NIMJ is an American non-profit organisation dedicated to fair administration of justice in armed forces
Major Navdeep Singh and Prof Shruti Bedi.
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 9
The National Institute of Military Justice (NIMJ) based at Washington DC in the United States has invited two law professionals from the City as International Fellows.
While Major Navdeep Singh, a lawyer practising in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, has been constituted an International Fellow for his excellence and contribution to constitutional and military law, the fellowship has been conferred upon Prof Shruti Bedi of the University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab University, for similar excellence and contribution to constitutional and criminal law.
The NIMJ is an American non-profit organisation founded in 1991 dedicated to the fair administration of justice in the armed forces and improving public understanding of military justice.
Both have remained active in the legal field and research and have authored several books. “March to Justice: Global Military Law Landmarks” and “Arrest and Detention in India: Law, Procedure and Practice” were recent books edited by Navdeep and Shruti, respectively, which were released last month.
This video of jawan braving heavy snowfall has gone viral; netizens say our soldiers are the real super-heroes
In the video, an Indian Army personnel can be seen performing his duty in chilly winds and heavy snowfall
Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, January 9
With poignant lines from Rudyard Kipling’s poem, ‘For All We Have And Are’, Indian Armed Forces’ twitter handle shared a clip of a jawan braving heavy snowfall.
This video showcasing the strength and resilience of a jawan became an instant hit among netizens. It began a conversation on the sacrifices and efforts of the Army personnel.
Various parts of Kashmir is reeling under sub-zero temperatures and in the video shared by the Ministry of Defence, an Indian Army personnel can be seen performing his duty in chilly winds and heavy snowfall. The clip was shared by PRO Udhampur and is an example of unwavering zeal of our soldiers despite harsh conditions.
Around this time every year, pictures from the snow-clad peaks of North India make way to our social media feeds, highlighting the beautiful landscapes.
This video from the mountains brings a sense of gratitude and appreciation towards the dedication of our Armed Forces. From highlighting the difficulties of working at such high-altitude areas in winters to the bravery of Indian jawans who brave extreme weather conditions to keep us safe, there are all kinds of comments that the viral video has gathered. Netizens say our jawans are real-superheroesVarious parts of Kashmir is reeling under sub-zero temperatures and in the video shared by the Ministry of Defence, an Indian Army personnel can be seen performing his duty in chilly winds and heavy snowfall. The clip was shared by PRO Udhampur and is an example of
Around this time every year, pictures from the snow-clad peaks of North India make way to our social media feeds, highlighting the beautiful landscapes.
This video from the mountains brings a sense of gratitude and appreciation towards the dedication of our Armed Forces. From highlighting the difficulties of working at such high-altitude areas in winters to the bravery of Indian jawans who brave extreme weather conditions to keep us safe, there are all kinds of comments that the viral video has gathered. Netizens say our jawans are real-superheroes’.The twitter handle has shared another video that’s a wide shot of the snow-covered slopes where the jawans are serving, braving extreme cold. “Compare this with your early morning walk in the park!” it captioned the clip that has personnel on a patrol wading through tough terrain covered in snow.
The Indian Armed Forces also retweeted the comment of by veteran soldier, Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, who praised the the jawan and wrote: “Lots of Respect… Every Indian pays, Sir”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced his government’s decision to mark December 26 as Veer Baal Diwas in memory of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh every year.
Paying rich tribute to the 10th Sikh Guru on the occasion of Parkash Purb today, Modi said, “Today on the auspicious occasion of Parkash Purb of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, I am honoured to share that starting this year, December 26 shall be marked as ‘Veer Baal Diwas’. This is a fitting tribute to the courage of the Sahibzadas and their quest for justice.”
He said, “The Guru’s life and message give strength to millions of people. I will always cherish the fact that our government got the opportunity to mark his 350th Parkash Utsav.”
The PM shared on Twitter some glimpses from his visit to Patna at that time. Earlier, the PM had announced the decision to repeal three farm laws on November 19, birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Punjab will go to the polls on February 14.
Name airports after gurus: SGPC
I urge the PM to name airports after Sikh Gurus to commemorate their sacrifices. — KS Panjoli, SGPC secy
Defence Ministry surveys its land with drones and satellites
he Defence Ministry surveyed 17.78 lakh acres of its land in a little over three years using modern surveying technologies. PTI
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 9
The Ministry of Defence has said a survey of the total of 17.78 lakh acres of land owned by the ministry has been completed. The entire exercise of survey of about 1.61 lakh acres of defence land inside 62 cantonments and 16.17 lakh acres outside the cantonments has been surveyed using technology.
The landholdings are spread across approximately 4,900 locations across the country and some of it is in inaccessible terrain.
Out of the 16.38 lakh acres land that is outside the Cantonments, about 18,000 acres is proposed for deletion from records on account of transfer to other government departments. The survey commenced in October 2018 using survey technologies, besides drone imagery and satellite imagery.
As part of the survey, a project for real time detection of encroachments has been initiated. Pilot test has been carried out on satellite imageries of defence land pockets procured from National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad.
Geo-referenced and digitised shape files are made available to enable quick decision making by officials of the MoD.
It is still difficult to sift the truth from the lies, but it is becoming easier by the day for those who are willing to call out the lies when they see them. The child still tells harmless lies, but the grown-ups are becoming more malicious and vocal. What kind of world will we leave them: With a beacon of light and truth, or a chimera of darkness all around?
Gurbachan Jagat
Over the years, I have often wondered as to why most of us tell lies. Lies that are harmless, lies that are malicious, lies that distort facts, lies that are the product of a vivid imagination, lies to mislead voters, lies to please bosses, children lying to escape the consequences of mischief, and so on. From a child’s lie to the malicious lies of the adult, there is a gradual progression. The ability to tell lies is only matched by the seeming willingness to believe lies. Although one was conversant with the phenomenon of falsehoods, yet one was confronted with it fully when listening to senior politicians. In one’s earlier days in the police, there were ample opportunities to be a close observer of even Chief Ministers indulging in it, both in private and public meetings. They told big lies with emotion and straight faces, and awe-struck people heard them open-mouthed. The CM knew that he was lying, the people knew the same and we all knew it, but everyone’s face showed utter belief. Was this the willing suspension of disbelief? I think that phrase was meant for another context that is drama.
Before proceeding, let us take note of the progression of lies from childhood to adulthood and then onto institutions, both private and public. The adult gradually, consciously and subconsciously, tends to make lies a big part of his quest for worldly success. In the society in which he operates, it does not always pay to be totally frank and straight-forward. You have to tweak facts and your opinions in tune with your goals; sometimes, you have to resort to outright fabrication. As you come to join government, public or private institutions, you come into contact with ‘pressure groups’ — with stated and unstated goals, with public and private faces. The final decision to align yourself with such forces and their goals lies with you and you should not, just for the sake of mere survival, barter away your ideals and your allegiance to the rule of law. Of course, this is a path that entails some amount of personal discomfort, but then the path of truth also leads to personal salvation… ‘the truth does set you free’.
Government is a huge business and has multifaceted duties to perform for which there are multiple departments. Let us divide them broadly into management of finances, development work and maintenance of law and order (internal and external security). Development is a huge task, but then gigantic promises are made. In the absence of fulfilment of these promises, humongous public relations exercises using sophisticated methodology for disguising the truth and telling lies have to be undertaken to befool the people.
As far as the domain of finances is concerned, we have data thrown at us to prove GDP growth, per capita income, poverty levels decreasing, inflation rising and falling; however, as we all know, data and statistics are only as good or bad as the people manufacturing them. The government comes out with one set of figures, the Opposition with another, the World Bank, the Asian Bank, Moody’s, and other private players have their own figures, and each set of figures comes with the stamp of eminent economists from the finance department, RBI, professors from Columbia, Harvard, etc. Recent events such as the telecom and coal scams, demonetisation, disinvestment of major national assets, etc, are all examples of muddled data and statistical artistry. You can believe whosoever you want to, some lies, some truth, some according to the ideology you subscribe to.
Let us briefly look at the internal and external security aspects. The normal uniformed police departments are supposed to perform their law and order duties. In India, these have become the handmaidens of the ruling parties, no matter which party is in power. In investigation and prosecution, fabricated versions of the truth are the norm today and not the exception. Then we have specialised agencies of the Government of India, that is the IB, NIA, CBI, ED, NCB, RAW, etc. Most of these agencies are not statutory bodies and are not answerable to Parliament. They have been created for specific purposes but again, made very flexible and malleable by the politicians in power to further their personal agendas. They get away with it because of no accountability. Foreign intelligence agencies of most countries indulge in intricate conspiracies, creating unrest in other nations, fuelling insurgencies. In most of these tasks, truth is the first casualty, the creation of misinformation and a cover story, etc, are the basic ingredients of this game. The Taliban were raised, trained and funded by the CIA with the help of ISI in order to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan.
Subsequently, after 9/11, the same Taliban and Afghanistan were bombed for 20 years; today, they are back again in the saddle and the Americans have left. New conspiracies are now being hatched by different blocs of countries to further their own goals in this strategic region. Similarly, in the second Gulf War, the Americans and the British with their allies descended on Iraq with all fury and fire — why? The Iraqis evidently had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) which posed a great threat to their national security. The United Nations inspectors came to the conclusion that there were no WMDs. The British and US intelligence said there was very reliable information to the contrary. And so, Iraq was reduced to rubble, Saddam killed, and petroleum resources were taken over. Later, it was admitted that no WMDs were ever found or that they existed — again, what was the truth, what were the lies and what did the people believe?
Coming closer home, what is happening on the LoC, the LAC and in the disturbed areas within the country? These are mostly inaccessible areas, and one has to go by the government’s handouts and by the media reporting on the handouts. Independent observers, mediapersons and Opposition parties have no access to these areas. Whereas government reports indicate that all is well at the LAC and LoC, other reports and purported satellite images show a different reality. Because of major national security issues being involved, I would like to believe the government’s truth, but I keep my fingers crossed.
One can go on and on and see how major and minor events have been preceded and succeeded by a web of lies. However, one more example of the big lie and which comes from the beacon of democracy is the last presidential election in the US. Joe Biden was officially declared elected, but his rival Donald Trump refused to accept the result and claimed that the election was stolen from him by the Democrats. He went on propagating ‘the big lie’ and encouraged an armed attack on the Capitol. Others labelled it as an insurrection and inquiries are ongoing. However, Trump continues his rhetoric, and his followers believe it. So, there is one truth that was officially declared, one enunciated by Trump and the people are divided on party lines. On the first anniversary of this infamous episode, President Biden stated that we have to face the truth for that is what great nations do: “they face the truth, deal with it and move on.”
I have not touched matters at home because of their religious and inflammatory nature. However, the major dramatis personae have their own brands of truth and lies — take your pick, but take it knowingly. It is still difficult to sift the truth from the lies, but it is becoming easier by the day for those who are willing to call out the lies when they see them. The child still tells harmless lies, but the grown-ups are becoming more malicious and vocal. What kind of world will we leave them — with a beacon of light and truth, or a chimera of darkness all around?
One last thought about the agency that was created by people and organisations of vision with lofty ideals and goals to help people sift through this maze of deceit and falsehoods — the media. From state-level newspapers and magazines to national chains, to the visual and social media, the original ideals have been replaced by a media controlled by state and corporate strangleholds. There are facts and alternate facts, myths and realities, heavy doses of fabrication and manipulation of truth… a few nuggets of truth are occasionally thrown in to keep up appearances. There do remain a few beacons of truth which shine ‘the light’. The emergence of social media with all its ‘freedom’ has led to further muddying the water and this medium is again dominated by those commandeering large armies of trolls. So, where do we go from here and whom do we believe — where does the truth lie? I, for one, hope that the media will rise to the occasion and follow the old dictum: “ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free”.
— The writer is ex-chairman of UPSC, former Manipur Governor and served as the Jammu and Kashmir DGP
The police have arrested a member of the gang allegedly involved in the recruitment of airmen by providing help to the aspirants during an online examination of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in computer labs.
SP Shashank Kumar Sawan said the CIA-3 unit of the district police arrested the accused on Friday evening following a tip-off.
The accused was identified as Munish of Alewa village in Jind district. The accused was on the run for a long time and carried a reward of Rs 15,000 on his arrest. The BSc passed accused used to solve papers of mathematics and reasoning.
After getting the tip-off, the accused was arrested on Friday evening and produced in the court on Saturday. The court has sent him to four days’ police custody for further investigation. —TNS
Troop deployment, infra build-up at LAC new normal
More than 18 months into the military stand-off with China at the LAC, it is estimated the deployment of troops, military-related infrastructure, weapons, tanks and guns along the 3,488-km LAC will be the new normal.
The Indian side is clear that there can be no third-party intervention in the India-China talks. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have met their Chinese counterparts abroad, notably in Russia in September 2020, but no intervention has been welcomed or allowed. That stance will continue. The ongoing talks notwithstanding, matters at the LAC could take a turn any way, even move towards a lingering and constant deployment by both countries, as per an assessment in security circles. The newly created infrastructure comprising roads, bridges, expansion of airstrips, shelters from fighter jets and military bases will not go away. It will remain at the LAC and so will be the new dual-use villages made by China close to the LAC on its side. All this means ability to quickly deploy by both sides.
India-US 2+2 talks likely in March
The India-United States 2+2 dialogue that was first scheduled in December last year may not take place till March.
The dates for the talks were pushed back from the first week of December to the ‘third week’ of January.
It is now expected that the talks will be held in March
China is just not keen on demarcating the LAC and defining a border and till that is done a long-standing resolution will not be possible. The LAC is undefined and undemarcated. The Chinese have dithered on its alignment on ground. Commanders of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been shifting goalposts even for the existing pullback from the LAC.
The military commanders are slated to meet on January 12. The agenda will be pullback from the military posturing along the 832-km LAC in eastern Ladakh. The existing impasse is over PP 15, also referred to as Hot Springs, besides Depsang Bulge, a 972-sq-km plateau.
India wants a three-step process to be followed. The first is disengagement from areas where troops are within close proximity. The next two steps, de-escalation and de-induction, would entail pulling back troops and equipment to the pre-April 2020 levels. Till that is agreed upon and complied, it cannot be assumed to be business as usual.
100 new Sainik schools to provide opportunity to girl students to join armed forces: Rajnath
In October, Union Cabinet approved the affiliation of 100 schools from the academic year 2022-23 in government and private sectors with Sainik School Society under Ministry of Defence
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses a webinar of Sainik Schools, in New Delhi, on Saturday, January 8, 2022. PTI
New Delhi, January 8
The government’s decision to set up 100 new Sainik schools will provide an opportunity for girl students to join the armed forces and contribute to national security, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.
In an address at an online conference, Singh said the government is for increasing the role of women in the armed forces and a series of steps have been taken in that direction, including clearing the way for their admission in Sainik schools and providing permanent commission to women officers.
The defence minister exuded confidence that the decision to establish new Sainik schools will encourage girls to realise their dreams of serving the country.
Singh suggested that the department of defence and Sainik School Society should devise a mechanism for ranking all Sainik schools on the basis of their performance and audit.
This, he said, will lead to healthy competition among the schools, besides providing encouragement to introduce innovative steps.
He said, along with the curriculum, children should be exposed to patriotism and loyalty towards the nation as it will help in building their character and benefit the country.
The defence minister described the announcement of the expansion of Sainik schools as one of the many important decisions taken by the government in the last six-seven years to improve the quality of basic education of children and ensure the holistic development of the country.
“The setting up of 100 new Sainik schools will provide an opportunity to girls to join the armed forces and contribute to national security,” Singh said.
In October, the Union Cabinet approved the affiliation of 100 schools from the academic year 2022-23 in government and private sectors with Sainik School Society under the Ministry of Defence.
Singh stated that while ‘Sainik’ signifies unity, discipline and devotion, ‘School’ is the centre of education, therefore, Sainik schools are playing a pivotal role in making children capable citizens.
Singh said the government is focussing on providing quality education to the youth of the country as it lays a solid foundation for the all-round development of the society.https://d34b4428ae88635b46eadc1b139ddcd9.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
“Quality education is the fourth of the 17 sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations. There are several other goals under ‘quality education’. It has been our strong political commitment to achieve these goals,” Singh said.
“Several schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan are being run. Setting up of 100 new Sainik schools is another important step in that direction,” he said.
Singh mentioned that Sainik schools have contributed to the recruitment of more than 7,000 officers in the armed forces so far and have given the country officers like former Chiefs of the Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor (retd) and General Dalbir Singh Suhag (retd).
In this context, he also mentioned Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, former RBI Governor D Subbarao and film director Rakesh Roshan.
“Today, our country is moving fast in the path of self-reliance in every field. It is touching newer heights in fields like defence, health, communication, industry and transport due to the synergy between public and private sectors,” he said.
Singh said there is a need for a revolution in the education sector and the holistic development of children.
“This is only possible if there is a strong collaboration of defence, education and private sector,” he said. PTI
सुरक्षाबलों ने आज बडगाम में तीन आतंकियों को मार गिराया। मुठभेड़ की खास बात यह थी कि सुरक्षाबलों ने मोर्टार और आईईडी से उन घरों को ही उड़ा दिया जहां आतंकी घुसे हुए थे। पिछले सात दिनों में कुल 11 आतंकी मारे गये जिनमं से 4 पाक आतंकी भी थे। अधिकारियों ने बताया कि जवानों ने जालूवा (बडगाम) में छिपे तीनों आतंकवादियों को मार गिराया है। हालांकि उन्हें ढेर करने से पहले सुरक्षाबलों ने रात से लेकर सुबह तक उन्हें कई बार आत्मसमर्पण करने का मौका दिया। लेकिन उन्होंने हथियार डालने से इनकार कर दिया
