Lance Naik Gyanendra Kumar Rai, 1/11 Gorkha Rifles—the “Bravest of the Brave” battalion that gave India legends like Capt Manoj Pandey (PVC) and Lt Puneet Datt (AC)— was no stranger to danger. In fact, he had served as Capt Pandey’s radio operator during the fierce link-cutting action at Point 5203 in June 1999.
But nothing could compare to #Khalubar Ridge, 3 July 1999. Ordered to cripple the enemy’s nerve centre, 24-year-old L/Nk Rai crawled alone to within 40 metres of Pakistani bunkers held by Pakistan’s 5 NLI. Armed with 350 rounds, two grenades, and his khukri, he slashed through their field cables cutting off communication, and then stormed in.
INSAS firing. Grenades thundering. 8 enemy soldiers fell. Then a burst of MMG ripped through his neck and spine; shrapnel smashed his arm. Captured and tortured, L/Nk Rai was tied, kicked downhill, and marked for a #POW march into PoK. Bleeding, he begged for a bullet—death over dishonour. But a Pakistani major halted the execution.
Fate intervened—a sudden Bofors barrage shattered the silence, and a blinding whiteout snowstorm cloaked the mountains. Bleeding and half-paralysed, L/Nk Rai rolled 40 metres down a snow chute. Then, through pitch-dark, freezing terrain, he clawed and crawled for 5 relentless hours—hungry, wounded, alone—until he finally staggered back into Indian lines at 17,000 feet. A stunned soldier whispered, “Dead men don’t return,” as L/Nk Rai collapsed, blood in his mouth. He was immediately evacuated for urgent medical care.
He became one of the rare few to escape alive from Pakistani hands—within Indian territory. And his solo assault had bought vital time. Khalubar fell the very next night.
Some warriors don’t just survive battle—they outrun death itself. Because the bond of regiment and duty can make a man bleed, fight, escape, and rise again—until victory is carved into the ridgeline.
Lance Naik Rai retired in 2017 as an Honorary Captain, after frontline service in Sri Lanka (IPKF), Manipur, Kargil, and Kupwara. His left arm remains a silent relic of war, forever disabled. Today, he lives with 80% disability, a Vir Chakra on his chest, and a khukri that still gleams with memory and pride.
The son of a British Indian Army veteran who fought the Japanese in WWII, Hony Capt Rai now lives in Bagdogra, Siliguri with his wife, Laxmi Devi, and children, Divya and Dipen.
Pic credits: Vikram Jit Singh
We were undoubtedly quite a sight, locomoting and balancing ourselves on light-weight elbow crutches, but we learnt to juggle with a drink, a cigarette, crutches and of course the good or undamaged leg!
It was the time of war, as it is today, but exactly 60 years back. It was the 1965 India-Pakistan War. The common notion is that it was fought for 22 days in September, but in actuality, the war, initiated by Pakistan, was fought in three parts, all interlinked. There was no casus belli for that war, as it was contrived by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, and a few Generals of the Pakistan army, who persuaded a reluctant President Ayub Khan to approve their plans.
The Pakistani plan was to commence operations in a less important area like Kutch, with a view to gauge whether India was capable of a fight, as the war with China in 1962 had badly affected the Indian Army. There was also famine in many parts of the country. The then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had taken over recently after the death of the colossus Pandit Nehru and in the eyes of the Pakistanis, his diminutive figure did not reflect the boldness of a fighting leader. How utterly wrong they were!
Depending on the outcome of the Kutch operation, Part II consisted of sending infiltrators inside J&K from several directions, as it was assessed that the locals will rise against India. This was to be carried out in August.
Finally, an all-out offensive, code-named Operation Gibraltar, would be launched within J&K, to cut off Rajouri-Poonch. It is this part which is known as the 1965 War by the public.
As far as the armed forces and the Government of India are concerned, all three parts constituted the 1965 War, the diamond jubilee of which is this year.
Read More
Let me now switch to my special friend DN. We both had left behind a leg each on the battlefield, before we met at the Command Hospital, Pune. I had reached there first. I belonged to the First Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry, while DN was a company commander in the equally famous 3 Kumaon (Rifles). We were in Pune as all limb cases were sent there; the Artificial Limb Centre was adjoining the Command Hospital.
DN, or Dhirendra Nath Singh, was a very brave officer who had been awarded the coveted Vir Chakra for leading the assault on the important feature Keri in J&K, where he had lost his left leg. He was a Kaushik Rajput but now his battle was in fighting a disability, as it was for us all.
At Pune, we were confined to our beds, but soon the time came, as our wounds healed, that we had to walk with the help of crutches, but first we had to buy slippers. That simple errand sealed our friendship, as in the Bata shop, we realised that we needed not a pair of slippers each, but only one for the time being. Glances exchanged confirmed that our foot sizes were same and since our amputated legs were different, DN’s being left and mine being right, our need was for only one pair!
In a soldier’s career, the watershed events are when one gets shot in battle, fighting for the country. We came to the conclusion that getting the disability was that event for us. DN agreed with me. Later developments confirmed it, but surprisingly not in a negative way.
Those were the days of introspection, interspersed with exchanging notes with our comrades, and surreptitiously slipping out for a couple of drinks at the military club. We were undoubtedly quite a sight, locomoting and balancing ourselves on light-weight elbow crutches, but we learnt to juggle with a drink, a cigarette, crutches and of course the good or undamaged leg! DN was very much a part of these evenings, although he neither smoked nor drank. These were also the days of a happy-go-lucky exterior, cracking jokes about the one-legged Taimur Lang, but with an interior that was all knotted up, constantly weighing various permutations for our future.
In my case, these were also the days of the first slow moves towards a blossoming love, which added some genuineness to the happy exterior and slowly diminished the personal battles being fought internally, mostly in our minds but also slipping down to the guts at times, with the attendant wrenching that invariably follows!
DN was already married and it was a special event when his wife Vijaya came down from Lucknow. She soon became my would-be wife Daulat’s close friend. By then, DN and I were spending many hours at Daulat’s house, at the invitation of her mother Mrs Surve, the highly respected wife of the late Maj Gen Surve of my battalion/regiment.
We had three options ahead of us after receiving our prosthesis. Go home on medical grounds; request for a change of regiment/corps for a softer job; or remain in present regiment/unit but with the proviso that you have to compete with your peers and no allowance will be given for your disability.
I had already made up my mind that I would carry on soldiering and would do everything better than any of my peers. However, DN agonised about his choice. Firstly, he was a little older than me, and secondly, he was a post-graduate and thus fully qualified to join the Army Education Corps, which he eventually did, but not for long, as a diehard infantryman is not comfortable in sedentary teaching assignments!
Thereafter, he tried his hand in various fields, including politics, but although he had said goodbye to the Army, it continued to be his focus. His two sons not only joined the Army but also their father’s Kumaon Regiment and much later, his grandson followed suit, thus keeping the family flag flying.
DN is no more. He joined the Valhalla warriors two months back, leaving Vijaya to bask in the glory of their two sons, VPS and SP, both three-star Generals holding top appointments, and a grandson who plans to follow them.
As for me, having soldiered on and retired in 2001, my wife Daulat and I still remember DN when we shop for a pair of slippers!
— The writer is former Vice Chief of Army Staff
Seeks urgent UNSC reforms, greater role for India, Brazil
This is exactly what happened at the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting on July 2 — that it condemned the Pahalgam massacre but did not name Pakistan.
At the June 26 meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), an organisation that is led by China, there was neither any mention of Pahalgam nor of Pakistan. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had refused to sign the SCO draft statement after the document omitted Pahalgam attack reference.
Clearly, BRICS also avoided mentioning Pakistan’s name because Pakistan’s ally and mentor China is a key member of the organisation.
A joint declaration by the BRICS member nations called for ensuring zero tolerance towards terrorism and rejected “double-standards” in countering extremism.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. We reaffirm our commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, financing and safe havens,” the declaration stated. It also called for concerted actions against all UN-designated terrorists and terror entities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning to attend the two-day BRICS Summit. Lauding Brazilian President Lula for hosting the event, the PM said, “BRICS remains a powerful force for economic cooperation and global good.”
The issues discussed at the event included Israel’s attack on Iran, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and trade tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. The bloc raised “serious concerns” about the rise of “unilateral tariff” and “non-tariff” measures, which “distorted trade and were inconsistent with WTO rules”.
The summit adopted the strongest-ever language on the need for UNSC reforms. “We reiterate our support for comprehensive reforms of the UNSC to make it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America,” it said.
The declaration also stressed that the UNSC reforms would lead to the amplified voice of the global south. “We reiterate support to the aspirations of Brazil and India to play a greater role in the United Nations, including its security council,” the declaration stated.
The BRICS grouping held its first summit in 2009 and initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bloc later added Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The member nations represent almost half of the world’s population, 36 per cent of global land area and a quarter of the global economic output. The grouping sees itself as a forum for cooperation between countries of the global south and a counterweight to the Group of Seven (G7), comprising leading Western economic powers.
The Indian Army is conducting the third evaluation of its first batch of Agniveers, recruited under the Agnipath scheme in January 2023 for their potential permanent induction into the armed forces.
Approximately 3,000 Agniveers who participated in Operation Sindoor are also undergoing evaluation in this phase. Their performance during the operation where they played key roles in India’s military response to cross-border missile and drone attacks will be factored into their assessment.
The evaluation, now underway, marks the third of four critical assessments that every Agniveer must face during their service. According to Army sources, the process is being carried out with complete transparency to ensure only the most capable and deserving candidates secure permanent positions.
Under the Agnipath scheme, Agniveers are assessed at four distinct stages at 31 weeks, 18 months, 30 months, and 42 months of service. The third stage, currently ongoing, evaluates soldiers on multiple parameters including drills, physical fitness, and weapons handling. Notably, to maintain impartiality, the unit where an Agniveer is posted does not conduct his evaluation.
Each Agniveer is given three chances during the first test, with the highest score being counted. In the subsequent assessments, they receive two chances per test.
Agniveers also have access to their mark sheets, reinforcing the transparency of the process. Those deployed in remote and high-altitude areas like Siachen and Ladakh are attached to nearby Corps Battle Schools or rear units to facilitate the testing process.
During Operation Sindoor, Agniveers proved their mettle in frontline air defence roles. These young soldiers operated advanced systems like Pechora, Schilka, OSA-AK, Strela, and Tunguska, alongside medium-range surface-to-air missile systems.
Many served as gunners, fire control operators, and communication specialists, and also drove heavy-duty, missile-mounted vehicles. The Akashteer air defence network, pivotal in the operation, was successfully manned and operated by these Agniveers.
The Indian Army has built provisions to recognise acts of bravery and sporting excellence under the scheme. Agniveers awarded the Sena Medal or higher gallantry honours like the Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, or Shaurya Chakra are guaranteed permanent recruitment. A ‘mention in dispatch’ adds 25 bonus marks to their evaluation.
Sports achievements will be equally acknowledged. Representing India at the international level will ensure direct permanent recruitment, while participation in national or service-level competitions grants 10 and 6 bonus marks, respectively.
All evaluation scores will be finalised by October 2026. The first Agniveer batch will complete their tenure in January 2027. After their final medical test, 25 per cent of the batch based on merit will be selected for permanent induction.
Selected candidates will be notified within seven days of discharge and must report to their regimental centre within 30 days. Failure to report will result in disqualification, and the vacancy will be filled by the next eligible candidate on the merit list.
Unlike the pre-Agnipath recruitment system, which ensured 15 years of service and post-retirement pension, Agniveers do not receive pensions unless selected permanently. The 25 per cent inducted for long-term service will serve a minimum of 15 years. Permanent recruitment will be based on individual arm, service, and trade, with merit lists drawn separately for each category
Pune – In an unforgettable morning of grit, gratitude and glory, more than 4,500 runners converged at the historic Bombay Sappers Parade Ground for the Panchshil Soldierathon Bombay Sappers – a powerful tribute to heroism ,courage & sacrifice of Indian Armed Forces and a monumental leap forward in the Fit Bharat Movement.
Military memorabilia
Organized by Fitistan – Ek Fit Bharat, India’s largest community-led fitness initiative, in collaboration with Panchshil Realty, the event brought together soldiers, veterans, civilians, students, and fitness enthusiasts, all united by a shared mission: to run with pride, purpose and patriotism.
दिल्ली सरकार ने बीते 1 जुलाई से राज्य में अपनी नई नो फ्यूल फॉर ओल्ड व्हीकल पॉलिसी के तहत कार्रवाई शुरू कर दी है. नए नियम के अनुसार दिल्ली में किसी भी पेट्रोल पंप पर एंड-ऑफ-लाइफ (EOL) व्हीकल यानी 10 साल से पुराने डीजल और 15 साल से पुराने पेट्रोल वाहनों को फ्यूल नहीं दिया जा रहा है. जिसके बाद इस नियम के खिलाफ लोग सोशल मीडिया पर आवाज उठा रहे हैं. ऐसे ही इंडियन एयरफोर्स के एक भूतपूर्व पायलट ने भी सरकार के इस पहल
A comprehensive plan has been developed to adopt all these technologies by 2030, with a planned investment of Rs 390 crore
With recent conflicts having established that technology will play a decisive role in the outcome of all future conflicts, 15 major Army training establishments are evolving as ‘Centres of Expertise’ for adopting 33 niche technologies.
A comprehensive plan has been developed to adopt all these technologies by 2030, with a planned investment of Rs 390 crore in resarch and development, infrastructure development and training over the next five years, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), Lt Gen Devindra Sharma, said at an investiture ceremony on Thursday.
Highlighting recent initiatives by ARTRAC and the lines of effort towards the Army’s roadmap for ‘Decade of Transformation’ and ‘Year of Technology Absorption’, he said that ARTRAC has undertaken 57 initiatives in the domains of jointness and integration, force re-structuring, technology absorption and modernisation, systems, processes and functions and human resources management.
This, he said, would require ‘whole of nation’ approach, wherein niche technology available with the industry and premium academic institutions of the country will be absorbed by the Indian Army through collaboration.
Therefore, the vision of ARTRAC is to adopt, develop and imbibe niche technology in training curriculum to facilitate learning and exploit technology for exponential results during operations.
Impetus on technology absorption has resulted in ARTRAC training approximately 18,000 personnel on 22 niche technologies in the year 2024-25 with a plan of training another 12,000 personnel on 21 niche technologies in the 2025-26, he said.
Lt Gen Sharma also presented the GOC-in-C Army Training Command Unit Citation to three Category-A establishments – Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow; Combat Army Aviation Training School (CAATS), Nasik; and Army Airborne Training School (AATS), Agra — and to two affiliated units – 4 Mahar and Territorial Army’s 118 Infantry Battalion (Grenadiers) — for their outstanding performance.
Financial excellence awards were also conferred upon the Military College of Material Management (MCMM), Jabalpur, Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS), Variengate and Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), Secunderabad, for setting high standards in financial management.
Additionally, two training establishments, Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACC&S), Ahilyanagar and MCMM, Jabalpur, were awarded the e-office excellence awards for promoting e-office software usage which reduces the usage of paper. Twelve personnel were also felicitated for their performance.
Seeks debate on excesses on the Constitution; sidesteps ‘secular, socialist’ terms in BJP’s constitution
he Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Thursday renewed calls to review the presence of words “secular and socialist” in the Preamble of the Constitution.
Backing the recent statement made by Sangh’s second-in-command Dattatreya Hosabale, RSS all-India communications chief Sunil Ambekar said a comprehensive debate must be held on the issue. “Speaking on the occasion of 50 years of Emergency, Hosabale mentioned events that unfolded at the time – including people who were being jailed and brutalised, political developments at the time and the way the Constitution was mauled,” said Ambekar, who arrived in Delhi on Thursday for a three-day meeting of 233 communication chiefs of RSS’ 11 regions and 47 organisational units.
Ambekar said Hosabale remembered the whole range of excesses committed as part of the imposition of Emergency and sought a discussion on all of those.
“At the completion of 50 years of Emergency, we talk about the excesses people suffered in jails. We also need to debate on the excesses the Constitution suffered through Amendments during the Emergency, Amendments that were enacted without parliamentary approval. We must discuss what should be done about these excesses,” he added.
Ambekar, however, side-stepped queries on whether the Sangh would ask the BJP to review the party’s constitution, which also mentions the words “secular and socialist”.
“The party shall bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established and to the principles of socialism, secularism and democracy and would uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India,” says the BJP Constitution. Opposition leaders have also flagged this matter.
When asked about the relevance of the debate around the words “secular and socialist”, RSS insiders said the question was simple — “Whether we want to live with the Constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar, which did not come with the words, socialist, secular; or the Constitution of Indira Gandhi, who introduced these words unilaterally without parliamentary approval?” A senior Sangh leader added that uncomfortable issues would have to be tackled head on.
The RSS mentioned a November-2024 judgment of the Supreme Court, wherein it rejected a bunch of petitions challenging the 1976 Amendment that introduced the words “socialist, secular” in the Preamble, the SC had observed that the Parliament’s amending power extended to the Preamble too. CJI Sanjiv Khanna dismissed the plea, saying, “We do not find any legitimate cause for challenging this Amendment after 44 years…Article 368 of the Constitution permits amendment to the Constitution and the power to amend unquestionably rests with the Parliament. This amending power extends to the Preamble.”
RSS leaders argue that the 1976 insertions, which late PM Indira Gandhi brought during the Emergency, did not have any parliamentary approval.
Plans for the centenary celebrations
Plans for the centenary celebrations of the Sangh, which will complete 100 years on Vijayadashami this year, will be finalised in the RSS’ three-day meeting. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s dialogue with civil society in Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Mumbai will be the highlight of the events.
New Delhi, Updated At : 04:45 AM Jul 04, 2025 IST
A JCB machine demolishes an illegal structure in Delhi Cantonment.
In a significant anti-encroachment operation, the Defence Estates Office, Delhi Circle, today reclaimed approximately 5 acres of prime defence land at Brar Square, Delhi Cantonment, from unauthorised occupation.
The site had been encroached upon by illegal dairies, temporary shanties and other unauthorised structures. With this move, nearly 24-acre defence land is left under encroachment.
A statement from the Defence Estates Office said the operation was initiated following a tip-off from a military unit co-located with the encroached site and executed by the Office of the Defence Estates Officer, Delhi Circle, under Rakesh, Sub-Divisional Officer, with the support of the police authorities, local military authorities and the Cantonment Board Delhi.
The reclaimed land, valued at approximately Rs 165 crore, has now been secured and is available for strategic defence use.
This operation was part of an ongoing drive by the Defence Estates Officer (DEO), Delhi Circle, to remove unauthorised occupations from defence land in the National Capital.
In a recent initiative, 3 acres of prime defence land adjoining Terminal 1D of the IGI Airport were also reclaimed. Further actions targeting unauthorised settlements within the Delhi Cantonment area are planned in the near future.
“Defence land is a critical and strategic national asset, and its protection is a top priority,” said Varun Kalia, Defence Estates Officer, Delhi Circle.
“We are committed to ensuring that all such defence land is freed from encroachments and put to appropriate use in the national interest. More such operations are planned, and strong enforcement will continue in coordination with all stakeholder agencies. The proactive leadership and continuous support of the Director General Defence Estates (DGDE) have been instrumental in empowering field offices to act decisively against encroachments and protect these vital national assets,” he said.
The Defence Estates Organisation, headed by the Director General of Defence Estates (DGDE) under the Ministry of Defence, plays a pivotal role in the management and safeguarding of nearly 18 lakh acres of Defence land across India.
