Salani (Poonch), Jun 17 (PTI) Their beloved Aurangzeb did not return home for Eid, abducted and killed as he was by terrorists, but as they struggle to come to terms with their grief, the resolve of the deceased rifleman’s family to serve the country’s armed forces has only strengthened.

“My son has laid down his life for the country. He was a brave soldier. I and my sons will also sacrifice (ourselves) for the nation. We want goons to be wiped out,” said Mohammad Hanief, Aurangzeb’s father and a former Sepoy of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry.

Youngest of Aurangzeb’s four brothers, 15-year-old Aasim eagerly awaited the rifleman’s return on Eid with all the gifts including his much needed cricket bat. But what transpired has left Aasim shaken to the core. But still, it has not shaken his will to join the Army.

Aasim was on the phone talking to Aurangzeb, when the latter was abducted.

“My brother (Aurangzeb) was on his way to Poonch in a private vehicle. He was talking to me. I heard a shout ordering the vehicle to stop. I thought there was some checking. I never imagined militants were kidnapping my unarmed brother,” he said.

Aurangzeb of 44, Rashtriya Rifles, was abducted and killed by terrorists in Pulwama district when on way home for Eid. He had been part of Major Rohit Shukla’s team that gunned down Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sameer Tiger.

The Army jawan had boarded a private vehicle in Shopian for Rajouri. Terrorists intercepted the vehicle as it approached Kalampora and abducted the jawan. His bullet-riddled body was found at Gussu village, about 10 km from Kalampora, in Pulwama district.

Aurangzeb had talked to me on mobile and promised to bring new clothes and gifts including a cricket bat, Aasim said. “But he did not come rushing and as usual hugged me. He came in a coffin. I do not need any gift of clothes but only my brother. They killed an unarmed person,” the young boy cried.

But, despite the immeasurable loss, his spirit remains unbroken.

“I will join Army like my brothers and father,” Aasim said. For residents of Aurangzeb’s native Salani hamlet, joining the forces is a way of life.

As the coffin, carried by Army jawans and officers on a serpentine track from Sagra army helipad to reached village Salani, Aurangzeb’s parents, Hanief and Raj Bi, brothers, Mohmmad Kasim, Tariq, and five sisters wept bitterly.

Thousands from the area had gathered and shouted patriotic slogans.

I give PM Modi 72 hours to avenge my son’s death or else we are ready to take revenge on our own. Kashmir is ours. We must not let Kashmir burn. Instead, we must eliminate the goons who are destroying the Valley, Hanief said.

In a video, widely seen on social media, an emotional Hanief can be seen asking why Pakistani flags were being waved in Kashmir.

Kashmir is ours. Why is Pakistan’s flag flying in Kashmir? Why not the Indian flag? The Indian flag should be hoisted here, Hanief says in the video.

“The State government does not allow Army to work on anti militancy operations. They (Army) would teach stone-pelters and militants a lesson if they are given free hand to work. But this government does not allow them,” Hanief is heard saying. PTI AB ADS ADS

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 14

A soldier of the Army’s counter-insurgency unit and two unidentified militants were killed in a gunfight in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district where security forces are battling a group of highly motivated militants from the past five days.The gunfight broke out in the wee hours at Panar forest in Bandipora, over 60 km from Srinagar, where a massive combing operation has been underway since June 9.“In the ongoing operation, two terrorists were killed and one Army soldier was martyred,” Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said.The operation, he said, was still in progress. The identities and group affiliation of the slain militants could not be established immediately.Defence sources, giving details about the operation, said militants ambushed an Army patrol of the 14 Rashtriya Rifles in the Bandipora forest area in the wee hours in which Rifleman Manvendra Singh got injured.“He was airlifted to the Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, but was declared brought dead on his arrival,” a source said. “The militants fled after the ambush, but Army men chased them and in the gunfight that followed, two terrorists were killed,” the source added.The ongoing operation has been termed as a “difficult one” by the defence sources. “Primarily, it is a difficult operation and militants are still hiding in the jungle. There are some pockets where there is civil population and we are combing the area very carefully,” a defence official said.The massive anti-militancy operation in Bandipora was launched last Saturday to track down a group of freshly infiltrated militants which was hiding in the area.Prior to Thursday’s gunfight, security forces and militants have exchanged fire at least six times in the large forest area over the past five days. But each time, the militants had managed to give the forces the slip. The Army, however, has maintained a tight cordon around the forest to ensure that militants don’t manage to escape.The first contact with the militants was established on Saturday evening when an Army patrol was fired upon by militants. The fire was retaliated and the exchange of fire lasted briefly.

Combing underway

• A gunfight broke out inthe wee hours at Panar forest in Bandipora, over 60 km from Srinagar, where a massive combing operation has been underway since June 9.
• In the ongoing operation, two terrorists were killed and one Army soldier, Rifleman Manvendra Singh of Kabiltha village in Uttarakhand was martyred.

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 4

The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, on Monday posted the Major Leetul Gogoi case for arguments on June 12 after the petitioner sought further police investigation into the matter to explore human trafficking angle.On May 30, the J&K Police, in its report to the Chief Judicial Magistrate, had said the woman who was detained along with Major Gogoi from a Srinagar hotel on May 23 was 19 years old. She had gone with the officer of her own will, the police said.The Chief Judicial Magistrate had sought the status report of the investigation of the hotel fracas involving Major Gogoi on the petition of human rights activist Ahsan Untoo.During the hearing on Monday, the petitioner’s counsel Bilal Ahmad termed the police report “unsatisfactory.” He urged the court to direct the police to further investigate the matter so as to explore other angles, including human trafficking, too.“The role of Sameer Malla, who accompanied the Major and the girl to the hotel, is suspicious and has not been investigated,” argued the counsel.“It may or may not be a case of human trafficking, but the police has not investigated this aspect,” he said.Countering his submission, the prosecution led by a chief prosecuting officer submitted that it was a case involving two consenting adults. “It may be morally wrong, but legally no offence is made out against the Major,” the chief prosecuting officer submitted while citing the statement recorded by the girl before a magistrate and absence of any complaint either by the girl or the hotel management.In its report to the Chief Judicial Magistrate, the police had said neither the woman nor the hotel owner lodged any formal complaint against Major Gogoi.

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 1

As many as 40 cadets of the Army Cadet College (ACC) wing graduated on Friday and were awarded degrees during a ceremony held at the historic Chetwode Hall of the Indian Military Academy (IMA).Of the 40 cadets, 21 are from science stream and the remaining from humanities. The degrees were conferred upon them by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. The Commandant, IMA, Lt Gen SK Jha, said the ACC had a rich history of training selected personnel from other ranks of all the three services, who had the potential to become officers in the Army. He complimented the Commander, ACC wing, the head of the academic department, and faculty members for their efforts in shaping the cadets into potential officers. He presented the Chief of Army Staff Medals to Cadets Prakram Singh, Gole Kiran and Money Pal Singh for winning gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively. The Commandant’s Silver Medals were presented to Cadets CB Thapa, Money Pal Singh and Manoranjan Kumar Mishra for securing the first position in service subjects, humanities, and science stream, respectively. Earlier, Principal of the ACC wing Naveen Kumar read out the college report highlighting the high standards and commendable academic performance by the cadets. 

Beijing, May 31

China on Thursday welcomed India and Pakistan’s decision to observe the 2003 ceasefire agreement to stop cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and expressed the hope that the two countries would properly resolve their differences.The Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan on May 29, during a conversation over the hotline, agreed to fully implement the ceasefire pact of 2003 in “letter and spirit” forthwith to stop cross-border firings in Jammu and Kashmir.“We commend the positive actions taken by both sides,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here.“We hope that both sides could properly resolve their disputes through dialogue and consultation and maintain regional peace and stability,” she said.The LoC has been witnessing increasing hostilities in the past few months.According to defence sources in New Delhi, a total of 908 incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistan Army were reported till May 29 in the current year as against 860 incidents during 2017.Indian DGMO Lt Gen Anil Chauhan and Pakistan’s Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza had reviewed the prevailing situation along the LoC and the International Border in J&K, following which both sides agreed to fully implement the 15-year-old ceasefire understanding. PTI

Ramban: A cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from a hideout at Kalimasta in Gool following a four-day-long joint search operation by the Rashtriya Rifles Uniform Force and the police in Ramban on Friday. Police sources said the arms and ammunition were found from a cave in the Kalimasta forest. The recovery includes one AK-56 rifle, .303 rifle, 7.63-mm Star pistol, a UBGL grenade, one magazine each of AK-56 rifle, .303 rifle and 7.63-mm Star pistol, 126 rounds of AK-56 rifle, six rounds each of .303 rifle and 7.63 Star pistol, besides UBGL hand grenades, two RPG rounds, explosive material and utility items such as clothes, blankets and utensils. OC

Recoveries made by Army in Kupwara sector today incl this foldable/ collapsible ladder…walls are no longer a hindrance..

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 23

Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Sapta Shakti Command, on Wednesday reviewed the conduct of the ongoing exercise Gandiv Vijay in Rajasthan. The Army Commander was accompanied by Lieutenant General PC Thimmaya, General Officer Commanding, Chetak Corps.The two-month long training exercise aimed to train commanders and soldiers in their offensive tasks concluded on Wednesday. The exercise validated the concept of speedy mobilisation and dispersed deployment of offensive forces with the ability to converge at a point of decision.During the exercise, synergy between mechanised forces, infantry, artillery, engineers, elements of Special Forces and Air Force was practiced and fine tuned. An array of modern sensors was deployed and the participating troops got an opportunity to operate in a transparent battle field.While interacting with the Army Commander on conclusion of the exercise, the participating troops conveyed their satisfaction on the content and conduct of the exercise.