Monthly Archives: August 2018

The incident occurred in the same area where two VDG members were killed, earlier this year

Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Tuesday following suspicious movement in the area, sources said.

Village Defence Guard (VDG) members reportedly fired a few shots after detecting suspicious movement in Kuntwara area of the district, they added.

Subsequently, security forces and police were mobilised, and a cordon-and-search operation was launched, the sources said.

The incident occurred in the same area where, on November 7, two VDG members were killed by terrorists.

A major rescue operation was launched yesterday after around 1,500 vehicles were stranded in snow at Dhundi and the north and south portals of the Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Leh Highway in Kullu district. Around 8,000 stranded tourists were rescued….

Dipender Manta Tribune News Service

A major rescue operation was launched yesterday after around 1,500 vehicles were stranded in snow at Dhundi and the north and south portals of the Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Leh Highway in Kullu district. Around 8,000 stranded tourists were rescued. The snowfall in the region made the road extremely slippery, leading to long traffic jams and leaving many tourists stranded in their vehicles overnight.

A large number of tourists travelling in their own cars or taxis from plains were stranded and many of them had no experience of driving on snowy roads. The situation worsened as more snow accumulated, blocking traffic and preventing vehicular movement. Many tourists were stranded in their vehicles throughout the night in freezing cold and were made to endure what they described as a “horrible experience”.

DSP, Manali, KD Sharma said, “The rescue operation, which began at 2 pm on Monday, continued through the night. By 10 am on Tuesday, all vehicles were evacuated and all 8,000 stranded tourists were rescued.”

He added, “The operation was carried out in challenging conditions, with police personnel working tirelessly in sub-zero temperatures to ensure the safety of people.”

The DSP said, “Policemen worked in freezing temperatures and led the rescue operation throughout the night. Due to their efforts all stranded tourists were safely evacuated and moved towards Manali.”

Meanwhile, in the Lahaul valley, police officials were seen manually clearing snow with shovels to help evacuate vehicles. SP, Lahaul and Spiti, Mayank Chaudhary highlighted the extreme weather conditions faced by the rescue teams. He said that temperatures in the region had dipped well below the freezing point.

Heavy snowfall also affected the movement of vehicles along the Manali-Leh highway, causing delays and complications for travellers. The authorities concerned are urging tourists to exercise caution while travelling in the region and to stay updated on weather conditions before setting out.

The DSP said, “Tourists are advised to take necessary precautions and be aware of the weather conditions while travelling in the region.”

As the weather conditions in the region continue to fluctuate, police and rescue teams remain on high alert to ensure the safety of residents and visitors. The authorities have urged all travellers to consider the weather forecast before attempting to navigate the challenging terrain.

Similarly, in Kinnaur district, the police rescued around 30 tourists from West Bengal, New Delhi and Uttarakhand, who were stranded on the National highway between Chango and Maling villages.

The tourists, who were travelling in Tempo travellers and taxis, were stranded due to heavy snowfall. A police team reached the spot and rescued them with the help of locals.

Meanwhile, the higher reaches of Mandi, Kullu-Manali and Lahaul-Spiti experienced snowfall while lower regions of these district experienced rain. Due to the snowfall, temperature has plummeted drastically in the region.

5 hurt, shifted to Poonch hospital | Terror angle ruled out

Five Army personnel were killed and five others injured when their vehicle skidded off the road and rolled down a 300-foot-deep gorge near the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu division on Tuesday.

The incident took place around 5.40 pm when the Army vehicle of Maratha Light Infantry (MLI) was on its way from Nilam Headquarters to Balnoi Ghora Post, said a police official.

An official Army spokesperson said the 2.5 ton vehicle, part of a convoy of six, was plying on the operational track when it went off the road. The spokesperson ruled out any terror angle.

The driver apparently lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a turn, said the Army, adding the cause of the accident was being ascertained.

The injured were shifted to the Field Hospital in Poonch. “All ranks of White Knight Corps extend their deepest condolences on the tragic loss of five brave soldiers in a vehicle accident during operational duty in the Poonch sector,” said the spokesperson.

Gangu, a Brahmin, was a server of at Anandpur Sahib who control over the kitchen of Guru Sahib. Gangu was one of the Kashmiri Pandits who came to the court of the ninth Nanak, that is Sat Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, (concerned with threats made by Mughal authorities).^[1] Gangu, who was about 25 years at that time, returned to Kashmir, but five years later he returned to the Guru’s court, entering the service of Sat Guru Gobind Rai. Gangu was blessed with a son he named Raj Kaul who was raised by his grand parents in Kashmir.

Gangu’s role in arrest of Mata Gujri and her grandsons

When Satguru Gobind Singh Ji and the Sikhs left Sri Anandpur Sahib in 1704, Gangu took the lost Mata Gujar Kaur (Mata Gujri Ji) and the two younger sons of Satguru Gobind Singh Ji, to his village of Kherhi (where he and wife had migrated from Kashmir).

There are various versions in the Sikh history about the arrest of Mata Gujri and young sahibzadeys and the role of Gangu.

• The prominient after offering them shelter (but instead of following the age old Hindus saying, “A guest is to be treated like a God”) he went to the authorities. His three guests were arrested, and he was given a reward from the Governor of Sirhind. Gangu who proved himself unworthy of the trust the Guru’s family had placed in him not only as the families cook, but in their most urgent time of need. His treachery sealed the fate of the Guru’s mother and the two youngest Lions, the Sahibzadis; the youngest Shaheedan who held firm to their fate, freely chosing death rather than bending to the swords of tyranny.
• Another appropriate version of the story of Gangu exists, in which Gangu went to the village ‘Headmen’ at the insistence of Mata Gujri, as the whole village would quickly learn that the ‘hunted’ Guru Sahib’s aged mother, Mata Gujari and his youngest sons were staying with Gangu, his not telling the the village ‘Headmen’ of their presence, would in danger Gangu and his family. Mata Gujri and Gangu also discussed that three of them will get released, as per law and Mughal government will not give punishment of Guru Gobind Singh to any of them.

According to some scholars, Mughal Wazir Khan, the Governor of Sirhind, was advised against execution of three by Nawab of Malerkotla and requested to release them but Diwan Sucha Nand, who was against Guru Gobind Singh, incited Wazir Khan by asking few questions to Sahibzadas and changed the whole case to, Rebel against government, which played a role in Wazir Khan taking this barbaric step; and this step had to be later even condemned by Central Mughal leadership, who helped Khalsa during Sirhind Fateh. Many Sikh scholars note that the Mughal governor, Wazir Khan and his minister Sucha Nand were both responsible for the murders of the young Sahibzadas.

Death of Gangu

Gangu and his wife were killed in 1710 by Banda Bahadur and also destroy his village with army.

The concept itself is simple:
UNDERSTANDING DETERRENCE

• Deterrence occurs when A persuades B not to take an aggressive step by convincing B that whatever the
  anticipated gains he hopes to achieve, the likely costs he will have to face will be higher.
• When A issues a threat, its effectiveness will depend on B’s perception of A’s intent. If B does not take A’s
  threat seriously and concludes that it can be safely ignored, then deterrence fails.
  Deterrence, well it is affective when it is effective.
  To explain with a simple example; A “Scarecrow” in the fields. A ‘Beware of Dogs’ board. Telling a child not to touch
  a hot plate ………. this one however works from the second time onwards.
  In matters military, however, deterrence is more than merely threatening a potential adversary. It demands the
  subtle shaping of perceptions so that an adversary sees the alternatives to aggression as more attractive. Perception
  incidentally is not just about passively receiving information; it’s an active and dynamic process to interpret and
  understand sensory information. E.g when Mahfuz Alam, who is an advisor to Bangladesh’s interim government
  claims that parts of West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura are part of Bangladesh, it is not a threat……. it is at best a joke.
  Deterrence appears simple in principle and a natural strategy to adopt but it is not so straightforward when it comes
  to implementation. Deterrence works best with explicit red lines (Lakshman Rekha), backed by three Cs:
  Credibility, Capability, Communication.
  Credibility: Russia fired the IRBM Oreshnik, capable of carrying multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles
  (MIRVs) at Ukraine’s city of Dnipro on 21 Nov. The Russian response was credible and the American ATACMS and
  British Storm Shadow fired by Ukraine on Russia were quickly withdrawn to their stables. Notably, without
  credibility, deterrence is simply pretentious bragging.
  Capability: Credibility is in turn rooted to capability: having necessary resources and technological edge to carry out
  deterrent actions – includes advanced weaponry, cyber capabilities, and a strong military. Capability however can be
  dwarfed by a serious imbalance in trade. Countries with large trade surpluses have the power to exert influence on
  trading partners. Large trade dependency is a serious capability vulnerability dwarfing strategic credibility.
  Communication: Deterrence is achieved when the communication is straight forward and unambiguous (stuttering
  and shuffling does not help). It must be consistent and not seasonal. Having allies and friendly neighbours who can
  echo your communications help. Effective communications lie in capability and determination to fulfil a threat.
  Surprisingly Mutually Assured Destruction is historically the most successful form of deterrence.
  During the Cold War, the US and Soviet Union avoided direct conflict despite numerous geopolitical tensions and
  crises. Even in Ukraine the US despite material assistance has refrained from deploying NATO troops and long-range
  weapons to strike deep inside Russia. This is out of fear for the conflict escalating to a nuclear one as threatened by
  Russia leading to mutual destruction. The concept has also kept the Indian subcontinent safe from a nuclear war,
  although it remains a delicate and sobering balance.
  India follows the policy of No First Use (Nuclear) – the threat of retaliation rather than the threat of a first strike.
  The doctrine is part of India’s broader strategy of credible minimum deterrence. No First Use remains a significant
  policy in the landscape of nuclear strategy, balancing the fine line between deterrence and diplomacy. India,
  however, maintains a credible second-strike capability to deter adversaries from considering a nuclear attack ……….
  Not too hot (overkill), not too cold (underwhelming), but just right.

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