Solan, August 5
An impressive passing-out parade was held for the first batch of 108 Agniveers at the historical Salaria Stadium at 14 Gorkha Training Centre, Subathu, today. This is the first batch of Agniveers, who have completed their 31 weeks’ rigorous training.
Brig RS Rana, Commandant, 14 Gorkha Training Centre, reviewed the parade. He congratulated the young soldiers on successful completion of their training and for presenting an impeccable parade. Pipe Band, PT and Khukri display were also conducted on the occasion.
The 14 Gorkha Training Centre is keeping alive the glorious traditions of producing excellent soldiers and stands tall as one of the premier training institutes in the country.
New Delhi, August 6
The central government is likely to increase the dearness allowance (DA) for its over one crore employees and pensioners by three percentage points to 45 per cent from the existing 42 per cent as per the agreed formula for the purpose.
The dearness allowance for employees and pensioners is worked out on the basis of the latest Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) brought out by the Labour Bureau every month.
The Labour Bureau is a wing of the Labour Ministry.
Talking to PTI, All India Railwaymen Federation General Secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra said, “The CPI-IW for June 2023 was released on July 31, 2023. We are demanding a four percentage point hike in dearness allowance. But the dearness allowance hike works out to be a little over three percentage points. The government does not factor in hiking DA beyond the decimal point. Thus DA is likely to be increased by three percentage points to 45 per cent”.
He further explained that the expenditure department of the Finance Ministry will formulate a proposal to hike DA along with its revenue implication and will put up the proposal before the Union Cabinet for approval.
The DA hike will be effective from July 1, 2023.
Presently, over one crore central government employees and pensioners are getting a 42 per cent dearness allowance.
The last revision in DA was done on March 24, 2023, and was effective from January 1, 2023.
The Centre had increased DA by four percentage points to 42 per cent based on the percentage increase in the 12 monthly average of the All India Consumer Price Index for the period ending December 2022.
The DA is provided to employees and pensioners to compensate them for rising prices.
The cost of living increases over a period of time and is reflected through CPI-IW. The allowance is revised periodically twice a year.
Jammu, August 6
The final rites of soldiers Waseem Sarwar, Mahipalsinh Vala and Babulal Jat were held in Bandipora (J&K), Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Jaipur (Rajasthan), respectively, on Sunday.
They attained martyrdom during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Friday evening. A large number of civilians were also present during the funeral.
ajouri/Jammu, August 6
A massive search operation by security forces to track down terrorists continued for the second day in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Sunday, officials said, as there was no report of fresh firing between the two sides.
A suspected Pakistani terrorist in combat dress was killed in the initial firing during a cordon and search operation at Gundah-Khawas village of Budhal on Saturday evening, leading to the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition including an AK assault and two pistols, the officials said.
They said the exchange of firing stopped during the day but the search operation was further intensified and extended to nearby forest and adjoining areas to neutralise the terrorists.
Earlier, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Mukesh Singh and General Officer Commanding of Army’s Romeo Force Major General Mohit Trivedi addressed a joint press conference in Rajouri and said they are determined to wipe out terrorism from the region.
“Some terrorists were noticed in the Gundah-Khawas around 1.30 pm on Saturday and, accordingly, a police party rushed to the village, besides informing the Army. When a cordon-and-search operation was launched, the terrorists opened fire, which was retaliated by the joint troops of the police, Army and the CRPF, resulting in the killing of a terrorist,” Singh said.
He added the slain terrorist is believed to be from Pakistan and that it was evident from the material, including medicines and shoes, recovered from him.
“One more terrorist is present in the village and an encounter is on,” he said, adding the seizure from the encounter scene, including raincoats and food items, indicated that they were trained to survive in jungle conditions.
Singh said strict action is being taken against overground workers of the terror groups. “Several of them have already been booked under the Public Safety Act while we are also keeping a constant vigil on suspected persons.”
“Action will be taken against any overground worker whose linkage will be established during the investigation of the latest encounter,” he said.
Major General Trivedi credited the success against the terrorists to the synergy among the Army, police and other sister agencies and the cooperation of the people.
“The operations against terrorists will continue to ensure they do not get a foothold. The terrorists were feeling that they will operate with ease but we have cornered them,” he said, adding anyone having any ill will against the region or the country will be dealt with sternly.
In the morning, Jammu-based Army PRO Lt Col Suneel Bartwal said two to three terrorists are believed to be holed up in the besieged village and their repeated attempts to break the cordon have been thwarted by controlled fire throughout the night.
“After the initial contact, Army troops moved to the area and pinned down terrorists assessed to be up to two-three. Additional troops of the Rashtriya Rifles mobilised as the terrain is undulating and forested,” he said.
He said special forces were brought in by an Indian Air Force helicopter on Saturday, while night-enabled quadcopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and sniffer dogs were also pressed into service.
Meanwhile, police in Rajouri issued an advisory on Sunday, asking people to stay away from the encounter scene to avoid any casualties.
“It is for the information of all that the operation is in progress with exchange of crossfire in the general area of village Gundha, Khawas. People are advised not to visit the area and remain at a safe distance of at least two km outside the periphery of the area,” the advisory reads.
Srinagar, August 6
The Army on Sunday foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Kupwara district, killing one terrorist, the police said. According to a police spokesperson, a joint cordon-and-search operation was launched by the police and the Army in the Dakhen-Amrohi area of Tangdhar Sector in Kupwara based on information about possible infiltration attempts.
“During the search operation, movement of terrorists trying to infiltrate was observed. They were challenged and a terrorist was neutralised,” he said.
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Taking advantage of the thick bushes and rugged terrain, two to three other terrorists escaped back to the Pakistan-occupied area along the Line of Control, the spokesperson said.
“Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition were recovered. A search operation is in progress. Further details shall follow,” the police tweeted.
The police spokesperson said that from the incriminating materials recovered from the site of the encounter, it was believed that the killed terrorist was from Pakistan.
The seized arms and ammunition include an AK rifle, an AK magazine, 15 AK rounds, five 9mm pistols, a 15mm pistol, eight pistol magazines and 32 bullets of 9 mm pistol.
“The recovery of these materials underscores the nefarious intentions of the infiltrators and their attempts to disrupt peace and stability in the region,” the spokesperson added. — PTI
UP ATS arrests terrorist from Anantnag
New Delhi, August 6
Suggesting that there was a need for increasing in the number women in the Central Armed Police Forces (CPFs), a parliamentary panel has asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to initiate measures to encourage them to join the services.
Poor representation
In its report, the panel has also recommended to the MHA to consider providing reservation to transgender persons in the recruitment in the CAPFs.
The Department-Related Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, headed by BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi, in the latest report said that the MHA might consider exploring a policy for women officers in which they were given soft postings and not subjected to extremely strenuous working conditions.
The panel highlighted that the representation of women personnel in the CAPFs and Assam Rifles is 3.76 per cent as on September 30, 2022.
“The committee advocates that all necessary steps should be taken by MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) to encourage women to join forces to the maximum possible extent. A major constraint that prevents women from joining forces is the difficult terrains and conditions in which they might have to work,” the panel said in its 131st report on the “Review of Functioning of Recruitment Organisations of Government of India”.
Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer, which is about the scientist who spearheaded the development of the atomic bomb, has brought the focus back on the impact of the bomb. On August 6 and 9, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. The bombings, which caused unprecedented devastation, led to Japan’s surrender.
What do Hiroshima and Nagasaki teach us about the events that happened 78 years ago? Having visited both places during my first assignment in Japan in 1983 and later in 2019, I still get that intense feeling of how humanity was wronged.
The reactions of local people are different in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Japan, they told me that there was the calm of Hiroshima and the anger of Nagasaki to what they endured. In Hiroshima in 1983, I asked the taxi driver to take me to the Genbaku Dome. He took me to the Mazda baseball stadium, where the local Toyo Carps were playing. Priorities had clearly changed. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) has now become a tourist attraction. It’s a symbol of the most destructive force ever created by humankind; it manifests hope for world peace and the unfulfilled elimination of nuclear weapons. At least one million people visit the park annually.
The same happens in Nagasaki’s Heiwa Koen or Peace Park, but fewer tourists reach there. The centrepiece of the Nagasaki Park is a giant statue of a muscular man made by Japanese artist Seibo Kitamura. The right hand pointing to the sky reminds us of the danger of nuclear weapons, while the extended left hand symbolises eternal peace.
Hiroshima was an industrial centre used as a base by imperial Japan to expand towards East Asia. Nagasaki was a naval base. There is a debate on why these cities were chosen; the main reason was that the impact should be noticeable and clearly felt.
Did the US ever apologise to Japan for the atomic bombings? There were murmurs of regret, starting with the pilot of Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, who said, “My God, what have we done?” Besides, various US leaders have visited Hiroshima; the G7 members laid wreaths at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park during the opening ceremony of the G7 summit in May. But there is no clear apology. There is no demand emanating from Japan, either.
Some elderly Japanese people asked my visiting mother in 1983, “Why Indians don’t hate the British who colonised India for two centuries?” They had no answer when my mother asked why the Japanese didn’t hate the Americans despite the atomic bombings. The Japanese absorbed the pain, used it as a springboard to redevelop powerfully, re-engaging with the US. Today, Japan is an equal partner of the US; perhaps that strategy succeeded.
Some believe that Japan itself is disinterested in an apology as that could reinforce the demand for apologies for Japanese actions in East Asia, which are a festering sore in its relations with China and South Korea. Thus, world leaders who come to Hiroshima do visit the memorial and promise a peaceful and better world, but don’t express regret at the US action.
The Hiroshima Park has three important bells of different sizes. One of them was built by gathering coins and medals from friendly countries, moulded into a big bell by Masahiko Katori. The bell carries inscriptions in three languages: Greek, Sanskrit and Japanese. The English translation of the Greek text is ‘Know Yourself’.
The Sanskrit text is a shloka from Sukhavativyuha Sutra in view of Hiroshima’s Buddhist connection. It was attested by the then Indian ambassador, Lalji Mehrotra.
This is different from Nagasaki, which is historically known for having one of the largest Christian populations in Japan. There are monuments that commemorate the persecution of Christians over the centuries. Martyrdom was not unknown to Nagasaki when the bomb fell.
The destruction in both cities was immense. The emotional and health consequences faced by the survivors of the atomic bombings were profound and long-lasting. The museums in both cities are evocative; the sheer barbarism of the bombings stuns you.
My Japanese teacher, Kimiko Kono, is a Hiroshima ‘hibakusha’ or an A-bomb survivor. She recalls that she was 11 when the bomb fell, and she and her parents had gone towards the railway station. When the cloud cleared, it rained. They moved out of the city, singed by what had happened but not understanding it. She suffered no health problems, and considered herself fortunate for having escaped the tragedy of the bomb, despite being in Hiroshima. She is 89 now; never in her voice have I sensed rancour for the US, anger at the bomb or what happened to her people. There is acceptance, a strong desire to repair through goodwill and outreach so that people live together peacefully.
My Japanese friends said that had she been from Nagasaki, the angst would have been expressed strongly. The guides in Hiroshima and Nagasaki mostly belong to affected families. While the Hiroshima guides are gentle and remorseful, even though not responsible for what happened, in Nagasaki, there is a greater surge of emotion and a tendency to ask: Why us?
Have Hiroshima and Nagasaki become fossilised symbols of reverence? The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has not succeeded, mainly because those who had Oppenheimer’s bomb were unwilling to give it up. It became a symbol of power which other countries then acquired. The truth of the science that Oppenheimer unlocked was unleashed on Japan in unacceptable terms.
The reactions in Japan to the juxtaposition of Barbie and Oppenheimer (‘Barbenheimer’) are predictably adverse. This is the ultimate trivialisation of the tragedy of the atomic bomb. Japanese critics rightly point out that Oppenheimer is a film which ignores the human suffering caused in Japan by Oppenheimer’s project. This manifests deep-rooted feelings in Japanese people, which emerge this time of the year.
Kyiv, August 6
Moscow unleashed a massive missile and drone barrage on western Ukraine Sunday, following through on its promise to retaliate for a Ukrainian attack on a Russian tanker.
Russian and Ukrainian shelling across the country overnight killed in at least six people, officials said.
Separately, Moscow’s second-largest airport briefly suspended flights early Sunday following a foiled drone attack near the Russian capital.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 70 attack drones and missiles, including cruise missiles from aircraft over the Caspian Sea and Iranian-made, Shahed-136/131 strike UAVs.
Serhiy Tyurin, deputy head of Ukraine’s Khmelnytsky region military administration, said three waves of missiles hit the Starokostiantyniv area, damaging several buildings and igniting a fire at a warehouse. The strike may have been intended for the city’s airfield, officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the facilities of aircraft engine manufacturer Motor Sich in the Zaporizhzhia region had also come under attack.
The Russian barrage came after a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea late Friday. Ukraine also struck a major Russian port with drones earlier the same day.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned what she called a Ukrainian “terrorist attack” on a civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait.
“There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered and their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished,” Zakharova posted on the Telegram messaging app.
An official with Ukraine’s Security Service confirmed to The Associated Press that a Ukrainian drone packed with 450 kg (992 pounds) of explosive the service struck the tanker that as transporting fuel for Russian forces. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly.
Russia’s Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport posted on Telegram that although the drone blasted a hole in the tanker’s engine room, there were no casualties among the 11 crew members.
Two of the six fatalities overnight Sunday occurred during a Russian air strike in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, according to the head of the local regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov. Another four people were injured.
Zelenskyy said that a guided bomb had hit a blood transfusion centre in the area’s Kupyan district late on August 5.
“This war crime alone says everything about Russian aggression,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “Defeating terrorists is a matter of honour for everyone who values life.” Heavy shelling continued along the frontline in Eastern Ukraine as Kyiv continues to push forward with its ongoing counteroffensive. Elsewhere in the Kharkiv region, a 58-year-old woman was killed and a 66-year-old man was hospitalized after Russian shelling of the village of Podoly, an official said.
In Ukraine’s eastern Kupyan region, Russian missiles injured a 55-year-old man and ignited a forest fire, officials said on social media. Russian attacks in the Donetsk region villages of Torske and Niu-York killed two people, local governor Pavlo Kyrylenko posted on social media.
Ukrainian shelling in Russian-held Donetsk killed a woman in her eighties, the city’s Moscow-appointed mayor Alexei Kulemzin said Sunday. The shelling also set the main building of a university on fire, according to the Moscow-installed head of the illegally annexed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said that the blaze caused the building’s roof to collapse, but that there were no casualties.
Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, located 15 km (9 miles) southwest of the Russian capital, briefly suspended flights Sunday morning after a drone was shot down in the airspace around the city.
The attack was one of four strikes on the Russian capital in the space of a month, spotlighting Moscow’s vulnerability as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags into its second year.
The drone was destroyed by air defence systems in the Podolsk region of the Moscow suburbs, the Russian defense ministry said.
The Russian defence ministry said no one was injured from the abortive drone attack, although Russian media outlet Baza later reported that a 77-year-old man suffered a shrapnel wound to his hand. The reports could not be independently verified.
Ukrainian authorities, which generally avoid commenting on attacks on Russian soil, didn’t say whether it launched the raid.
Flights were last halted at the airport on July 30, when two drones crashed into the Moscow City business district after being jammed by Russian air defences. AP
Patiala, August 6
A youth, identified as Manjot Singh (27), a resident of Amritsar, died of a gunshot injury at the commando training complex here on Friday. He was taken to a private hospital where the doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Hit accidentally
As per preliminary information, the man was accidentally hit by a bullet. The body was handed over to the family on Saturday. Baljinder Singh, Bahadurgarh police post incharge
Kamaljit Singh, a city resident and relative of the youth, said Manjot was training at the complex in Bahadurgarh for over a month.
“‘The family received a call from the commando complex, Bahadurgarh, regarding the incident. Manjot suffered a gunshot. It is not yet clear how the incident happened,” the relative said.
Bahadurgarh police post incharge Baljinder Singh said an investigation was being carried out by the police. “As per preliminary information, the man was accidentally hit by a bullet. The body was handed over to the family on Saturday,” he said.
The SP (City), Sarfraz Alam, said the youth had come to the Commando Complex for training from July 7. He said, “‘He died after he was hit by a shot fired from an SLR rifle. A forensics team had reached the site. We will use all available information to investigate the matter.”
