Martyr Maj Amit Deswal with his father after getting commissioned in Army.
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Martyr Maj Amit Deswal with his father after getting commissioned in Army.
Imphal/jhajjar, April 14
The body of Major Amit Deswal, who was killed in an encounter yesterday, was recovered from a remote place in Tamenglong district of Manipur today and flown to Jorhat.The body will be taken to Surheti village in Jhajjar district of Haryana for last rites.Maj Deswal, who belonged to 21 Para Special Forces, was paid tributes with full military honours. His father, Subedar Rishiraj Deswal (retd), who was visiting his son, was the first to lay a wreath on the coffin.Maj Deswal was killed in a gunbattle with ZUF militants in the densely forested Nungba area during a combing operation undertaken jointly by Rashtriya Rifles and Special Forces personnel. One of the militants was also killed.The officer is survived by his wife and three-year-old son Arjun. The combing operation, which was on for the past few days, has been called off, official sources said.Major Deswal cleared the CDS exam at the age of 19 in 2005. Physically robust, he was awarded ‘Commando Dagger’ after he joined elite 21 Para in January 2011. “He loved challenges and faced them with courage,” recalled his crestfallen uncle Shamsher Singh. Amit’s father, Rishiraj Deswal, retired as Subedar in the Army. His grandfather Nathu Ram too had served in the armed forces. Rishiraj was in Manipur visiting his son when the tragic news came. “Originally belonging to Surheti village, Rishiraj built a house in Jhajjar three years ago. Amit had come home for his brother Ankit’s marriage in February,” recalled Shamsher Singh. Ankit said he last spoke to his brother over the phone on Saturday when he, along with his unit members, was headed to Tamenglong for combing operations. — Ravinder Saini & Agencies
Tribune News Service
Patiala, April 11
Having exhausted all other options, widows of 1962 and 1965 war martyrs today sat on a dharna to press for their pending demands with the state government at the Mini-Secretariat complex here.Bant Kaur, who lost her husband Pyara Singh in the 1965 India-Pakistan war, and Surjit Kaur, the widow of Jangir Singh who died in the 1962 Indo-China war, are running from pillar to post to get financial justice. As many as 20 other such war widows have also joined the protest that would continue outside the DC office.War widows said their protest should not be politicised but their “pending pension and other promised assurances be given to them”. There are at least 60 such pending cases in Punjab. Three pertained to Patiala. While one died in penury the other two are continuing the fight for their rights. A letter from the Director, Defence Services Welfare Department, written in 2015 informed these widows that “their cases are pending along with 60 other similar cases as no decision has been taken by the government”. “I have worked as a daily wager and even washed utensils to earn a livelihood waiting that someday I would be given the promised 10-acre land. Despite writing letters and raising our issue time and again, all we hear is that the government is yet to clear 60 odd cases of war widows residing in Punjab,” rues Bant Kaur, who resides in Duladdi village.“Fed up with the whole system, I would now be leaving my home and sit on a regular dharna till the Chief Minister intervenes,” she adds. The dharna will continue till the issue is taken to its logical end. Some political parties also contacted to extend support but the families had politely declined, the association claimed.
Shyam Sood &
Amir Karim Tantray
Poonch, April 10
After a six-month calm, Pakistani troops today opened fire in the Shahpur sector along the LOC (Line of Control) in Poonch district, drawing retaliation from the Indian troops. “The Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in the Poonch sector at 4.30 am,” Defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta said.“Our troops responded appropriately. There was no casualty or damage to our troops,” he said. Villagers said the exchange of mortar fire started at 10.45 pm last night and continued till 4.30 this morning. At least six houses were partially damaged. An Alto car parked on the road was damaged too.Mohammad Akbar, a resident of Shahpur, said: “ Mortars were fired at our houses and we ran for cover. We remained there till the firing stopped this morning. Live mortar shells are still lying in the fields.” Sources said the Poonch police had informed the Army about these shells.Fearing that the Pakistani troops may have pushed militants inside Jammu and Kashmir, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the police has started search operations in the area. There has been firing on the LOC in Rajouri’s Keri sector and in Doda area of Poonch for the past two days.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
United Nations, April 9
With Pakistan announcing that the bilateral peace process with India has been “suspended”, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that the offer of his “good offices” to help resolve the conflict stands but it is up to both nations to seek it.
“Whenever there is a conflict, an issue, between Member States, the Secretary-General’s offer for good offices stands as a matter of principle. But, that has to be agreed on and asked for by both parties,” Ban’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.
Dujarric was responding to a question at his daily briefing yesterday about whether the Secretary-General would like to offer his good offices given that the peace talks between India and Pakistan were “interrupted” again.
Introducing a fresh chill in Indo-Pak ties, Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit on April 7 said the bilateral peace process stands “suspended”.
He also poured cold water on India’s expectations that a team of NIA investigators would be allowed to visit Pakistan in connection with the Pathankot terror strike probe on the basis of reciprocity, a Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT) having just concluded a visit to India.
India, however, countered the Pakistan High Commissioner’s assertion that the visit by the Pakistani JIT was not on reciprocity and said that before the team’s visit, both sides had agreed that it would be on the basis of reciprocity.
Reacting to Basit’s remarks that the Indo-Pak peace process stands “suspended”, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup referred to the press conference of Pakistani Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nafees Zakaria in which he had said, “I have stated this many times that both countries are in contact with each other and it has been reiterated from both sides that modalities are being worked out.” — PTI
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria
Tribune News Service
Jammu, April 7
While the much-hyped Indo-Pak Joint Investigation Team probing the Pathankot airbase attack has hit a “dead end”, over a month on, Pakistan remains non-committal over India’s demand for a joint investigation into a tunnel detected in the RS Pura sector of Jammu district on March 3.A Pakistan media report, quoting an unnamed Pakistani JIT official, said the Pathankot terror attack was stage-managed by India.On March 4, the BSF had asked the Pakistan Rangers to join the investigations so as to trace and book the culprits responsible for digging the trans-border tunnel.The secret tunnel, which originated from the Afzal Saeed post of Pakistan, had been detected near the Allah-Mai-de-Kothe post of India.“There has been no response by the Pakistan Rangers to our demand of a joint investigation. Though a protest note along with other evidences had been sent to them, they have not responded to our demand so far,” said a senior BSF officer. He said the Pakistan Rangers had neither denied nor accepted the BSF’s demand.Meanwhile, to ensure that no more tunnels are being dug by Pakistan on the 198-km-long international border, the BSF has been regularly undertaking anti-tunneling activities. The BSF undertakes an anti-tunneling drive every three months with the help of sensors, ground-penetrating radars, foot patrols, loaded tractor-trolleys and excavators.
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 6
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has started investigations into the allegations of corruption and non-payment of dues to contractors at two military farms in Jammu and Nowshera.The CBI took up the matter for investigation after receiving two complaints last year against some officers, including civilians, posted at these military farms and the branch overseeing these farms at the Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur.One of the complainants has alleged misappropriation of government money, fabrication of documents and payments made to unauthorised persons by the said officers in the procurement of bales of hay valued at several crores of rupees. Records were fudged over the quantity of hay received at military farms, and only part payments were made to the contractor, the complainant has alleged.Further, the security deposit for the tender was also not released. There are a number of military farms across the country which provide fresh milk and milk products to the armed forces through the livestock maintained by it. Conceived in 1889 by the British, the military farms are being shut down in a phased manner with only a handful now functional as their relevance has been reduced because of the easy availability of milk from the civilian markets.According to sources, CBI officials visited the office of the Director, Military Farms, in the Northern Command last month and have also been to the two military farms several times. They have taken various documents and records into their custody for scrutiny and have questioned some persons.The counsel for the complainant, Col SK Aggarwal (retd), maintained that he was contacted by the CBI officials twice over the past few weeks for providing some information pertaining to the matter. He said a complaint had been made earlier too over the issue to the Army authorities in the Northern Command, but the case had been closed after a one-man inquiry.
NEW DELHI — The Indian Army is lobbying to purchase quick reaction surface-to-air missile systems (QRSAM) because the homemade Akash air defense system is slower and ineffective while on the move, an army official said.
“The reaction time of Akash is longer and has a radar coverage less than 360 degrees. QRSAMs are needed to defend formations in the forward tactical battlefield area whereas Akash is being used for guarding its assets located in deeper areas inside the country,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Rahul Bhonsle, a retired Indian Army brigadier general, said: “Akash is suited for static air defense where the response time may be longer, thus the same may not be suitable for employment in the tactical battle area given the need for quick reaction and speedy engagements. Moreover, it appears that the Army also wants a mobile AD system whereas the Akash may not be as agile and also has a larger footprint.”
No Ministry of Defense (MoD) official would comment on the Indian Army’s demand that MoD purchase a surface-to-air missile system to supplement the Akash.
“This is one of the major indigenous programs that has been shot down by the Army. Better coordination between the design and development agencies and the Army is crucial to prevent such occurrences and salvage Make in India,” said Ankur Gupta, an analyst with Ernst and Young India. The Make in India policy’s goal is to reduce weapon imports from 70 percent of acquisitions to about 50 percent in the next 10 years.
Since the only Indian-made Trishul surface-to-air system, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was dumped 10 years ago because of technical failures, the only option is to import a system, the Indian Army official said.
After the Trishul system failed, the Indian Air Force imported the Spyder from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Israel and subsequently acquired the Akash system as well.
The Indian Army has acquired only the Akash, worth over $2.5 billion, but floated a $1.5 billion tender to acquire more systems.
It was issued to global and domestic defense companies, including Russia’s Rosoboronexport, Raytheon of the United States, Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Tetraedr of Belarus, South Korea’s Doosan Group and LIG Nex1, Thales and Eurosam of France, Diehl Defense of Germany, and pan-European MBDA.
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 28
The Army was sent to protect judicial officers at the instance of the Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court during the Jat agitation. Information to this effect was furnished before a Division Bench during the hearing of petitions hovering around the lawlessness in the state during the agitation last month.As the case came up for hearing, the Bench of Justice SS Saron and Justice Gurmit Ram was told by the amicus curiae, or the friend of the court, Anupam Gupta, that the state failed to protect judicial officers.The assertion came just about a fortnight after a Rohtak Court recorded in its order the details of attack on the houses of judicial officers. In his order, Rohtak Sessions Judge Sushil K. Gupta asserted: “It appears the curfew was only on papers. There was a complete collapse of the law and order machinery.“Even the gate lights, name plates and sign boards of the Sessions’ House were broken. All judicial officers were so afraid that on the evening of February 20, they had to run out of their houses to seek shelter at a safe place”. The observations were made during the hearing of a bail plea by Virender Kumar, an aide of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.During the course of hearing this afternoon, Gupta also referred to a letter by Bhiwani Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-secretary of the District Legal Services Authority Swati Sehgal.Addressed to Panchkula District and Sessions Judge-member secretary of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority, the letter said: “It has been told to me that from February 20 till February 29, the police guards deputed for the safety and protection of the court complex were disarmed. No intimation of the aforesaid action was given by the police department SP to the District Judge nor the guards deputed at the court complex bothered to inform the District Judge or any other judicial officer about the same.”“As per the information, during the Jat agitation, the DC and all officers of the administration and their families were at the residence of the SP for their safety, where a special guard was deputed.“Judicial officers posted in Bhiwani had several sleepless nights. Neither the police nor the administration, took the responsibility of safeguarding the families of judicial officers,” she added. The Bench took note of the communication before fixing April 4 as the next date of hearing.
Tribune News Service
Jammu, March 23
Following the carjacking in Pathankot last evening, the Army has been put on the alert along the 102-km-long Jammu-Pathankot national highway.The Jammu-Pathankot highway is lined by several Army formations and is on the terror radar of Pakistani terrorists. “Though the carjacking incident took place in the Sujanpur area of Pathankot district last evening, we are keeping an eye on the development,” said an Army officer of the Samba Brigade.The number of the car and its owner has been traced and an alert has been sounded all along the highway, he added.The incident took place around 7 pm on Tuesday evening on the Pathankot-Jammu highway, around 15 km from the Pathankot airbase. The Kathua police have also been put on the alert.Security agencies are taking the incident seriously in view of two major terrorist strikes in the area in recent months. The Pathankot airbase was attacked on January 2 by heavily armed Pakistani terrorists, while Dinanagar in Gurdaspur district of Punjab was attacked by Pakistani terrorists on July 27 last year.
