A Congress supporter in a jubilant mood after party win in Punjab Assembly election on Saturday in Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH

The following is the full list of the candidates of all three major parties/alliances in Punjab — SAD-BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party+LIP.Total seats: 117

Total seats: 117

Leads/Wins	SAD+	Congress	Aam Aadmi Party+
117	18	77	22

The declared winners are marked in red:  

	Constituency	Aam Aadmi Party	Congress	Akali Dal-BJP
1	Abohar	Atul Nagpal 13888	Sunil Kumar Jakhar 51812	Arun Narang (BJP) 55091
2	Adampur (SC)	Hans Raj Rana 25239	Mohinder Singh Kaypee 37530	Pawan Kumar Tinu 45229
3	Ajnala	Rajpreet Singh Randhawa 12749	Harpartap Singh Ajnala 61378	Amarpal Singh Bonny 42665
4	Amargarh	Jaswant Singh (LIP) 34835	Surjoot Singh Dhiman 49473	Iqbal Singh Jhundan 37937
5	Amloh	Gurpreet Singh Bhatti 30573	Randeep Singh Nabha 39669	Gurpreet S Raju Khanna 35723
6	Amritsar Central	Dr Ajay Gupta 7171	Om Parkash Soni 51242	Tarun Chugh (BJP) 30126
7	Amritsar East	Sarabjot Singh Dhanjal 14715	Navjot Singh Sidhu 60477	Rajesh Hani (BJP) 17668
8	Amritsar North	Manish Agarwal 7567	Sunil Datti 38308	Anil Joshi (BJP) 31811
9	Amritsar South	Inderbir Singh Nijjer 24923	Inderbir Bolaria 47581	Gurpartap Singh Tikka 16596
10	Amritsar West (SC)	Balwinder Singh Sahota 24731	Raj Kumar Verka 52271	Rakesh Gill (BJP) 25424
11	Anandpur Sahib	Sanjiv Gautam 30304	Rana Kanwarpal Singh 60800	Parminder Sharma (BJP) 36919
12	Atam Nagar	Simarjeet S Bains (LIP) 53421	Kamaljit Singh Karwal 36508	Gurmeet Singh Kular 14138
13	Attari (SC)	Jaswinder Singh Jahangir 22558	Tarsem Singh DC 55335	Gulzar Singh Ranike 45133
14	Baba Bakala (SC)	Dalbir Singh Tong 39378	Santokh Singh Bhalaipur 45965	Malkiat Singh 38265
15	Baghapurana	Capt Gurbinder Singh Kang 41418	Darshan Singh Brar 48668	Teerath Singh Mahla 41283
16	Balachaur	Brig Raj Kumar 21656	Ch Darshan Lal Mangepur 49558	Nand Lal 29918
17	Balluana (SC)	Simarjit Singh 22464	Nathu Ram 65607	Parkash Singh Bhatti 50158
18	Banga (SC)	Harjot Kaur  43363	Satnam Singh Kainth 13408	Sukhwinder ‘Sukhi’ 45256
19	Barnala	Meet Hayer 47606	Kewal Singh Dhillon 45174	Surinderpal Singh Sibia 31111
20	Bassi Pathana (SC)	Santokh Singh Salana 37273	Gurpreet Singh GP 47319	Darbara Singh Guru 24852
21	Batala	Gurpreet Singh Waraich 34302	Ashwani Sekhri 42032	Lakhbir Singh Lodhi Nangal 42517
22	Bathinda Rural (SC)	Rupinder Kaur 51572	Harvindor Singh Laddi 28939	Amit Rattan 40794
23	Bathinda Urban	Deepak Bansal 45462	Manpreet Singh Badal 63942	Sarup Chand Singla 37177
24	Bhadaur (SC)	Parimal Singh 57095	Joginder Panjgraian 26615	Balvir Singh Ghunas 36311
25	Bhoa (SC)	Vinod Kumar 3767	Joginder pal Singh 67865	Seema Kumari (BJP) 40369
26	Bholath	Sukhpal Singh Khaira   48873	Ranjit Singh 5923	Yuvraj Bhupinder Singh 40671
27	Bhucho Mandi (SC)	Master Jagseer Singh 50960	Pritam Kotbhai 51605	Harpreet Singh 44025
28	Budhlada (SC)	Principal Budhram  52265	Ranjit Kaur Bhatti 50989	Nishan Singh 50477
29	Chabbewal (SC)	Raman Kumar 20505	Dr Raj Kumar 57857	Sohan Singh Thandal 28596
30	Chamkaur Sahib (SC)	Dr Charanjit Singh 48752	Charanjit Singh Channi 61060	Nirmal Singh 31452
31	Dakha	HS Phoolka 58923	Major Bhaini 28571	Manpreet Singh Ayali 31452
32	Dasuya	Balbir Kaur Phull 16330	Arun Dogra 56527	Sukhjeet Kaur Sahi (BJP) 38889
33	Dera Baba Nanak	Gurpartap Singh 17222	Sukhjinder S Randhawa 60385	Sucha Singh Langah 59191
34	Dera Bassi	Sarabjit Kaur 33150	Deepinder Dhillon 60385	NK Sharma 70792
35	Dharamkot	Ranjodh Singh Sra  34615	Sukhjit Singh Kaka 63238	Tota Singh 41020
36	Dhuri	Jasvir Singh Sekhon 46536	Dalvir Singh Goldi 49347	Hari Singh 28611
37	Dinanagar (SC)	Joginder Chhina 10258	Aruna Chaudhary 72176	V.D. Dhupad (BJP) 40259
38	Dirba (SC)	Harpal Singh Cheema 46434	Ajaib Singh Rataul 44789	Gulzar Singh 44777
39	Faridkot	Gurdit Singh Sekhon 39367	Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon 51026	Parambans Singh Ramona 32612
40	Fatehgarh Churian	Gurvinder Singh Shampura 14665	Tript Rajinder Bajwa 54348	Nirmal Singh Kahlon 52349
41	Fatehgarh Sahib	Lakhbir Singh Rai 29393	Kuljeet Singh Nagra 58205	Didar Singh Bhatti 34338
42	Fazilka	Samarbir Singh Sidhu 16404	Davinder Ghubaya 39276	Surjit Kumar Jyani (BJP) 39011
43	Ferozpur City	Narinder Singh Sandha 16202	Parminder Singh Pinky 67559	Sukhlal Singh Nannu (BJP) 37972
44	Ferozpur Rural (SC)	Mohan Singh Phalianwala 32011	Satkar Kaur 71037	Joginder Singh Jindu 49657
45	Garhshankar	Jai Kishan Singh Rodi 41720	Lov Kumar Goldi 31909	Surinder Singh Bhullewal 40070
46	Ghanaur	Anu Randhawa 23188	Madan Lal Jalalpur 65965	Harpreet Kaur Mukhmailpur 29208
47	Gidderbaha	Jagdeep Sandhu 25334	Amrinder Raja Warring 63500	Hardeep S Dimpy Dhillon 47288
48	Gill (SC)	Jeewan Sanghwal 59286	Kuldeep Singh Vaid 67927	Darshan Singh Shivalak 46476
49	Gurdaspur	Amarjeet Singh Chahal 6949	Barjinder Singh Pahra 67709	Gurbachan Singh Babbehali 38753
50	Guruharsahai	Malkiat Singh Thind 14282	Rana Gurmeet Sodhi 62787	Vardev Singh Mann 56991
51	Hoshiarpur	Paramjit Sachdeva 27481	Sham Sunder Arora 49951	Tikshan Sood (BJP) 38718
52	Jagraon (SC)	Sarabjit Kaur Manke 61521	Malkiat Singh Dakha 35945	Amarjit Kaur Sahoke 33295
53	Jaitu (SC)	Master Baldev Singh 45344	Mohd. Sadique 35351	Suba Singh Badal 33064
54	Jalalabad	Bhagwant Mann 56771	Ravneet Singh Bittu 31539	Sukhbir Singh Badal 75281
55	Jalandhar Cantt.	Harkrishan Singh Walia 25912	Pargat Singh 59349	Sarabjit Singh Makkar 30225
56	Jalandhar Central	Dr Sanjeev Kumar Sharma 15269	Rajinder Berri 55518	Manoranjan Kalia (BJP) 31440
57	Jalandhar North	Gulshan Sharma 13386	Avtar Singh Sanghera 69715	K.D. Bhandari (BJP) 37424
58	Jalandhar West (SC)	Darshan Lal Bhagat 15364	Sushil Kumar Rinku 53983	Mohinder Bhagat (BJP) 36649
59	Jandiala (SC)	Harbhajan Singh 33912	Sukhwinder Singh Danny 53042	Dalbir Singh 34620
60	Kapurthala	Sukhwant Singh Padda 18076	Rana Gurjeet Singh 56378	Paramjit Singh Pamma 27561
61	Kartarpur (SC)	Chandan Grewal 29981	Chaudhary Surinder Singh 46729	Seth Satpal Mall 40709
62	Khadoor Sahib	Bhupinder Singh Bittu 28644	Ramanjit Singh Sikki 64666	Ravinder Singh Brahmpura 47611
63	Khanna	Anil Dutt Phalli 35099	Gurkirat Singh Kotli       52159	Ranjit Singh Talwandi 31845
64	Kharar	Kanwar Sandhu 54171	Jagmohan Kang 52159	Ranjit Singh Gill 46807
65	Khem Karan	Capt Bikramajit Pahuwindia 6568	Sukhpal Singh Bhullar 37326	Virsa Singh Valtoha 33895
66	Kotkapura	Kultar Singh Sandhwa 47401	Harnirpal Singh Kuku 37326	Mantar Singh Brar 33895
67	Lambi	Jarnail Singh 21254	Capt Amarinder Singh 43605	Parkash Singh Badal 66375
68	Lehra	Jasvir Kudani 25089	Rajinder Kaur Bhattal 38735	Parminder Singh Dhindsa 65550
69	Ludhiana Central	Vipan Kaka Sood (LIP) 25001	Surinder Singh Dawar 47871	Gurudev Sharma Devi (BJP) 27391
70	Ludhiana East	Daljeet Singh Grewal 41429	Sanjay Talwar 43010	Ranjit Singh Dhillon 41313
71	Ludhiana North	Randhir Singh (LIP) 20387	Rakesh Pandey 44864	Praveen Bansal (BJP) 39732
72	Ludhiana South	Balwinder S Bains (LIP) 53955	Bhupinder Sidhu 23038	Hira Singh Gabria 20554
73	Ludhiana West	Ahbaab Singh Grewal 30106	Bharat Bhushan Ashu 66627	Kamal Chetli (BJP) 22620
74	Majitha	Himmat Singh Shergill 10252	Sukhjinder Lalli Majithia 42919	Bikram Singh Majithia 65803
75	Malerkotla	Arshad Dali 17635	Razia Sultana 58982	Mohammad Owais 46280
76	Malout (SC)	Baldev Singh Azad 38663	Ajaib Singh Bhatti 49098	Darshan Singh Kotfatta 44109
77	Mansa	Nazar Singh 70586	Manju Bansal 50117	Jagdeep Singh Nakai 44232
78	Maur	Jagdev Singh Kamalu 62282	Harminder Singh Jassi 23087	Janmeja Singh Sekhon 47605
79	Mehal Kalan (SC)	Kulwant Singh Pandhuri 57551	Harchand Kaur 25688	Ajit Singh Shant 30487
80	Moga	Ramesh Grover 50593	Harjot Kamal 52357	Barjinder Singh 36587
81	Mukerian	Sulakhan Jaggi 17005	Rajneesh Kumar 56787	Arunesh Shakar (BJP) 20542
82	Muktsar	Jagdeep Singh Brar 33201	Karan Kaur Brar 36914	Kanwarjeet S Rozy Barkandi 44894
83	Nabha (SC)	Dev Mann 41866	Sadhu Singh Dharamsot 60861	Kabir Dass 32482
84	Nakodar	Sarwan Singh Hayer 37834	Jagbir Brar 35633	Gurpartap Singh Wadala 56241
85	Nawanshahr	Charanjit Channi  32341	Angad Saini 38197	Jarnail Singh Wahid 34874
86	Nihal Singhwala (SC)	Manjit Singh Bilaspuri  67313	Rajwinder Kaur Bhagike 39739	SR Kler 34865
87	Pathankot	Rajkumar Mahajan 6036	Amit Vij 56383	Ashwani Sharma (BJP) 45213
88	Patiala	Dr Balbir Singh 20179	Capt Amarinder Singh 72586	Gen JJ Singh 11677
89	Patiala Rural	Karanvir Singh Tiwana 41662	Brahm Mohindra 68891	Satbir Singh Khatra 30784
90	Patti	Ranjit Singh Cheema 18489	Harminder Singh Gill 64617	Adaish Partap Singh Kairon 56254
91	Payal (SC)	Gurpreet Singh Lapran 36280	Lakhvir Singh Lakha 57776	Ishar Singh Meharbaan 33044
92	Phagwara (SC)	Jarnail Singh Nangal 32374	Joginder Singh Mann 43470	Som Parkash (BJP) 45479
93	Phillaur (SC)	Swaroop Singh Khadiana 35779	Vikramjit Chaudhary  37859	Baldev Singh Khaira 41336
94	Qadian	Kanwalpreet Singh Kaki 14657	Fatehjung Bajwa 62596	Sewa Singh Sekhwan 50859
95	Raikot (SC)	Jagtar S Jagga Hissowal 48245	Dr Amar Singh 37631	Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal 29019
96	Raja Sansi	Jagjot Singh Dhillon 13212	Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria 59628	Veer Singh Lapoke 53901
97	Rajpura	Ashutosh Joshi 26542	Hardyal Singh Kamboj 59107	Harjeet Singh Grewal (BJP) 19151
98	Rampura Phul	Manjit Singh Sidhu 32693	Gurpreet Singh Kangar 55269	Sikander Singh Maluka 44884
99	Rupnagar	Amarjeet Singh 58994	Brinder Dhillon 35287	Daljit Singh Cheema 31903
100	S.A.S.Nagar	Narinder Shergil 38971	Balbir Singh Sandhu 66844	Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu 30031
101	Sahnewal	Harjot Singh Bains 39570	Satwinder Bitti 58633	Sharanjit Singh Dhillon 63184
102	Samana	Jagtar Singh Rajla 28884	Rajinder Singh 62551	Surjit Singh Rakhra 52702
103	Samrala	Sarbans Singh Manki 40925	Amrik Singh Dhillon 51930	Santa Singh Umaidpur 38114
104	Sangrur	Dinesh Bansal 36498	Vijay Inder Singla 67310	Parkash Chand Garg 34510
105	Sanaur	Kuldeep Kaur Tohra 33179	Harinder Singh Mann 53997	Harinder Pal Chandumajra 58867
106	Sardulgarh	Sukhwinder Singh Mann 38102	Ajit Inder Singh Mofar 50563	Dilraj Singh Bhunder 59420
107	Shahkot	Dr Amarjit Singh Thind 41010	Harvinder Laddi 42008	Ajit Singh Kohar 46913
108	Sham Chaurasi (SC)	Dr Ravjot Singh 42797	Pawan Adia 46612	Mohinder Kaur Josh 24671
109	Shutrana (SC)	Palwinder Kaur 32037	Nirmal Singh 58008	Vaninder Kaur Loomba 39488
110	Sri Hargobindpur (SC)	Amarpal Singh 24294	Balwinder Singh Laddi 57489	Manjit Singh 39424
111	Sujanpur	Kulbhushan Minhas 2831	Amit Manto 30209	Dinesh Singh Babbu (BJP) 48910
112	Sultanpur Lodhi	Sajjan Singh Cheema 28017	Navtej Singh Cheema 41843	Dr Upinderjit Kaur 33681
113	Sunam	Aman Arora 72815	Daman Thind Bajwa 30518	Gobind Singh Longowal 42508
114	Talwandi Sabo	Prof Baljinder Kaur 54553	Khushbaj Singh Jatana 35260	Jeet Mohinder S Sidhu 34473
115	Tarn Taran	Wrestler Kartar Singh 22950	Dharamvir Agnihotri 59794	Harmeet Singh Sandhu 45165
116	Urmar	Jasveer Singh Gill 32445	Sangat Singh Gilzian 51477	Arvinder Singh Rasoolpur 36523
117	Zira	Gurpreet Singh Gora 30947	Kulbir Singh Zira 69899	Hari Singh Zira 46828

Captain Amarjit Singh Jaijee (retd), grandson of freedom fighter and Praja Mandal Movement leader Sewa Singh Thikriwala, shows a picture of the Saragarhi gurdwara. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 9

The state government’s decision to hand over the Saragarhi gurdwara at Ferozepur — the war memorial built to honour the 21 Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army who sacrificed their lives on duty — to a religious sect trust has led to resentment among veterans of the Sikh regiment.The government during its cabinet meeting on December 3, 2016, had decided to hand over this memorial to Baba Nand Singh Trust of Nanaksar Sampardai for 30 years. This has not gone down well with the Saragarhi Memorial and Ethos Promotion Forum.The gurdwara was to be handed over to the sect on January 6, but as the code of conduct was enforced, forum secretary Capt Amarjit Singh Jaijee (retd) wrote a letter to the Election Commission and got the move stalled.Now, the forum has approached Punjab Governor VP Badnore to revoke this order urging him to “maintain the sanctity of this great memorial, which should not be converted into a serai”.Saying the sanctity of the war memorial was under threat, Capt Jaijee said, “There are hundreds of gurdwaras in the state being headed by various religious preachers and we have complete regard for all of them, but the Saragarhi gurdwara is not a religious structure. It is a war memorial constructed in the memory of those Sikh bravehearts who did not think twice before laying down their lives in the line of duty. This is disrespect to the martyrs and the SAD-BJP government had taken this decision for personal gains which is unacceptable.”During the Congress government in 2006, the Ferozepur memorial was handed over to the Saragarhi Memorial Management Trust with the local General Officer Commanding as its head and the Deputy Commissioner as its vice-chairman.However, the SAD-BJP government after coming to power scrapped the arrangement on August 1, 2008. The memorial has also been recognised by the Archaeological Survey of India as a protected monument.

Last stand

The Saragarhi gurdwara was one of the three memorials made by the British Government to commemorate the gallant action of the 21 Sikh soldiers of 36 Sikh Battalion (now 4th Battalion the Sikh regiment) who laid down their lives defending the Saragarhi post on September 12, 1897, in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) (now in Pakistan). The other two are in Amritsar and the Battalion Headquarters at Ford Lockhart in NWFP. All 21 Sikh soldiers were awarded the Indian Order of Merit, which was at that time the highest award given to Indian soldiers. The Saragarhi battle has been recognised by UNESCO as one of the 10 most famous battles of the world history showing collective bravery, devotion to duty and calm defiance in the face of certain death.

Locals at the funeral of Hizb militant Aqib Bhat at Tral in Pulwama on Monday. Tribune Photo: Amin War

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 6

On Monday, thousands of people thronged Tral to attend the funeral prayers of Burhan Wani’s aide and top militant commander Aqib Ahmad Bhat, who was eliminated along with a foreign militant during a gunfight on Sunday. A cop of the elite counter-insurgency group of the J&K Police was also killed in the encounter.The J&K Police had handed over Aqib’s body to his family on Sunday. Thousands of people, especially youth, today followed the militant’s coffin amid “anti-India, pro-Pakistan and pro-azadi” slogans as funeral prayers were offered four times at his native village Hayena, some 45 km from Srinagar. The town also observed a shutdown.For the past two years, the Valley has been witnessing large gatherings at funerals for militants. The swelling crowds at such funerals are not only a headache for the security agencies but also a matter of concern. Last year, the tipping point came when over two lakh people attended Burhan’s funeral in Tral.“These huge funerals depict the support for militants and the brewing anger, especially in south Kashmir,” said a Tral resident, who attended Aqib’s funeral.“After the gunfight broke on Saturday evening, people tried to save the militants but were not successful. However, a large number of people who attended the funeral today showed their support for the militants.”The local militants who have been killed this year have invariably been accorded such burials. At least 11 local militants have been killed this year in anti-militancy operations.“These funerals are a worrying factor and at times influence youth to pick up arms,” a police officer said.Incidentally, after a huge funeral for top Pakistani militant commander Abu Qasim in 2015, the J&K Government had decided against handing over the bodies of Pakistani militants to locals. And this time, too, the body of Pakistani militant Saifullah, alias Osama, who was killed with Aqib in Tral, was not handed over to locals. The Pakistani militant, sources said, would be buried in the Valley after medico-legal formalities.A senior security official in Kashmir said huge funerals were a matter of concern for the security agencies. “It is a worry for us. We will face this situation till militancy exists here. It is also a cultural issue as people want to attend funerals,” the senior official said, adding that not every militant’s funeral, however, was attended by a large number of locals.

India eyes comprehensive pact that encompasses training, sale of military hardware

With the Teesta watersharing pact going off track, India and Bangladesh are in discussions to ink a comprehensive defence agreement during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India in April.

Though talks on the contours of the pact are still on, India is eying a comprehensive defence pact that encompasses training, sale of military hardware and military-to-military cooperation. India is also willing to commit up to $500 million in line of credit for military cooperation with Dhaka.

If the pact comes through, this would be India’s highest ever credit line for defence cooperation. For years, India has not been keen on giving line of credit for defence hardware purchases. However, the policy seems to be changing slowly but steadily.

For India, what lends urgency to wrap up a comprehensive pact is Dhaka’s growing proximity with China on defence matters.

Sources said “discussions for a defence pact are progressing and yet to reach a final shape.”

In November last year, Bangladesh purchased two submarines from China, much to the discomfiture of India. China remains Bangladesh’s biggest supplier of military hardware.

During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Dhaka last year, two countries signed pacts amounting to $25 billion for investments in Bangladesh.

But for Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina, going for another major pact, is not an easy proposition.

The pro-India leader fights criticism that she is giving too much to India and getting too little in return. Over the years, Hasina walked the extra mile in addressing India’s concerns over insurgency and connectivity. However, New Delhi is unable to sign the much-awaited Teesta water-sharing pact. Bangladesh and India share 54 rivers but none evokes as much passion as Teesta in Bangladesh.

Water being a state subject, the Centre cannot hope to conclude a deal on sharing Teesta water without getting West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on board. Negotiations on Teesta habe been on for the past 18 years.

As per an agreement of 2011, which was not signed due to opposition from Banerjee, the two sides agreed to share the river’s water on a 50:50 basis , the same as the 1996 Ganges watersharing pact between the neighbours. Of late, Dhaka is complaining that the flow of Teesta is thinning alarmingly.

It says that the average flow of Teesta in the last 10 days of March, considered a lean season, was 315 cusecs in 2015 compared to 550 cusecs during same period in 2014.

The lack of water is an issue even West Bengal raises, while objecting to the water-sharing pact.

New Delhi, March 1

The United Front of Ex-Servicemen has countered the claims made by PM Narendra Modi during electioneering in UP of having implemented the one rank, one pension (OROP) formula for retired soldiers.Modi’s claims were “far from truth. What has been implemented is not OROP, but a one-time increase in pension”, said Major General Satbir Singh (Retd), chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM).The report submitted by the one-man judicial committee on OROP in October 2016 has not yet been made public.  He said the anomalies pointed out by the front had not been referred to the Justice Reddy Committee, constituted to deliberate on the anomalies arising from the government notification of November 2015. He said the Defence Minister had been informed that anomalies in the government notification, if not corrected, would kill the very soul of OROP. — TNS

Gurmehar Kaur

New Delhi, February 25

Days after Delhi University’s Ramjas College saw violent clashes, a Lady Sri Ram College student who is a Kargil martyr’s daughter has initiated a social media campaign, “I am not scared of ABVP”, which has gone viral.Gurmehar Kaur, daughter of Kargil martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, changed her Facebook profile picture holding a placard which read “I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me. #StudentsAgainstABVP”.“The brutal attack on innocent students by ABVP is very disturbing and should be stopped. It was not an attack on protesters, but an attack on every notion of democracy that is held dear in every Indian’s heart. It is an attack on ideals, morals, freedom and rights of every person born to this nation,” the Jalandhar native said in a Facebook status.“The stones that you pelt hit our bodies, but fail to bruise our ideas. This profile picture is my way of protesting against the tyranny of fear,” she added.The literature student’s classmates and peers started sharing the post, prompting students from various universities across the country to change their profile pictures with the same placard, as the initiative went viral.Ramjas College had on Wednesday witnessed large-scale violence between members of AISA and ABVP workers.The genesis of the clash was an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar on ‘Culture of Protests’, which was withdrawn by the college authorities following opposition by the RSS student wing. — PTI

Brave as ever

• Last year, Gurmehar Kaur (pic), who was just two when she lost her father, uploaded a four-minute video on YouTube, holdingup a succession of placards revealing her experiences and conveying her powerful message for peace between India and Pakistan. TNS

‘Not afraid of ABVP’: DU student whose father died in Kargil war writes on FB

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN Jalandhar’s Gurmehar says she reacted to attack on her friends at Ramjas College

NEW DELHI/JALANDHAR : Days after Delhi University’s Ramjas College witnessed violent clashes, a Lady Sri Ram College student, the daughter of an officer who died in the Kargil war, started a social media campaign ‘I am not afraid of ABVP’ that has garnered widespread support.

Jalandhar’s Gurmehar Kaur, 20, daughter of Kargil martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, changed her Facebook profile picture holding a placard which read “I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me .# Students Against AB VP ”. Gurmehar said she reacted to what happened with her friends and she had no idea that it would garner so much of support from the public. “I was not there at the spot where this incident happened, but when I got to know that some of my friends got injured during the clash and they were pelted with stones, I got upset. I could not bear that and took to social media to protest.”

“The brutal attack on innocent students by ABVP is very disturbing and should be stopped. It was not an attack on protesters, but an attack on every notion of democracy that is held dear in every Indian’s heart. It is an attack on ideals, morals, freedom and rights of every person born to this nation,” she said in a Facebook status.

“The stones that you pelt hit our bodies, but fail to bruise our ideas. This profile picture is my way of protesting against the tyranny of fear,” she added.

The literature student’s classmates and peers started sharing the post, prompting students from various universities across the country to change their profile pictures with the same placard, as the initiative went viral.

Kaur’s Facebook post so far has 2,100 reactions, 3,456 shares and 542 comments.

Ramjas College had on Wednesday witnessed violence between members of AISA and ABVP . ABVP supporters had protested against an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar , which led to violence after a counter demonstration by students over not allowing a peaceful discussion.

In May 2016, she had posted a velfie (selfie video) that had crossed over 50,000 shares on Facebook and YouTube. She had recalled how as a kid she used to hate Pakistan just because it took away her father, only to realise later, “Pakistan did not kill my dad, war killed him.”

Kaur wrote that she will fight “for peace between India and Pakistan,” as she believes her father would have still been there had there been no war.

She ended it with a powerful message, saying, “I wish to live in a world where there are no Gurmehar Kaurs who miss their dad. I am not alone. There are many like me.”

Army men in Shopian after the militant attack on Thursday. Tribune Photo: Amin War

Arun Joshi

Tribune News Service

Wednesday morning’s ambush of the Army patrol, which claimed lives of three soldiers and injured five others, including two officers, has yet again put the spotlight on the increasing dangers for the Army. It is a siege-like situation for the Army, where its operations, movements and camps are increasingly coming under terror attacks.More worrying is the intensity and frequency of such attacks and the mounting public support for the militants who have been inflicting casualties on soldiers.Shopian incident is to be read as the peaking of such attacks on the Army. These worries deepen when militants get away with such audacious attacks with the help of the support of their overground sympathisers who cordon off the encounter site.The way Indian soldiers are losing their lives in ambushes and encounters with militants is simply inexplicable. Something is definitely wrong somewhere, which the Army has not been able to correct despite the vow of Army Chief General Bipin Rawat that ruthless measures would be taken against the terrorists and their sympathisers who have deadly and disruptive intentions.There has been no tangible improvement in the situation. In fact, it has stirred more anger and deepened feelings to take revenge on the forces by the crowds, apparently the risk-taking supporters of the militants.The militants have come to rest in the core of the psyche of sections of people who thrive on anti-India sentiment. They want to shield militants at huge costs. The risks in such situations are very high but they also are aware that the security forces cannot fire at them with guns because that would embarrass India at the international fora. That has emboldened them.Already the global human rights watch groups have accused the security forces of using “excessive force” against the stone-throwing protesters.The frequency with which the militants have appeared to have gained an upper hand as far the casualty ratio is concerned is a highly disturbing scenario. It is disturbing because it sends an alarming message that the militants are invincible and the Army is vulnerable in Kashmir.In the same line, it is also read that militants enjoy this advantage because of the public support that has been demonstrated when the stone-throwing crowds have not only disrupted the anti-terror operations but have also forced the Army to abandon their operations.Equally dismaying is the point that people have turned visibly hostile to the Army and are unafraid of taking on the soldiers. This speaks of their love for militants and hatred for India, for they believe that India has sent its “occupational forces” to rule the state. This narrative is at the heart of the whole trouble in which the Army is increasingly becoming a target.

CM condemns killing of three Army men, civilian at Shopian

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 23

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti condemned the killing of three Army personnel in a militant attack at Shopian in the wee hours today.The Chief Minister said violence had never been and could never be a mean to address issues. She said the unending cycle of violence in the state had brought untold miseries to the people and collective efforts were needed to get the state out of the morass of death and destruction.Mehbooba Mufti also expressed deep grief and anguish over the death of a civilian in the incident.She conveyed her sympathies with the bereaved families of the soldiers and the civilian.

In this handout photograph released by Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on November 29, 2016, Pakistan’s newly-appointed army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa attends the change of command ceremony in Rawalpindi. AFP photo

Islamabad, February 20After days of silence, Pakistan Army on Monday dismissed as “disinformation” a media report that said army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa urged officers to read a book about how India succeeded in keeping the military out of politics.The Nation newspaper reported on February 12 that Bajwa addressed a gathering of senior army officers of Rawalpindi Garrison in the General Headquarters in December and recommended ‘Army and Nation: The Military and Indian Democracy Since Independence’ written by Steven Wilkinson.The book provides details of changes made in the structure and recruitment pattern of the Indian Army to suit the fledgling democracy in the new country.Army Spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor issued a brief statement to reject the contents of the report.”News/comments quoting COAS’ address to officers at Rawalpindi regarding book ‘Army and Nation’ is a disinformation,” he said in the statement posted on Facebook.It had been reported that Bajwa in the address dwelt on the thorny issue of civil-military equation in the country where the army has ruled for almost half of the history since independence in 1947.The report said the new army chief in a poised manner communicated it to his officers in unequivocal terms that there should be cooperation and not competition between army and civilian leadership of the country.”The army has no business trying to run the government.The army must remain within its constitutionally defined role,” Bajwa was quoted as saying.He also urged officers to read Wilkinson’s book, according to the report. — PTI

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Aircraft to ramp up capability to detect enemy missiles

BENGALURU: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday inducted its first indigenously developed airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system, mounted on a Brazilian Embraer-145 jet, ramping up its capability to detect enemy aircraft and missiles.

The Netra AEW&C system has been developed by the Defence Reasearch and Development Organisation (DRDO) and has a range of around 200 km.

The aircraft was handed over to the IAF on the opening day of Asia’s largest airshow Aero India-2017, more than six years behind schedule.

Over 550 defence and aerospace firms, including 279 foreign companies, are taking part in the biennial event being held at the Yelahanka air force base.

A senior IAF officer said, “The induction of the AEW&C aircraft is the highlight of the airshow for the air force.

We need to swiftly scale up our airborne surveillance capabilities.”

India inked a $208-million contract for three Brazil-built Embraer-145 planes in 2008 as part of a DRDO programme to scale up the IAF’s AEW&C capabilities.

The deal was in the news last year due to kickback allegations.

The IAF currently operates three Israeli Phalcon airborne warning and control system (AWACS) mounted on Russian IL-76 heavy-lift planes and there areplanstobuytwomore.

The system has a range of 400km. The numbers are not enough to cover the eastern and western sectors during offensive operations.

In 2015, the defence ministry accorded its acceptance of necessity, the first step towards making an aquisition, for a $760-million project involving mounting two such indigenously developed surveillance systems on the European Airbus A330 platform.

India is considering a proposal to buy a total of six A330 aircraft on which the AWACS may be mounted, taking the value of the deal to around $2.5 billion.

The first such aircraft could be inducted by 2025.

The radar system to detect far off targets will be developed by the DRDO.

Airbus Defence & Space was the only bidder for the AWACS India programme, making it the first single vendor project to be cleared by the BJP-led NDA government.

FGFA PLAN FACING ISSUES, SAYS PARRIKAR

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday acknowledged that a multi-billion dollar programme to co-develop a stealth fighter with Russia was facing some issues.

Parrikar’s comments came three days after Hindustan Times reported that the fifth generation fighter aircraft project was facing an uncertain fate with the government mulling to set up a panel to find how India would benefit from it.

“There are some issues to be addressed in terms of manufacturing, how it will be exported after the project is completed and what approvals will be required,” the minister said.