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Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 13

The Border Security Force on Wednesday accused Pakistan of not honouring the agreement made between Directors-General of Military Operations of the two countries on May 29 to fully implement the 2003 ceasefire pact on the International Border.Kamal Nath Choubey, Additional Director General, Jammu Frontier, BSF, talking to the media after the wreath-laying of the martyred soldiers, said: “Ceasefire is always a bilateral decision, we have always maintained the sanctity of the ceasefire, but Pakistan has always violated it. The decision was meant to be honoured, but Pakistan didn’t.”He said Pakistan was violating the ceasefire along the Line of Control repeatedly, but India had never done so.“Due to the experience with Pakistan, the BSF is always prepared for retaliation. There is no let-up in border surveillance, neither during ceasefire nor other times,” the ADG said.“Every instrument required to protect the territorial integrity of the border is maintained,” he added.Earlier, the wreath-laying ceremony was organised at Frontier Headquarters of the BSF at Jammu to pay tributes to the four personnel. The cremation of the martyrs will be done at their respective hometowns. The ADG said the nation would remain indebted to the brave border men for their supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty.The wreath-laying was attended by legislators Bali Bhagat, Chander Prakash Ganga and Gagan Bhagat, DGP SP Vaid and other senior officers of the BSF, police and the administration.BJP making forces ‘sitting ducks’: CongJammu: The killing of four BSF soldiers on the border evoked a strong reaction from opposition parties, which are accusing the ruling BJP of making security personnel “sitting ducks” to reap political benefits. “Pakistan’s repeated treacherous acts during Ramzan shows that it is taking advantage of the fact that the Narendra Modi-led government lacks a clear policy to deal with it effectively and silence it in an appropriate manner to maintain peace on borders,”a J&K Pradesh Congress Committee statement said.  Mehbooba pays tributes to martyrs, calls for peaceSrinagar: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has expressed deep anguish and grief over the death of four BSF personnel, including an officer, in Pakistani shelling in the Ramgarh sector of Samba district on Wednesday. Paying tributes to the slain personnel, the CM reiterated her demand for cessation of hostilities along the borders to protect lives and properties of border people. She said the suspension of operations elsewhere in the state had given the people a sigh of relief and hoped the same would be extended to the borders and an atmosphere of peace would return to these areas. The CM extended her sympathies to the bereaved families while praying for peace to the departed souls. 

As children, many of us have dreamt of following our father’s footsteps once we grow up. On the night of June 12, 1999, Hitesh Kumar was only six-years-old when his father, a lance naik in the 2nd Battalion of Rajputana Rifles was killed in Tololing, in Kargil. Upon hearing the news of his father’s demise, a young Hitesh decided that he would grow up and join the Indian Army.

Today, after 19 odd years, Hitesh has achieved what he had dreamt as a child. After successfully passing out from the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, he has been commissioned in the Indian Army as a lieutenant.

To add to it, Hitesh will also be serving in the same battalion as his father. Times Of India reported that right after the passing out parade, Hitesh paid tribute to his father, Bachan Singh, at the memorial built in lance naik Bachan Singh’s memory in the Civil Lines area of Muzaffarnagar.

A Tough Childhood

Life was very difficult for the family ever since Bachan Singh was martyred. However, his wife Kamesh Bala soldiered on, dedicating her life to the task of raising two sons.

Talking to Times Of India, the mother said, “It has been a difficult life since Bachan was martyred. I dedicated my life to raising my two sons. Today I am proud that Hitesh was commissioned into the Army. His younger brother, Hemant, is also preparing to join the Army. There is nothing more I could ask for.”

Hitesh told the daily, “For 19 years, I dreamt of joining the Army. It became my mother’s dream too. Now I want to serve my country with pride and honesty.”

The 2nd Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles, one of the senior-most rifle regiments in the Indian Army, won Tololing, marking India’s first success at Kargil.

Bachan Singh was shot in the head and died on the battlefield at Tololing. On the very same day 17 others also died fighting, said Rishipal Singh, who was in Bachan’s battalion, to Times of India.

According to official Indian government figures, the three-week-long Kargil war killed 527 Indian Army Soldiers and left many injured.

Jamnagar, June 8

An Indian Air Force Jaguar fighter jet on Friday developed a technical snag during landing at the Jamnagar Air Force base, an IAF official said.The pilot of the aircraft is safe as he ejected in time, said the official.”At around 9:20 am, the pilot of a Jaguar aircraft, on a routine mission from Jamnagar, safely ejected when the aircraft developed a snag during the landing phase. It was a minor accident. Pilot is safe,” said the official.He said a court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the incident.According to him, the plane has not crash landed, as it had only developed a technical snag.There was only minor damage to the fighter jet, he said.The incident comes just three days after another Jaguar fighter jet crashed in Kutch in which senior IAF pilot Air Commodore Sanjai Chauhan was killed.Air Commodore Chauhan, a recipient of the Vayu Sena Medal and the Air Officer Commanding of Jamnagar Air Force Station, died when the deep penetration plane crashed in a field in Bareja village on June 5. PTI

Chandigarh, June 7

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said his government would provide compensation to the Punjabi settlers whose shops were gutted during the recent violence in Shillong.The CM, who met the four-member committee headed by Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, on their return from the strife-torn areas of Shillong, said the Punjab Government would also assist the settlers in completing an under-construction community-run school.He said his government would also provide legal guidance to the affected families, if required. Capt Amarinder also said he would speak to his counterpart in Meghalaya and the Home Minister, requesting them to take steps to instil confidence in Punjabi settlers.Randhawa told the CM that the gurdwara and the school run by the Punjabi community had not been damaged, but two shops and two vehicles belonging to the community members had been burnt. — TN

Srinagar, June 5

Militants attacked an army camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Tuesday evening, sparking of a gunfight, police said.Militants attacked the camp of 13 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) in Hajin area of Bandipora.”Army retaliated the militants’ fire and heavy firing exchanges are now going on in the area,” said a police officer.Four to six militants came from two sides of army camp and Hajin police station and fired eight rounds of Underbarrel Grenade Launcher, news agency ANI said.More details are awaited.

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 28

Officers of the Central armed police forces (CAPFs) will be held personally liable for fines imposed by courts if personnel are forced to seek legal recourse in service matters where the law has already been settled by way of earlier judgments.This follows directions of the Delhi High Court in the case of several personnel from different CAPFs seeking the benefits of Assured Career Progression (ACP) Scheme based upon an earlier judgment.Directing all formations to finalise legal notices claiming ACP within eight weeks from the date of receipt, a memorandum issued by the Directorate General Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Force cautions that failing this, the high court may impose heavy costs, for which the officials concerned will be held responsible.“It is deemed appropriate to direct that henceforth, if any of the forces receives a notice from the force personnel claiming benefits of the ACP scheme, if he is found eligible, necessary steps shall be taken by respondents to sanction the said benefits,” a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court ruled.“If no relief is granted to eligible force personnel and he is compelled to approach the court for relief, a serious view shall be taken in the matter and in that eventuality, the court will be inclined to impose heavy costs on the respondents,” the Bench added.The Court was informed that personnel from the ITBP, SSB, CRPF and the SSB had filed similar petitions seeking the same relief.“Every other day, we come across matters of similar nature that clearly demonstrates that only when a member of the force is compelled to file a petition for relief, do the respondents wake up to take action. It appears that none of the forces mentioned above have taken any initiative to grant relief to their personnel whose cases are covered by the decision in the case of Jaipal Singh (supra), followed by several other decisions on the same line,” the Bench had observed earlier.“Given the above persistent and unabated recalcitrance, we deem it appropriate to issue notices to show cause to the Director Generals of the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSF and the CISF calling upon them to file their respective affidavits explaining inter alia as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for failing to act on their own by granting the benefits…” the Bench had said while asking them to details the steps taken by them from September 2013 onwards to extend the benefits to the personnel concerned.

Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 21

Pakistan Rangers yet again resorted to unprovoked shelling in the Arnia sector, injuring seven persons, including a Special Police Officer (SPO), and triggering panic among villages along the International Border on Monday.The local administration began evacuating people from the border areas of Ranbir Singh Pura (RS Pura) and closed schools for two days within 5 km of the border.SPO Gulcharan Singh was injured when a mortar shell landed at a police station in Arnia. A seriously injured woman, Darshna Devi, was shifted to GMC, Jammu. The others, also from Arnia, were admitted to a local hospital.Pakistan Rangers, who had earlier halted firing after “pleading” with the Border Security Force for calm, resorted to unprovoked firing late on Sunday and resumed heavy shelling on Monday. A BSF spokesperson said the Rangers opened small-arms fire at the Narayanpur BOP in Ramgarh sector around 10.30 pm on Sunday for 30 minutes. The BSF retaliated with limited fire. Around 4 am, Rangers restarted small-arms fire in the Arnia sector and switched to heavy mortar shelling around 7 am. A heavy exchange of fire continued till 2 pm.Around 8.45 pm, Chamliyal BOP in the Ramgarh sector was also targeted. Amid shelling, residents started fleeing to safer places. The administration said shelter camps had been set up and vehicles pressed into service to evacuate villagers. As many as 112 schools have been closed for two days.8-month-old boy dies in firing from across LoCJammu: An eight-month-old boy was killed in Pakistani firing along the Line of Control (LoC) at Saili Palli village in the Akhnoor sector late on Sunday. Police said the family was sleeping in the house courtyard when a bullet hit the baby. TNS