also read:
As the video of Rakesh Tikait went viral on the social media, the farmers in Kungar village of Hisar district, Kandela of Jind district started gathering in their respective villages. The protesters blocked the Jind-Chandigarh highway passing through their village for about two hours. Later, riding on tractors, hundreds of farmers formed ‘jathas’ and started moving to Tikri border from Jind district.
Farmers from Masoodpur, Data, Sarsod, Bichpari, Ladwa, Satrod, Chainat, Ramayan, Bhagana have also left to join the dharna at the Tikri border.
In Bhiwani district, farmers started moving to Delhi and UP borders last night.
Farmers have also started heading towards Singhu border.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) district vice president Gulab Singh said: “After the fresh directions from the union leaders, we have asked the farmers to reach Delhi in maximum numbers. Farmers’ movement is getting stronger, and we will not let the government forcefully remove us.”
After the state government attempted to get the toll plazas vacated, the numbers of farmers at the toll plazas have also increased.
“The government wants us to vacate the toll plazas and police officials have also reached here for the same, but we have made them clear that the tolls will remain free till the three black laws are not withdrawn”, said Gulab.
Khap meetings at night to strategise
Several villages in Kaithal, Jind, Sonepat, Panipat, Karnal, Rohtak districts held meetings on Thursday night to strengthen the agitation.
The Kandela khap, which has been at the forefront of leading the farmers’ agitation in the past, have called a mahapanchayat on Friday to chalk out the next strategy to strengthen the ongoing agitation.
According to reports, local khap panchayats, including the Phogat khap, Sangwan khap, Barah khap, have also called meeting on Friday in their respective areas of influence to mobilize support to the stir.
Government conspiracy to malign us: Farmers
Farmers blame the government for ‘hatching conspiracy’ to defame the farmers’ protest. Farmers also blamed television news channels alleging that the media is hand in glove with the government to malign the image of the farmers.
The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha has already condemned the incident that took place at Ghazipur border and blamed a political party for trying to defame the agitation.
“The government’s intention to torpedo the agitation by resorting to cheap tactics and using force have been exposed,” said a farmer.
“It was the conspiracy of the government to defame the farmers’ stir, but the people of the country are well aware of this conspiracy, and they will give a reply to the government with a large gathering to strengthen the stir,” said Ajay Kumar, a farmer from Kaithal while heading towards Delhi border.
A farmer in Kandela village said that the BJP government has hatched a conspiracy against the farmers and they will not let this conspiracy succeed.
“I was a supporter of the ruling BJP-JJP government in Haryana. But the attempt to suppress the agitation has instilled a new lease of life in the agitation. We have not waited for the morning and started the journey to Delhi by around midnight,” said Surender, a young farmer of Kandela village.
Thousands of protesting farmers have been protesting at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh demanding the rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.
However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.
Farmers guard their camp at the Singhu border. Sayeed Ahmed
Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Sonepat, January 29
After an emotional appeal by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait from the Ghazipur border, a large of farmers were on their way to join the protest at the Singhu border on Friday.
Farmers from various districts of Haryana and Punjab arrived in large numbers to strengthen the stir. They boosted the morale of protesters by chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’, ‘Kisan mazdoor ekta zindabad’ and ‘Haryana Punjab bhaichara zindabad’.
Anmol Rana of Sonepat said the stir got renewed energy after the Ghazipur incident. He criticised snapping of electricity and water supply at Ghazipur and said these acts would not stop farmers.
Kulbhushan of Sonepat said the farmers’ protest would reach new heights in the days to come. “The Red Fort incident was unfortunate, but the stir would continue,” he said.
Farmers from Punjab were hopeful that the numbers would increase in the days to come. “We are happy that black sheep have been exposed. More people will join the stir as a large number of Punjab farmers are on the way,” said Karnail Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib.
Ranjeet Singh Bajwa of Hoshiarpur said scores of farmers who had left after taking part in the tractor parade were coming back. “Tikait’s appeal has given new energy to the protest,” he said.
Meanwhile, volunteers have raised vigil at the dharna site after the Friday’s clash.
