Monthly Archives: August 2018

Sikar, February 23

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said on Tuesday that if the Centre does not repeal the three new agriculture laws, the protesting farmers will gherao Parliament. He appealed to farmers to be ready as the call for ‘Delhi march’ can be given at any time.

Tikait was addressing the Kisan Mahapanchayat of United Kisan Morcha in Sikar, Rajasthan Tuesday. “This time the call will be for Parliament gherao. We will announce it and then march towards Delhi. This time 40 lakh tractors will be there instead of four lakh tractors,” he said.

Tikait said the protesting farmers would plough the parks near India Gate and grow crops there. Leaders of the United Front will decide the date to gherao the Parliament, he added.

He also said there was a conspiracy to malign the country’s farmers on January 26, when violence had broken out in the national capital during their tractor parade.

“The farmers of the country love the tricolor, but not the leaders of this country,” he said.

Tikait said farmers are openly challenging the government that if it does not repeal all three contentious agricultural laws and does not implement the MSP, then the farmers of the country will also demolish the godowns of big companies.

The United Front will also give a date for this soon, he said.

The mahapanchayat was also addressed by Swaraj movement leader Yogendra Yadav, National Vice President of All India Kisan Sabha Amra Ram, National General Secretary of Kisan Union, Chaudhary Yudhvir Singh and others.

Earlier on Tuesday, Tikait also addressed a farmers’ gathering at Sardarshahar in Churu district. PTI

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 22

With the increasing dominance of the electronic spectrum, cyber warfare and artificial intelligence, the Army has laid the groundwork to introduce a futuristic communication system for providing secure and seamless interconnectivity between its warfighting elements and also enhance situational awareness.

“The Indian Army is planning a LTE-based communication grid with Internet of Military Things (IoMT) sensor network for providing failsafe, robust and secure communication to its formations and units along the northern and eastern borders,” a request for information floated a few days ago states.

This will require designing and developing, with industry support, a communication grid with its radio access network, core network and IoMT compatible network along with sensors and interfaces to provide surveillance, situational awareness, sensor network and compatible interfaces for legacy surveillance devices currently in the Army’s inventory.

Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a standard for wireless broadband communication for mobile devices that increases the capacity and speed of data transfer and provides several add-on facilities. IoMT is a type of Internet of Things designed for combat operations and warfare based upon smart technology and artificial intelligence. It comprises a complex network of interconnected entities in the military domain that continually communicate with each other to accomplish a broad range of activities in a more efficient and informed manner.

The network would facilitate a state of the art mobile communication and sensor network for troops operating in a counter-insurgency environment, rugged mountains and jungles overlooking the Line of Control and international borders through the use of handheld communication devices and e-tabs.

The project envisions high grade and reliable mobile communication with a layer of security for voice, data and video communication to make the traffic secure and make the network free from the possibility of intrusion and interception, prevent unauthorized access.

The proposed LTE-based communication grid with IoMT sensor network will also be capable of interoperability with existing mobile communication network and would be integrated into the armed forces’ current and futuristic communication infrastructure and networks.

It will also have an IoMT sensor network, seismic, pressure and ultrasonic ground sensors autonomous UAVs and drones, information nodes, helmet-mounted cameras and interfaces for current surveillance equipment as well as an ecosystem for controlling and monitoring the sensor data from all IoMT devices.

Only Indian vendors and those who tie-ups with foreign original equipment manufacturers having their registered offices along with operations, maintenance and repair infrastructure in India would be allowed to participate in the project.

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 22

While Punjab has been a witness to such scenes, in the BJP’s bastion of western Uttar Pradesh also saffron leaders are facing resistance in their attempts to “reach-out” to their support base, especially Jats in rural areas.

The historic Sauram or Shoram village in Muzaffarnagar today witnessed clashes between villagers and leaders/supporters of BJP during a visit of Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan.

According to Prof Sudhir Panwar several farmers suffered injuries during the clash.

“What we were suspecting has started happening,” said Panwar, a Samajwadi Party leader from Bhainswal (Shamli).

According to BKU’s Dharmendra Malik, the head of ‘Jawla khap’ Sachin Chaudhary “refused” to meet Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan “who was trying to get in touch with him at the behest of Home Minister Amit Shah”.

In a video posted by Malik, Chaudhary can be heard saying that “no one from the ruling BJP should try to meet him individually. They should meet the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and their decision will be final (regarding the agitation against the three farm laws)”.

Panwar, a Samajwadi Party leader from Bhainswal (Shamli) which “resisted/banned” the entry of Balyan, UP Cabinet minister Bhupendra Chaudhary and Shamli MLA Tejinder Nirwal yesterday, says farmers of western UP are upset due to “BJP’s attempts to divide the agitation on the basis of caste and Jats”.

Bhainswal is headquarter of 32 villages khaps. The February 5 ‘mahapanchayat’ there in opposition of farm laws saw the participation of members of non-Jat, Dalits and Muslims along with Jats.

“In a democracy every person has the right to expression, therefore ban on entry of leaders of a particular party is not the democratic way but people are angry,” says Panwar.

The support to farmers’ agitation from “non-Jats and Muslims” is threatening to upset the saffron party’s carefully crafted caste equations on the back of which it had been winning elections in the state.

After the 2013 Muzzafarnagar riots, western UP region witnessed a deep polarisation with Hindu Jats, non-Jats, and Dalits gravitating towards the BJP.

Speaking as an independent observer, Prof Panwar explains that BKU leader Rakesh Tikait and RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary are both Jats and most of ‘mahapanchayats’ have been in and around Jat-dominated districts.

“BJP’s Jat leaders have been asked to use their influence in dousing the agitation through the “Khaps’ informal social leadership”.

The BJP’s strategy is two pronged — reduce and brand farmers’ agitation as Jat agitation so that other rural castes associated with it because of economic reasons feel isolated as seen during the reservation agitation in Haryana. The second is to divide Jats along party line in the backdrop of RLD and Congress’ ‘mahapanchayats’.

However, people in villages are angry and this strategy is unlikely to succeed as agitation is not limited to Jats,” says Panwar.

The central leadership has asked Jat leaders from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan to reach out to the community at the ‘khap’ levels and ensure that “they do not feel alienated from the BJP”.

Karnal: The combined annual training camp number 2 Coy (I) NCC Sainik School, Kunjpura, concluded on Monday. Chief guest Brigadier AS Berar, VSM Group Commander NCC, Group Head Quarter, Ambala, and guest of honour Col VD Chandola Principal, graced the occasion. Brig Berar facilitated best performers of the camp in various activities.

New Delhi, February 23

A Delhi court Tuesday sent actor-activist Deep Sidhu to judicial custody for 14 days in connection with the Red Fort violence on Republic Day during farmers’ tractor parade against the Centre’s three new agri laws.

Sidhu was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Samarjeet Kaur on expiry of his 7-day police custody. He was produced before the magistrate in Tihar Jail, where he is currently lodged.

The court had first sent Sidhu to police custody on February 9 for seven days, after the police alleged he was one of the main instigators of the violent incidents at the Red Fort. His custody was further extended by seven days on February 16.

Read also: Delhi violence accused Lakha Sidhana addresses rally in Bathinda; leaves on motorbike

The police had said there are videos where Sidhu can be allegedly seen to be present at the site of the incident.

“He was instigating the crowd. He was also one of the main rioters. Several social media accounts need to be searched to identify the co-conspirators. Also his permanent address is given as Nagpur but several places need to be visited in Punjab and Haryana to unearth further details.

“He can be seen coming out with the person who hoisted the flag and congratulating him. He came out and gave speeches in loud hailers and provoked the crowd there. He was the main instigator. He instigated the crowd due to which violence occurred. Several policemen were injured in the violence,” police had alleged.

Sidhu’s counsel, however, had claimed he had nothing to do with the violence and was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sidhu has been arrested for several offences under the Indian Penal Code, including rioting (147 and 148), unlawful assembly (149), attempt to murder (120-B), criminal conspiracy (120-B), assaulting or obstructing public servant (152), dacoity (395), culpable homicide (308) and disobedience to order promulgated by public servant (188).

He has also been arrested under sections of the Arms Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.

The police had announced a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to Sidhu’s arrest.

Tens of thousands of protesting farmers clashed with the police in the national capital on January 26 during a tractor parade to highlight their demands.

Many of them driving tractors reached the Red Fort and entered the monument, where a religious flag was also hoisted. Over 500 police personnel were injured and one protester died.

In the FIR registered in connection with the Red Fort violence, police alleged two magazines with 20 live cartridges were snatched from two constables by protesters who also damaged vehicles and robbed anti-riot gear. PTI

Our Correspondent

Abohar/Sriganganagar, Feb 23

In less than three hours of its opening, a toll plaza was forcibly shut down by farmers when the contractors started collecting toll for the newly constructed Raisinghnagar-Anupgarh-Gharsana highway under the Bharatmala Project.

The farmers staged a dharna and raised slogans against the three farm laws. A Jaipur-based company has been awarded the contract for toll collection on the highway for three months. Project partner Surinder Pareek, a BJP leader and former sarpanch of Netewala village, claimed the NHAI had directed the company to collect toll from vehicles from today. The company opened its counters to collect the toll at 8 am, but the recovery had to be stopped after some farmers reached there.

Ranjit Singh Raju, convener of the Gramin Kisan Mazdoor Samiti and other leaders reportedly posted an audio message for farmers as soon as they learnt about the opening of the plaza. Soon, farmers led by Sheopat Ram Meghwal, a member of the national executive of the All India Kisan Sabha, arrived at the plaza. They interacted with operators and employees of the company and it was agreed that till the farmers’ agitation continues, no toll would be charged.