Monthly Archives: October 2022

Amritsar, July 31

Air Force Station Am­ritsar Cantt successfully concluded a 1,600-kilome­tre motorcycle expedition commemorating the 27th Kargil Vijay Diwas.

The expedition, led by the Station Commander, was undertaken by 17 Air Warriors. It commenced on July 24 and concluded on July 30, covering major cities including Chandi­garh, New Delhi, Jaipur, Hisar and Bathinda.

During the journey, the team paid homage at various war memori­als, honouring the un­paralleled courage and supreme sacrifice of the Kargil martyrs. The Air Warriors also inter­acted with veterans and expressed gratitude for their invaluable service to the nation.

The primary objective of the expedition was to commemorate India’s historic victory in the Kargil War and inspire the younger generation with the values of patrio­tism, courage, sacrifice and national pride. The initiative also served as a tribute to the brave sol­diers who laid down their lives while safeguarding the unity and integrity of the nation.

Speaking on the occa­sion, the Station Com­mander of Air Force Station Amritsar Cantt said the expedition was a fitting tribute to the indomitable spirit and supreme sacrifice of the Kargil heroes.

New indigenous fuel aims to boost military mobility along Himalayan frontier

The Indian Army, in collaboration with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), on Friday launched a special Extreme Winter Grade (XWG) diesel that remains fluid in temperatures as low as minus 42 degrees Celsius, enhancing the operational readiness of military vehicles deployed along the Himalayan frontier with China. 

The new fuel can be used across the Army’s existing vehicle fleet without requiring any engine modifications.

Conventional diesel tends to thicken and clog fuel lines in extremely low temperatures, affecting the performance of vehicles operating in high-altitude, snow-bound areas. 

At present, the Army uses conventional diesel. To prevent the fuel from freezing inside engines, vehicles must be started and kept idling for several minutes at regular intervals. Troops deployed in Ladakh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh are required to start vehicles every two hours to ensure the diesel does not freeze, which could otherwise render them inoperable.

The process is repeated around the clock for thousands of vehicles, including jeeps, trucks, tanks, missile carriers and artillery gun engines, requiring substantial manpower solely to keep the fleet operational, an official said.

Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth, along with BPCL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Khanna, formally launched the XWG diesel.

Describing the fuel as a “game-changing indigenous innovation”, General Seth said it would enhance mobility, operational readiness and mission reliability in extreme climatic conditions.

“I appreciate the kind of advantage this XWG diesel is going to render,” he said.

General Seth also commended the Army team and BPCL for developing the fuel within a year and expressed confidence that the collaboration would lead to the development of more specialised fuels for diverse operational requirements.

Beyond its military applications, the technology is also expected to benefit civilian users in high-altitude and extreme winter regions by improving the reliability and safety of vehicles and equipment operating in severe weather conditions. 

“Our soldiers serve in extreme sub-zero conditions where human endurance and machine reliability are tested to their limit. In such demanding terrain, dependable fuel is not a requirement but a strategic necessity,” BPCL’s Khanna said.

The XWG diesel was validated through extensive field trials conducted jointly with Army teams at a strategic high-altitude location. Khanna said BPCL had put in place end-to-end measures to ensure uninterrupted availability of the fuel, from production at its Bina refinery to strategic stocking at Bathinda.

Later, Director General Supplies and Transport Lieutenant General Mukesh Chadha said the fuel was fully compatible with the Army’s existing fleet.

The Army adopted a four-stage indigenous development programme for the project, comprising formulation of operational performance parameters, indigenous product development, comprehensive testing and validation, followed by logistics operationalisation.

Aparna Banerji

The Indian Army Inter Command Hockey Championship 2026–27 was held from July 24 to 30 at Jalandhar Cantonment. The tournament concluded with a high-intensity final that showcased the finest hockey talent from across the Indian Army. 

The championship featured teams representing six Army Commands and was played at the Vajra Hockey Stadium (Army Hockey Node), Jalandhar Cantonment. In a closely contested final, Western Command defeated Southern Command 4–2 to clinch the coveted championship trophy.

Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, graced the occasion as the chief guest. He presented trophies and awards to the winners and outstanding performers.

Congratulating the champions and all participating teams, the Army Commander commended the players for their exceptional skill, discipline, sportsmanship and teamwork throughout the tournament. He also lauded the organisers for the successful execution of the championship.

At present, five Indian Army personnel are part of the Indian national hockey camp — Naib Subedar Suraj Karkera, Havildar Jeetpal, Havildar Chirag, Havildar Aryan Xess and Havildar Prabhdeep. Their selection reflects the Indian Army’s enduring commitment to sporting excellence and its contribution to Indian hockey at the highest level.

Hundreds of displaced people from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) on Friday staged a protest here against the alleged atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army on residents of the occupied region and urged the Government of India to work towards its liberation.

The protest, organised by SOS International, an organisation advocating the cause of displaced PoK people, was led by its chairman Rajiv Chuni in Jammu. The demonstrators carried placards and raised slogans against Pakistan and its military leadership while demanding that PoK be integrated with India. 

Chuni alleged that Pakistan had subjected the people of PoK to repression and exploitation and appealed to the Indian government to “free PoK from Pakistan’s occupation and integrate it with India.” “We urge the government of India to take steps to free PoK from occupation of Pakistan and integrate it with our country,” he told reporters.

He claimed that the people of the occupied region had realised that Pakistan was “not trustworthy”, echoing the concerns expressed by those who migrated from the area during the Partition in 1947.

Questioning Pakistan’s conduct in the region, Chuni alleged that despite Islamabad portraying PoK as a separate entity with its own institutions, mainstream Pakistani political parties contested elections there.

“If the region is truly independent, why are Pakistani political parties contesting elections there? Why are the people not allowed to decide their own future?” he asked. Chuni also alleged that Pakistan was exploiting the region’s natural resources, including water, electricity, tourism and minerals, while local residents received little benefit in return and were forced to migrate.

Expressing solidarity with the people of PoK, he said they were fighting for their rights despite facing hardships and loss of lives.

He urged the Centre to support their cause and reiterated the demand for the liberation of the occupied territory, saying displaced families wished to return to their ancestral homes.

A high-capacity memory chip recovered from the drone reportedly contains footage of certain Army installation

The Army on Friday shot down and seized a Pakistani spy drone that entered Indian territory along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu district. 

The incident occurred in the Khour sector when troops heard a buzzing sound and spotted the four-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crossing into the Indian side.

According to sources, the Chinese-made drone was being used by the Pakistani side for surveillance and was equipped with a high-resolution camera. A high-capacity memory chip recovered from the drone reportedly contained footage of certain Army installations.

Preliminary investigations suggest the UAV was being remotely operated from across the border to monitor troop movement near the LoC. The sector has witnessed several infiltration attempts in the past.

The Pakistani Army and terror groups have frequently used drones and reconnaissance missions to identify vulnerable stretches along the LoC and International Border to facilitate infiltration. Anticipating such attempts, the Army and the BSF have significantly strengthened surveillance along the border in recent months.

The drone has been sent for forensic examination to determine whether it had previously entered Indian territory and to analyse the footage stored on its memory chip. 

Meanwhile, security forces busted a terrorist hideout in the dense Bhangai forest belt of Thanamandi in Rajouri district and recovered food supplies and other items.

The hideout was unearthed during a joint search operation launched on Thursday evening by 61 Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the J&K Police following specific intelligence inputs.

Officials said the hideout was located in a heavily forested area amid thick vegetation. The recovered items included 2 kg of rice, six packets of Maggi, a knife, a lighter, a plastic sheet, a blanket, a gas stove, two candles and a five-litre water container.

The July 20 student protests became a catalyst for an unhinged ingenuity waiting to spill forth

Siddharth Pandey

July 20 holds a special place in my heart. Seven years ago on this date, I received my PhD in literary and interdisciplinary studies from UK’s University of Cambridge. It’s a day that is firmly entrenched in my memory as one of the finest of my life, for it marked the conclusion of my formal academic training that had begun way back in 2005 as an undergraduate student at the University of Delhi. Anyone who has pursued a PhD is aware of the exponentially taxing nature of the degree, that holds the power to recalibrate one’s personhood in fundamental ways. Mine was no different, and the shifting bouts of doubt, dilemma and discovery that accompanied the process of research altered my understanding of myself and the world at large in a deeply visceral, permanent manner.

But this rollercoaster ride across a thousand emotions felt worth the struggle when I stood inside the grand precincts of Senate House, the University’s designated space for graduation ceremonies, along with my cohort in front of the Deputy Vice Chancellor that July day. Critics have often disapproved of the event’s archaic nature, steeped as it is in traditions going back to many centuries. I, however, found the rituals rather moving, especially when we were summoned forward in rows of four and were instructed to grasp a finger each of our praelector’s right hand. A praelector is a college member chosen for presenting students to the authority at such events. As our names were called out one by one, we released our grips on his finger and further offered our folded hands to the Vice Chancellor (or their representative), who then clasped them within his own hands, spoke a few words of award in Latin, and gestured us to take leave. The physical degree was finally handed by a third person standing at the exit-door. 

Along with the ceremony’s profundity bordering on the regal, it’s the symbolism of those hand gestures that makes me revisit that July day in fond terms every now and then. While the holding of the praelector’s fingers marked the last formal moment of allegiance to one’s college as a student, the clasping of the VC’s folded hands indexed the final formal moment of adherence to the University. But I also treated the tradition as an expression of care, for there are few universal symbols more powerful than the coming together of hands, a cipher that at once articulates the ideas of devotedness, protection, safety, and mutual responsibility. And it is in these terms too that I like to remember my overall experience of living and studying at one of the world’s premier universities.

Even before I had returned to India for good, I was routinely asked by friends and acquaintances to relay my impressions of studying at Cambridge. They were aware of how much I had loved my time at Delhi University, and some were curious about the supposed ‘higher’ intelligence of staff and students overseas. However, right from my first year in the UK, it was evident to me that back home, I had already partaken one of the most inspiring intellectual milieus anywhere on the planet, with teachers and friends in the capital fueling a rigorous regard for creative and critical thinking on an almost daily basis. The pedagogy that came my way while being an undergraduate student of English Literature at Ramjas College could rival any other institution’s, no matter the rank or fame.

But once I was overseas, what did come into telling relief was the extraordinary effectiveness of the larger ecosystem. Despite the multipronged crises that was rapidly affecting higher education in the Anglo-American world, there was still a surety of resources and a smoothness to everyday life that is required for the healthy growth of ideas. Unlike India, one didn’t have to run to countless authorities to request for the scholarship stipend that was already yours to begin with. Rather, respectful intimations arrived before time over email, asking us to collect the cheques on certain dates. Libraries were well-stocked, numerous and gorgeous to simply look at, and ran round-the-clock, where you were strongly advised to request librarians to buy an unavailable book instead of shelling out your own money. Living on campus had its own privileges too, and every time I felt the urge to practice music, I had four pianos at my disposal, with my ID Card serving as the key to all music rooms. Trust, dignity and well-being went hand in hand, almost as a rule of thumb. 

The biggest lessons however lay in a different understanding of hierarchy. Institutions like Cambridge and the likes routinely come under the scanner for their alleged fidelity to elitism, and there is much that is true to that effect. Yet, being part of Cambridge’s youngest college, Homerton, also introduced me to what democracy really meant, as even Masters level students were actively encouraged to become parts of committees that appointed new lecturers, heads of department and even college principals. Further, it was hard to find ‘clerks’ or ‘lower staff’ who were ‘meant’ to arrange tables and chairs during functions, and everyone from faculty heads to principals and students involved themselves in acts of ordinary labour. Coming from a country that thrives on a mindboggling number of social pyramids, this was both a shock and an immense pleasure to witness. I do wonder when we’ll be able to truly break down those ‘narrow domestic walls’ (to use Rabindranath Tagore’s phrase) that continue to plague our society.

Returning home and finding myself in the thick of an authoritarian dispensation, I was pained to see what had become of our public institutions over the last decade. To be sure, their decimation had already begun under the previous, Congress regime, and the subsequent governments cashed upon that while also giving everything imaginable a saffron turn. One shouldn’t be under any illusion either that the entire youth of the country was ‘naturally’ or necessarily critical of the changes. For there is much in our recent past – from the Galgotia University protest-fiasco where students had no idea what they were protesting against, to young hooligans channelizing the violence of right-wing regime – that proves otherwise.

And yet, there is an unbridled and incomparable truth, honesty and courage about the demonstrations that have unfolded in the wake of July 20, 2026. That date, while going down in history as a black day for Indian students and society in general, shall also be remembered as the catalyst for an unhinged ingenuity waiting to spill forth. While ‘Educate, Organize and Agitate’ has been a staple call at many historical protests, this one also unambiguously added another verb to the rulebook: ‘Create.’ Powered by the miracle that is digital media and fired equally by a zeal that lies at the heart of all true art, the turn that the protest took July 20 onwards reminded me of all the ideals that my best days at Delhi and Cambridge had acquainted me with: that dignity and well-being can never be compromised, and that common hands, once drawn together, have the power to shake the mightiest of establishments.

219 Indians, mostly from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, killed

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to appoint a nodal officer in the Ministry of External Affairs to coordinate with the families of Indians who died, went missing or suffered injuries while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) shall notify an official as the nodal officer whose details and contact number should be shared with the family members of Indian nationals who had gone to Russia… and died or injured,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said.

The Bench, which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana, asked the MEA to arrange for the DNA tests of family members of the dead and upon matching, ensure handing over of the mortal remains.

It asked the MEA to ensure that bereaved families were provided details of the documents needed for claiming compensation from the Russian government and were given all relevant information and updates in vernacular language. The Bench also asked the MEA to deal expeditiously with the cases pertaining to handing over the mortal remains to the families for conducting last rites.

More than 200 people, mostly hailing from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, went to Russia during 2024-25 for working in different sectors, including hospitality. They were duped by travel agents and their passport and other documents were seized on reaching Russia. They were then enrolled in the Russian army, only to be sent to war zones, the Bench noted.

According to the latest information, 219 Indians fought in the war and 51 of them were reported as dead or missing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said, adding the mortal remains of 29 of them had been brought back.

The Centre had earlier said sustained diplomatic engagement with the Russian Federation had led to the release of 139 Indians from their military contracts.

Friday’s order came on a petition seeking return of mortal remains of those killed, compensation for the affected families and a coordinated mechanism to handle the related issues after the Bench heard the petitioner’s counsel and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati for the Centre.

The Bench directed the National Legal Services Authority and state legal services to extend assistance to the families in securing the mortal remains of their relatives and pursuing compensation claims. It also asked the Centre to ensure that families got the receipt and other information related to compensation and delivery of mortal remains.

Former Indian Army Chief General Vishwa Nath Sharma, who played a major role in 1987 stand-off with China, passed away of natural causes around 4 am on Friday in the National capital. He was 96. The cremation is will take place on Saturday at 10:30 am at the Brar Square at Delhi Cantonment. 

General Sharma’s earlier tenure (June 1987 to May 1988)

As the Eastern Army Commander, the term was eventful and coincided with the military standoff against China at Sumdorong Chu along the Line of Actual control in Arunachal Pradesh.The incident is known among military historians as the “Wangdung incident” and it began in June 1986 when a Chinese attempt was discovered to alter the un-demarcated LAC near the of village Sumdorong Chu in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. 

The then Indian Army Chief General K Sundarji had responded and launched operation ‘chequerboard’ in summer of 1987. This involved a massive mobilisation of 10 army divisions alongside multiple squadrons of the Indian Air Force. It ranged across the entire northeast Himalayan region.

The military stand-off is considered the third Sino-Indian military conflict — the earlier ones being in 1962 and the 1967 near Natu La in Sikkim. 

Sad to inform the passing away of ex COAS Gen VN Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, ADC (Retd) at 0410 hr today at Delhi.

Cremation is planned tomorrow at 1030 hr at Brar Square. Om Shan

Bringing pride to the nation, Seema Kaliramana, a PhD scholar from the Department of Physical Education at Chaudhary Bansi Lal University (CBLU), Bhiwani (Haryana), secured a bronze medal in the women’s discus throw at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow with a best throw of 58.65 metres. In recognition of her achievement, the university has announced a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh under its sports promotion policy.

In a statement, the university stated that Seema’s accomplishment reflects years of perseverance and unwavering commitment. She began her sporting journey as a boxer before switching to discus throw—a decision that transformed her career. Her dedication remained unshaken even after her marriage in 2019, as she resumed training the very next day despite family celebrations. During the COVID-19 lockdown, when sporting activities came to a standstill, she continued her fitness and technical training using whatever resources were available, without missing a single day of practice. 

Seema’s husband is also her coach

Balancing motherhood, doctoral research and elite-level sports, Seema continued to pursue excellence with the steadfast support of her husband, Ravinder, who is also her coach. Their shared commitment has culminated in an international podium finish, making her journey an inspiration for aspiring athletes.

Congratulating the athlete, CBLU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deepti Dharmani described the medal as a matter of immense pride for the university, Haryana and the country. She said: “Seema’s success exemplifies how determination, disciplined training and academic pursuit can go hand in hand.”

The Vice-Chancellor reaffirmed the university’s commitment to nurturing sporting talent alongside academic excellence and expressed confidence that Seema would continue to bring greater honours to India in future international competitions.

Seema’s bronze medal is not merely a sporting achievement but a testament to resilience, discipline and the ability to overcome personal and professional challenges in pursuit of excellence.