Prime Minister Narendra Modi was today apprised by the Navy of the quantum of liquid of oxygen Indian warships have loaded from various countries, while the Delhi Government asked the Ministry of Defence to hand over the oxygen supply management to the Army.
Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has written to the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for Army assistance in tackling the pandemic. The Delhi Government wants the Army to handle supplies and transportation of oxygen. Modi interacted with Chief Admiral Karambir Singh to review the Navy’s role in tackling Covid. The PM has already reviewed the working of the Army and the IAF. — TNS
1. कोविड-19 की दूसरी लहर के चलते, ECHS शाखा, पंजाब हरियाणा और हिमाचल प्रदेश सब एरिया हमारे सम्मानित भूतपूर्व सैनिकों तथा उनके आश्रितों को चिकित्सा तथा अन्य सहायता का आश्वासन देते हैं ।
2. आपकी सहायता के लिए निम्नलिखित उपाय किए गए हैं :-
क. ECHS आपको हर सम्भव मदद करेगा जिसमें शामिल है इम्पैनेल अस्पतालों में भर्ती और इलाज ।
ख. तुरंत प्रभाव से ECHS Polyclinics में OPD के लिए पहले से telephone द्वारा नाम लिखाना होगा ।
ग. अपने आप से दवाई खरीद कर पैसे claim करने की सुविधा की आखिरी तारीख बढा कर 31 जुलाई 2021 कर दी गई है । आपको Polyclinic आकर दवाई लेने की जरूरत नहीं है ।
घ. ECHS Polyclinic भूतपूर्व सैनिकों और उनके आश्रितों के लिए कोविड-19 के टीकाकरण का पंजीकरण कर रहा है । इसका लाभ उठायें ।
ङ. सेहत OPD ऐप का इस्तेमाल घर पर रहकर चिकित्सक (Doctor) की सलाह लेने के लिए करें । https://www.sehatopd.in में चिकित्सक दवाई की पर्ची बना देंगे जिसे बाजार से लेकर claim करें ।
च. अगर आपको कोविड-19 के लक्षण हैं तो तुरंत जांच कराएं । अपना इलाज अपने आप न करें ।
3. निम्नलिखित telephone number आपकी सहायता के लिए उपलब्ध हैं । किसी भी मदद के लिए संपर्क करें ।
4. *स्टेशन सैल अम्बाला*.
(a) स्टेशन कमाण्डर – Brig RS Matharu – 7087408366 (b) ECHS अधिकारी – Col JP Kaushik – 9469138041 (c) OIC Polyclinic अम्बाला – Col MS Mahal – 9896455585 (d) OIC Polyclinic कुरुक्षेत्र – Col Y Sood – 9771433935 (e) OIC Polyclinic करनाल – Col Sunil Sharma – 8683858875 (f) OIC Polyclinic पानीपत – Lt Col Kala Singh – 7702636683 (g) OIC Polyclinic सोनीपत – Cdr AL Krishnia – 9414083626 (h) OIC Polyclinic खरखोदा – Lt Col RS Gill – 7347647641 (j) OIC Polyclinic गोहाना – Col Ravinder Singh – 9459377415 (k) OIC Polyclinic कैथल – Lt Col RC Kaushik – 8504969965 (l) OIC Polyclinic यमुनानगर – Col Ranbir Singh – 9467762447 (m) OIC Polyclinic नारायणगढ – Col BS Sandhu – 8146383266 (n) OIC Polyclinic नाहन – Wg Cdr RK Sharma – 8685837219
5. *स्टेशन मुख्यालय चण्डीमंदिर*.
(a) स्टेशन कमाण्डर – Brig TS Mundi – 9811772254 (b) ECHS अधिकारी – Col Shamsher Singh – 9633012117 (c) OIC Polyclinic चण्डीमंदिर – Col RK Sheoran – 9501399755 (d) OIC Polyclinic चण्डीगढ – Col BB Sharma – 9417276220 (e) OIC Polyclinic मोहाली – Col GS Chugh – 9697516400 (f) OIC Polyclinic रोपड़ – Col GS Bains – 9876699478 (g) OIC Polyclinic फतेहगढ साहब – Col Narinder Singh – 9463826069 (h) OIC Polyclinic सरकाघाट – Lt Col Karan Singh – 7508383115
6. *स्टेशन मुख्यालय पटियाला*.
(a) स्टेशन कमाण्डर – Brig Vivek Kohar – 9854089771 (b) ECHS अधिकारी – Lt Col Raminder Singh – 9418610787 (c) OIC Polyclinic पटियाला- Col Ameet Singh – 9478169479 (d) OIC Polyclinic संगरूर – Col Jagdev Singh – 7009248106 (e) OIC Polyclinic समाना – Col SS Sangha – 9779988005 (f) OIC Polyclinic नाभा – Col AS Randhawa – 9888000660
7. *स्टेशन मुख्यालय शिमला*.
(a)स्टेशन कमाण्डर – Brig Rajesh Sihag – 9826388119 (b) ECHS अधिकारी – Col Upkar Sharma – 9582891316 (c) OIC Polyclinic शिमला – Col A Aggarwal – 9816672227
8. *स्टेशन मुख्यालय कसौली*.
(a) स्टेशन कमाण्डर – Brig Naveen Mahajan – 9459158891 (b) ECHS अधिकारी – Col Bharti – 8108098433 (c) OIC Polyclinic सोलन – Col TS Chaudhary – 9872949275
9. निदेशक ECHS, सब एरिया – Col S Sengupta – 8731855773
10. *निदेशक ECHS क्षेत्रीय कार्यालय*.
(a) RC अम्बाला – Col Sandeep Azad, SC – 9800822020 (b) RC चण्डीमंदिर – Col NMS Thakur, VSM – 9501212044
11. हम आपकी अच्छी सेहत और लम्बी उम्र की कामना करते हैं । *घर में रहें और स्वस्थ रहें*.
जय हिन्द
Hospital Bed Availability Online: How to Check Vacant Beds Availability Online in Hospitals in COVID 19 Emergency*
Jai Hind. 1. I am mandated as a nodal officer for all the Veterans of Indian Air Force settled in Punjab,Chandigarh & HP concerns to COVID issues. 2. If you know,any of the veterans facing any difficulty concerns to any issue ( e.g. Admission, Medication, Treatment, Transportation, Oxygen etc) you may share my contact number with them. We are here for the well beings of our respected Veterans. Group Captain PS Lamba, VSM, Advance Headquarter, WAC. Western Command, Chandimandir. Mob: 9871532225. Email: psinghlamba1@yahoo.com
Although Gp Capt Lamba is designated as the nodal officer for AF veterans/families, he will be more than willing to assist Navy & Army vets & families.
A temporary 250-bed Covid care centre being set up at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in New Delhi. Manas Ranjan Bhui
New Delhi, May 2
After winning hearts with multiple ‘oxygen langars’, the Sikh community in the national capital is readying a 250-bed Covid care facility with oxygen concentrators, doctors, paramedics and ambulances.
The Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara Community Hall at historic Gurdwara Rakab Ganj has been converted into a makeshift facility. The Gurdwara is located in central Delhi and stands at the place where Guru Tegh Bahadur was cremated. Manjinder Singh Sirsa, president, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), said: “We aim to open the facility in two days. We have 120 oxygen concentrators for now, some have been donated by the community from abroad. The DSGMC is hiring doctors, nurses and paramedics and has 15 ambulances, some are converted from school buses. “The community has supported the move,” said Sirsa as he got emotional. “A few months ago some people on social media were calling us anti-nationals, please come and see what we are doing for the country,” he said. The DSGMC is aiming to convert, within 10 days, its 100-bed hospital facility at Bala Sahib Gurdwara. — TNS
6 Sikh and 5 Sikh troops: Defenders of Poonch, Chhamb
Lt Gen Raj Sujlana (Retd)
Two memorable defensive battles were fought south of Banihal Pass, amidst the rigours of the Pir Panjal mountains of Poonch and the undulating rough plains of Chhamb-Jaurian west of Munawar Tawi. The assaulting enemy numbered several times the men who manned the defences; however, they were met squarely with rare steadfastness, valour and dedication, inflicting crushing defeats on the enemy in both these encounters.
6 Sikh (‘Chhe’, as popularly known) occupied defences over a 13-km frontage on the heights above Poonch; two of these, Points 405 and 406, were of strategic importance, standing as sentinels. Loss of these would directly threaten Poonch town itself. Pakistan always prized this option, and on the night intervening December 3 and 4, it launched a heavy punch with two brigades (six battalions). Coincidently, one of these was 5th Frontier Force, originally the 53 Royal Sikhs! Two enemy battalions launched feint attacks, while one infiltrated to cut off the road leading to Poonch. ‘Chhe’, fully entrenched, lay in their path to upset their well laid out plans.
The artillery bombardment announced the enemy’s intent; an advance position at the helipad, held by two platoons under Captain Mamik, received the heavy rush, but they stood rock solid. A young Sepoy, Sampuran Singh, manning a Light Machine Gun (LMG) stood out. ‘He poured ceaseless rapid fire on the incoming enemy; a head injury didn’t perturb him, he stuck to his assigned task till he was unconscious due to loss of blood and was only then evacuated.’ Repeated attacks were beaten back, the heavy casualties inflicted held up the attack. These troops achieved their task to delay the enemy and as planned, pulled back to the defences on Point 405.
Lt Col Rattan, in the middle with turban, and his team. Traditionally non-Sikh officers donthe turban and may also grow a beard to merge identity with the Sikh troops.
Soon, the next position at ‘Tund’ was under bi-directional attack. Major Punjab Singh, the company commander, ‘was the man of the moment; he quickly readjusted the defences and beat back the enemy on the first night. The next night, when the enemy returned, Punjab Singh had skillfully positioned the reinforcements and rushed forward.’ Two junior leaders, Havildar Malkiat Singh and Naib Singh, need special mention who with disregard to their own safety struck the enemy where most wanted. The enemy withdrew, their bodies and weapons scattered all over. Desperate, the enemy sent in their Special Forces (SSG), who managed to come within 30-40 metres of Point 405, but were also forced back.
From December 3 till the dawn of December 7, on display was the true mettle of Lt Col (later Maj Gen) KL Rattan — ‘unmindful of the heavy shelling and firing, he was present wherever an attack developed; with his skillful professionalism, he ensured the right moves, his hearty words kept the men in high morale and charged up throughout.’ He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. His motivation energised Sepoy Safaiwala Mangat Ram, ‘who without any fear or adversity continuously supplied ammunition to points under attack till his last breath, and was killed in the act.’
Five Vir Chakras were awarded to Maj Punjab Singh, Havildar Malkiat Singh, Sepoy Sampuran Singh, Naik Naib Singh and Sepoy Safaiwala Mangat Ram (the latter two were posthumous).
The defence of Poonch has gone down as one of the most successful defensive actions by a battalion; they were deservedly awarded the Battle Honour ‘Defence of Poonch’ and Theatre Honour ‘Jammu and Kashmir’. After the war, special appreciation of outstanding valour displayed by an enemy soldier, identified as Lance Naik Noor Shahjahan, was conveyed to the enemy, which led to his being awarded the ‘Sitar-e-Jurat,’ the third highest Pakistani award for gallantry.
Protecting Chhamb-Jaurian
The Chhamb-Jaurian sector, west of Jammu bulging towards Pakistan, in military terms, is considered a ‘soft belly’ of the defences, as Pakistan has tremendous advantage which they have repeatedly exploited. 1971 was no different as Pakistan launched their major offensive here, aiming to capture Akhnoor and cut off the main Rajouri-Poonch axis. Pakistan employed its 23rd Infantry Division with five infantry brigades (15 battalions), three armoured regiments (approximately 150 tanks) and paramilitary forces.
5 Sikh went on to fight an epic defensive battle here.
Earthquake-like, the ground shook on and around the Indian forward posts around 2100 hours on December 3 as Pakistani artillery opened its barrage. The initial targets were our posts at Pir Jamal and Moel and by midnight, the posts at Phagla, Mandiala and Point 303. These posts and Point 303 were under the command of Maj DS Pannu, an intrepid soldier and outstanding sportsman, with a special passion for riding. Like a true aggressive horseman, not caring for personal safety, he rushed to join his forward troops at Pir Jamal and Moel, which were soon under intense attack with tanks and infantry. The small Indian force beat back three attacks, which delayed the enemy for 16 hours and upset their overall plan.
The casualties were heavy, but Maj Pannu, with a handful of survivors, pulled back to his main position at Point 303, which too soon came under attack. The enemy was held up through December 4 and on the evening of December 5, Maj Pannu was killed. Point 303 fell for a short time, but the gallant Capt Kamal Bakshi rose to the occasion and counter-attacked; the post was regained but he went missing in action, reportedly killed. In the entire surroundings could be seen the bodies of enemy soldiers; two MMGs and 70 rifles were recovered.
Simultaneously, Phagla, some distance away, also came under heavy attack. The company was led by the dynamic Maj Jaivir Singh, who was at the forefront. The battle raged for 72 hours; repeated attacks were beaten back. The enemy managed penetration at one point, but ‘Maj Jaivir Singh led a counter-attack, stiff hand-to-hand fighting followed, the enemy withdrew. If this was not enough, a nearby post overrun by the enemy was counter-attacked and regained’. The officers and troops were near exhaustion but the inspiring leadership of Lt Col Prem Khanna, ‘whose cool calculated courage, skill and imaginative tactics ensured that incessant attacks by overwhelming numbers of infantry and armour were beaten back, his directions and personal touch ensured a high level of will of his men!’
5 Sikh lost two officers, a JCO and 39 other ranks but the enemy paid with 586 killed and a costly lesson in battling the Sikh troops. An issue of Pak Defence Journal in 1999 acknowledged ‘the tenacious courage of 5 Sikh and troops of 9 Deccan Horse’ and remarked, ‘If the Indian commander now knows full details of what was coming for him on the morning of December 5, he can rightly congratulate the CO of 5 Sikh and the tank troop commander… they saved a sad day for him!’
5 Sikh was decorated with ‘Theatre Honour Jammu & Kashmir’, Lt Col Prem Khanna and Maj Jaivir Singh with the Maha Vir Chakra, and Maj DS Pannu and Naik Richhpal Singh with Vir Chakra. Capt Bakshi was Mentioned in Dispatches.
MOST PAKISTANI LEADERS WHO OPPOSE PEACE WITH INDIA IN PUBLIC FAVOUR IT IN PRIVATE
For the leaders who want to discuss peace with New Delhi, the civil-military divide is a major roadblock The first tentative steps to peace have been taken. The ice is melting. The twins separated at birth are reaching out to each other. Now that India and Pakistan have both confirmed that they are talking to each other, let us dust off all the clichés about peace and dialogue in the subcontinent. For the time being till we hit a speed bump again. The beginning came with the news about the ceasefire at the LoC and then the stories about what led to this change of heart. The trickle of information began from the Indian side and was considerably detailed by mid-March. Pakistan entered the media fray much later to get their point of view out in the public nearly a month later. That India tends to get its side of the story out first is in itself a full-length piece if someone would care to write it. Open Contradiction Now a piece in Dawn and an earlier report in Al Jazeera provide considerable detail on the thinking on Pakistan’s side. Predictably, there will be discrepancies between the accounts emanating from the two sides but this is hardly something new. Neither is the idea of a dialogue. The leadership in Pakistan – civil and military – have since the late 1990s consistently and openly been in favour of talking to India and finding peace. Nawaz Sharif in his second and third term, Gen Pervez Musharraf, Asif Ali Zardari and now Imran Khan. In fact, it is also important to remember former army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani’s statement to a group of journalists – including one Indian – during a trip to Siachen in 2012. This constant translates into consistent state policy, if one is willing to recognise it as such. In fact, we would do well to remember that all of the parties which contest for and are in a position to win elections in Pakistan’s Punjab, including the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) in its heyday, are known to be in favour of a better relationship with India. An election campaign in Pakistan does not require lashing out at India to secure a victory. In fact, it includes an unspoken but rather obvious desire and policy for peace – it is unspoken because the vague notion of peace is more acceptable than what the reality of such a peace would look like. And when we do speak, we say peace with our neighbour would be a hard sell in Pakistan’s biggest province. Is this just a Khula Tazaad (open contradiction) or a nuance too complex for a sub-editor? Indeed, once in power and/or behind closed doors, most politicians agree that peace with India is the best option if Pakistan is to prosper but few are willing to stick to this position once their rival is in charge, or be this honest once the doors are opened and the camera lights switched on. Then, of course, sanity is replaced by political expediency and cheap rhetoric. And every stakeholder is equally guilty. Domestic Faultiness The efforts to reach out and subsequently talk are usually scuttled because of Pakistan’s domestic faultiness, especially the civil-military divide – another constant in Pakistan’s policy and politics, as consistent as the consensus to aim for peace. This time around, there is little fear of this because of the “one page” but the opposition – having been forced into a different reading space altogether – is not in a supportive mood. Already there is muttering about why a similar effort by Nawaz Sharif led to ugly accusations against him. And the media outcry has already caused a U-turn on the decision to import sugar and cotton from India, which does not bode well for the coming days. Add to this the public mood, fed for years on impossible dreams of changing territorial boundaries, which is easily whipped up to stall any statesmanship. And this includes not just the “masses”, a word we continue to use without any irony but also those who are part of the policymaking circles. From Nawaz Sharif to Pervez Musharraf to the present leadership, it is hard to think of a single moment when anyone in charge has reached out to India and earned accolades. Over the years, any such overture has always been described similarly – “ill-advised” is rather popular. The delusions are far more widespread than we realise. The reaction is negative also because any hint of talks with India, and the debate immediately and suddenly focuses on every end of this process. Ambitious in Pakistan’s thinking, a mere beginning or the first tentative step takes it to the disadvantages of a – possible – “resolution” of Kashmir or other outstanding issues and India’s intransigence. We expect a big bang right at the beginning. No wonder then that the reaction or the backlash is just as strong. Perhaps, this is because the leadership also begins by thinking big. No one wants to dream small. But Pakistan needs an unambitious leadership. So unambitious that it does not want to solve Kashmir or bring peace overnight to the region. It may do well to focus on matters so small that they fly under the radar – though even this seems impossible at times – and attract little praise or criticism. Ideally, they would attract no attention, whatsoever. Can this perhaps set the foundation for something sustainable and more ambitious in the future? The recent discussions and debates – heated and otherwise – remind me of what someone once said. That Kashmir would have to become irrelevant for the subcontinent before it can be resolved. These may seem like harsh words but they are not. (Irrelevance does not mean that the people of the valley are abandoned but the opposite). And in them lie a possible path for the future. But can we dare to dream this small?
CHINA DELETES SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS MOCKING INDIA AFTER BACKLASH
The post that appeared to play on funeral pyres in India drew backlash in China A social media post by China’s top law enforcement body juxtaposing the country’s successful launch of a module into space with grim cremation pyres in India was deleted after it sparked online criticism in China. Photos of the Tianhe module launch and its fuel burn-off were compared with what appeared to be a mass outdoor cremation in India, and captioned “China lighting a fire versus India lighting a fire.” The post on Saturday by the Communist Party’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission on its official Sina Weibo account was accompanied by a hashtag noting that new Covid-19 cases in Indian had surpassed 400,000 a day. Later that day, it could not longer be found. Many Chinese social media users expressed shock and anger at the insensitivity of the post. Official social media accounts should “hold high the banner of humanitarianism at this time, show sympathy for India, and firmly place Chinese society on a moral high ground,” Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of Communist Party-backed Global Times newspaper, wrote on Weibo commenting on the deleted post. Hu said such methods were not an appropriate way for official social media accounts to gain traffic. The Chinese foreign ministry could not be immediately reached for comment during a holiday period. Ties between China and India have been rocky in recent months. A border dispute that killed dozens last year and hurt economic ties between the two nations has fanned nationalistic sentiment in both countries. Tensions remain despite ongoing high-level talks, with India most recently urging early disengagement from all friction points along the border. That didn’t prevent President Xi Jinping from sending a message of condolence to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and offering to provide assistance to help the South Asian country deal with a fierce surge in Covid-19 cases. Another deleted post that first appeared Friday compared China’s “fire god mountain” — the name of the emergency hospital complex built in Wuhan — with a photo of a mass cremation in India on the official Weibo account of China’s Ministry of Public Security. It too was criticized, with social media users saying it was “morally problematic.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Friday that the Red Cross Society of China, local governments, non-governmental organizations and Chinese enterprises are “trying their best to collect the anti-epidemic supplies urgently needed by India, and deliver them to the Indian people as soon as possible.”
State Stalwarts
CHIEF PATRON ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
LT GEN JASBIR SINGH DHALIWAL, DOGRA
PATRON ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
MAJOR GEN HARVIJAY SINGH, SENA MEDAL ,corps of signals
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VICE PRESIDENT CUM PRESIDENT HARYANA STATE UNIT SANJHA MORCHA
BRIG HPS BEDI , VSM ,JAK Rif
PRESIDENT DISTT LUDHIANA : ALL INDIA EXSERVICEMEN SANJHA MORCHA
BRIG SS GILL ARTY
PRESIDENT PANCHKULA HARYANA UNIT SANJHA MORCHA
BRIG DALJIT THUKRAL (Retd) BENGAL SAPPERS
SECY (HONY) NRI’s ESMs , ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
SUB AVTAR SINGH
+1(647)501-8112
INDIAN DEFENCE FORCES
DEFENCE FORCES INTEGRATED LOGO
FORCES FLAGS
15 Th PRESIDENT OF INDIA SUPREME COMMANDER ARMED FORCES
Droupadi Murmu
DEFENCE MINISTER
Minister Rajnath Singh
CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF (2nd)
General Anil Chauhan PVSM UYSM AVSM SM VSM
INDIAN FORCES CHIEFS
CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF(29th)
General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM (30 Jun 2024 to Till Date)
6 Sikh (‘Chhe’, as popularly known) occupied defences over a 13-km frontage on the heights above Poonch; two of these, Points 405 and 406, were of strategic importance, standing as sentinels. Loss of these would directly threaten Poonch town itself. Pakistan always prized this option, and on the night intervening December 3 and 4, it launched a heavy punch with two brigades (six battalions). Coincidently, one of these was 5th Frontier Force, originally the 53 Royal Sikhs! Two enemy battalions launched feint attacks, while one infiltrated to cut off the road leading to Poonch. ‘Chhe’, fully entrenched, lay in their path to upset their well laid out plans.
Five Vir Chakras were awarded to Maj Punjab Singh, Havildar Malkiat Singh, Sepoy Sampuran Singh, Naik Naib Singh and Sepoy Safaiwala Mangat Ram (the latter two were posthumous).
