Details of retaliation to come only after execution

NEW DELHI: Army chief General Bipin Rawat indicated on Thursday the force would retaliate to the beheading of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops, but refused to spell out details.

AP PHOTOArmy soldiers walk back towards their base camp after a search operation in Shopian, about 55km south of Srinagar, on Thursday. Security forces launched an anti­insurgency door­to­door search operation with around 4,000 troops, helicopters and drones in south Kashmir.

The killing and mutilation of the soldiers in a cross-LoC raid on Monday sparked widespread anger, with family members and political leaders demanding similar action against the neighbouring country.

“We don’t talk about future plans beforehand; we share details after execution,” the chief said in his first public reaction to the attack carried out by Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT) in the Krishna Ghati sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.

Members of the BAT, considered a rogue squad of Pakistani army regulars and militant mercenaries, ambushed an Indian border patro.

They killed naib subedar Paramjit Singh, a 42-year-old junior commissioned officer with 22 Sikh Regiment, and 45-year-old head constable Prem Sagar of the Border Security Force’s 200 Battalion.

Their decapitated bodies were found later.

“When this kind of action takes place, we also carry out retaliatory action,” the army chief said.

His remarks came on a day security forces launched an antiinsurgency door-to-door search operation with around 4,000 troops, helicopters and drones in south Kashmir.

This was the biggest combing mission against militants for more than a decade in the Kashmir Valley, which is besieged by a spate of militant attacks, bank robberies and cross-border shelling from Pakistan.

Insurgents attacked an army patrol in Shopian district, about 55km from Srinagar, on Thursday, killing a civilian and wounding three soldiers.

Gen Rawat, who has vast operational experience in J&K, said incidents of the past few days had necessitated the move.

“Banks have been looted, policemen have been killed. That is why today’s combing operation is taking place. These operations are carried out regularly,” he said.

There is no other option but to implement the ‘security with development’ strategy in letter and spirit

On April 24, Maoists killed 25 CRPF personnel in Sukma. The ambush took place only a kilometre away from a CRPF post at Burkapal, which was established in 2013 by the Chhattisgarh Police and later taken over by the force to bridge the 12-km gap between Chintagufa and Chintalnar.

AJAY AGGARWAL/HINDUSTAN TIMESA CRPF search operation underway in a forest at Bijapur, Chhattisgarh. Precise intelligence inputs are important for any successful operation

The availability of precise intelligence input is important for any successful operation. In a hostile environment, the forces face a herculean task of keeping themselves alert all the time. In the absence of roads for transport and mobile connectivity, the flow of information often gets delayed and so security forces are unable to take timely action.

Further, it is also difficult to verify such information and many a times the anti-Maoist operations are launched based on general inputs. The scenario, however, has been changing steadily. The tardy speed of road construction has improved. With more delegation of power, local contractors have undertaken construction works, though in patches. When all other agencies failed, the task of road construction, along the most challenging routes (including the under-construction Dornapal-Chintagufa-Jagargunda highway) was taken up by the Chhattisgarh Police Housing Corporation. Both central and state police provide security for this.

The mission of establishing 146 new mobile towers in the Maoist-hit areas has been accomplished. More are coming up. With more villages connected, intelligence will improve. Besides, three AIR stations are coming up in Bastar; regional programmes could help revive tribal culture and change the hostile atmosphere. We are also recruiting personnel for India Reserve battalions of Chhattisgarh from the Maoist-affected districts so that the problems related to local language and knowledge of terrain are minimised. The CRPF is also raising its Bastariya battalion . The next step is to use technology. For example, air surveillance of affected areas needs to be set-up at a battalion level. Plus we need more forces to reverse their mobile war. The central task of the Maoists still remaining the same i.e.; ‘to capture political power through protracted armed struggle with people’s support’, there is no other option than to implement the ‘security with development’ strategy in letter and spirit.

In an article in HT, former police officer Prakash Singh wrote ‘the state police forces lean heavily on the shoulders of the central armed police forces’ and ‘are in a shambles’. This is not true: The state police forces have increased their strength threefold since 2000 and have also occupied forward camps. The state’s ownership is total and complete.

Param Vir Chakra awardees Sanjay Singh and Yogendra Singh Yadav at the launch of the“Vidya Veerta Abhiyaan”, in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI

New Delhi, May 2“Wall of heroes” with portraits of Param Veer Chakra awardees will come up at around 1,000 schools and colleges across the country to inspire the youth.Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday launched the Centre’s campaign “Vidya Veerta Abhiyan” as he condemned the killing of two soldiers by Pakistan.

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While the establishment of the “wall of heroes” is voluntary for the educational institutes, he clarified that Centre will not issue any grants for the purpose and students and teachers should be encouraged to pool in money for the same.”The condemnable and barbaric act by Pakistan has been carried out after ignoring all indicators of humanity. Even war has few principles but they do not any principle of humanity or either they don’t want to know it. The entire country is anguished,” Javadekar said at the event.The HRD Minister reiterated Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s comments that the sacrifice of the soldiers will not go waste.He said, “It is important that we have portraits of such soldiers in our universities to create passion and enthusiasm among the youngsters.”The initiative is part of the Centre’s Vidya Veerta Abhiyan (Wisdom and Warrior Campaign) and was conceived by BJP leader Tarun Vijay, who called it “a humble attempt to inculcate patriotism in the students”.Under the campaign conceptualised by the BJP MP, universities will set up walls measuring 15 X 20 ft and featuring portraits of the 21 soldiers decorated with the Param Veer Chakra, the highest war-time gallantry award.”On a day when the bodies of the two soldiers have come, this campaign is being launched,” Javadekar said as he handed over the portraits of the Param Veer Chakra awardees to the vice-chancellors and representatives of various universities, including the JNU, the DU, the Jamia Millia Islamia, the Central University of Jammu, the Arunachal Pradesh university, the Kerala University and the IIT Delhi, among others.Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre was also present at the event and condemned the beheading of the two Indian soldiers by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.The idea of having a wall of martyrs in universities was first proposed by a group of ex-servicemen.They had last year approached JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, saying portraits of martyrs and tanks used in wars should be put on display in the campus to instil sense of “nationalism” and “patriotism” among the students.The demand came amid a raging debate on nationalism following a sedition row on campus over an event during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. — PTI

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• Two soldiers were killed in Pakistan firing in LoC in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch district. 
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Naib Subedar Paramjeet Singh (left) and BSF head constable Prem Sagar.

Jammu, May 1

Pakistan on Monday mutilated the bodies of the two Indian soldiers killed in firing along the Line of Control in Poonch district. An army JCO and a BSF head constable were killed and another soldier was injured as Pakistan fired rockets at a forward defence location (FDL) post of the paramilitary force along the LoC in Poonch.The army condemned the Pakistani action as despicable.

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Condemning the act, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said: “Two of our soldiers in the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch have been killed and their bodies mutilated by our neighbours. This is a reprehensible and an inhuman act. Such attacks don’t even take place during war, let alone peace. “Bodies of soldiers being mutilated is an extreme form of barbaric act. The Government of India strongly condemns this act and the whole country has full confidence and faith in our armed forces which will react appropriately to this inhuman act. The sacrifice of these soldiers will not go in vain,” Jaitley said.Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Office has denied Pakistan Army’s hand.“Pak Army did not commit any ceasefire violation on LoC or a BAT action in Buttal sector (Indian Krishna Ghatti Sector) as alleged by India. The Indian blame of mutilating Indian soldiers’ bodies is also false,” Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations wing said in a statement.“Pakistan Army is a highly professional force and shall never disrespect a soldier even Indian,” it added.The ceasefire violation took place around 8.30 am. A junior commissioned officer of the army and a BSF head constable were killed in the attack, a senior officer of the paramilitary force said.

“At about 8.30 am, there was heavy firing from Pakistani (army) posts at the BSF posts along the LoC in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district with rockets and automatic weapons,” the officer said.

Another BSF jawan was injured in the firing.

Col Sarabjit Singh Sangha (retd), District Sainik Welfare Officer (DSWO), today said a six-week training programme from June 1 onwards wherein the students would be trained to get admission in National Defence Academy and and the Combined Defence Services. The registration for the course will begin from May 20.He said that during the course, students would be imparted training in mathematics, sciences, English and general knowledge and would also be imparted training in personality development. An entrance test would be held on May 25. He added that there were limited seats for the course and those interested should contact the office of the DSWO. — TNS

India moved from 7th to 5th place. PTI file photo

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 24 

India, after having made a push in its spending, is now the world’s fifth largest defence spender for the year 2016.

India moved from 7^th to 5^th place after its largest annual military spending increase since 2009. China is second on the list, while Pakistan does not figure in the top 15 spenders.

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The rankings were released on Monday morning (IST) by Swedish think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Titled ‘Trends in world Military Expenditure, 2016’, the report said India spent $55.9 billion on defence in 2016, which was 2.5 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP). India also spent 3.3 per cent of global spending, which stood at $1,686 billion in 2016 or is estimated at $227 per person globally.

“After 13 consecutive years of increases (from 1998 to 2011), world military spending has continued to plateau—with only minor decreases between 2011 and 2014”, the SIPRI report said.

The US is the top most spender at $611 billion, followed by China at  $215 billion, Russia at $69.2 billion and Saudi Arabia $63.7 billion

Notably, five of the top fifteen global spenders in 2016 are in Asia and Oceania: China, India, Japan, South Korea and Australia. “China had by far the highest military spending in the region: an estimated $215 billion, or 48 per cent of regional spending. This amount is almost four times that of India’s total, which is the second largest in the region at $55.9 billion,” the report said.

Between the 2007 and 2016, China has seen the biggest growth in military spending, with an increase of 118 per cent, followed by Russia (87 per cent) and India (54 per cent).

Conversely, in the same period, Italy (–16 per cent), the UK (–12 per cent) and the United States (–4.8 per cent) were the only countries in the top 15 to see their military expenditure fall.

In 2016, total US military expenditure of $611 billion is over one-third (36 per cent) of world military expenditure. This is nearly three times the level of China’s spending.

US military grew by 1.7 per cent between 2015 and 2016, the first increase after five consecutive years of decline. Despite this slight growth, US military spending remains 20 per cent lower than its peak in 2010.

The thrashing of Kashmiri students in Chittorgarh’s Mewar University and hoardings in Meerut asking Kashmiris to leave Uttar Pradesh can only worsen the situation in the Valley. The Kashmiri sense of alienation, reflected in the recent bypolls, may aggravate. Whatever little that was sought to be achieved with a delayed, half-hearted realisation that the Army men were wrong in tying a Kashmiri youth to a jeep bonnet and the initiation of an inquiry has been undone by the latest incidents in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Already the video of youths heckling a CRPF jawan had generated a widely shared sense of anger against them.  Apart from those like Sonu Nigam seeking relevance by stoking communal tension, low-level and some not-so-low-level trouble-mongers are allowed to get away with mischief. They contribute to a nationwide buildup of anti-Muslim sentiment, which at places erupts in violence. Dubbing the Pehlu Khan killers “today’s Bhagat Singhs and Azads” by a saffron-clad president of the Rasthriya Mahila Gau Rakshak Dal is insulting to the national icons. More serious was a tweet calling for the killing of “100 Kashmiri stone-pelters” by no less than a serving member of the Lucknow bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal, Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd). What impartiality or justice can be expected from such a member who hears appeals against a court martial? What is more worrying is the Centre’s resort to selective action. A BSF jawan has been sacked for a bad food video but the Air Marshal has not been touched. The Modi regime’s strong-arm response to the Kashmir stone-throwers contrasts with its soft approach towards those doing Muslim-bashing — physical or ideological — on behalf of the cow, the CRPF and the Army. Although the latest targeting of Kashmiris has evoked an appeal for their protection from the Home Minister, such gestures do not work in a charged environment. Instead of asking the BJP Chief Ministers in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to deal sternly with the culprits, the Home Minister has issued a general advisory to all states. Social polarisation brings out the worst in some of us — but this may be as per political calculations.

 

Soldiers of the Sikh Regiment pay tributes to the martyrs of the Saragarhi battle, in Chandigarh. Tribune Photo: S Chandan

 

NRIs join the ‘Green Sriganganagar’ campaign in villages bordering Punjab. Tribune Photo

Chandigarh: Military ambience was all-encompassing at Saturday’s launch of Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s book ‘The 36th Sikhs in the Tirah Campaign 1897-98: Saragarhi and the Defence of Samana Forts’. As a mark of respect to 22 soldiers, who fought to the last man against more than 8,000 Afridi tribals, 22 soldiers from the Sikh regiment paraded with six buglers sounded the last post before observing a two-minute silence for the martyrs. For a while, the audience felt like moving back 120 years to the battleground of Saragarhi.

Army man robbed of cash, valuables

Amritsar, April 9

Miscreants looted an Army man who was returning to his duty after leave.The victim, Gurmeet Singh, told the police that he was going towards the local railway station on a rickshaw to rejoin his duty after leave.He said when he reached near Chitra Cinema near the Hall Gate, two youth came on a motorcycle and stopped his rickshaw. They brandished a sharp weapon and demanded all valuables from him.He said when he resisted, one of the accused assaulted him with a knife on his leg while the other miscreant took out a pistol and threatened to shoot him.He said the accused snatched Rs 4,000 in cash, a mobile phone, two ATM cards and other documents from the victim before escaping from the spot. A case under Sections 379-B, 394 and 34, IPC, and 25, 54, 59 Arms Acthas been registered. — TNS