Current Events :
Tribune News Service
Jammu, September 9
The judicial committee headed by Justice L Narasimha Reddy, retired Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, today addressed veterans and family pensioners on the one-rank-one-pension (OROP) scheme, implemented by the Centre from July 1.More than 300 veterans and family pensioners voiced their concerns through this event at Tiger Auditorium. Post implementation of OROP scheme, certain infirmities had emerged in the policy, which were submitted to the government by service headquarters, veterans’ fraternity and their associations.Air Commodore Ashutosh Lal, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Jammu, welcomed Justice Reddy. The event was opened with an address by Major General GS Jamwal, president, Jammu and Kashmir Veterans League.Anomalies on this policy were collated from various veterans’ associations and presented by Colonel Virendra Kumar Sahi to the judicial committee. Brigadier Harcharan Singh, Director, Rajya Sainik Board, proposed the vote of thanks to the judicial committee, all veterans and Air Force Station for the event.
Search operation on to nab militants. Tribune file photo
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 7
In a second attack in less than a month, three soldiers were injured when militants ambushed an Army convoy in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Wednesday morning.
The attack took place around 7.30 am at Wadipora Kralgund, Handwara, over 70 km from Srinagar, when the Army convoy was on way to Baramulla.
“The armed militants fired indiscriminately on the convoy, injuring three Army jawans,” an official said. The fire was retaliated by the soldiers, but militants apparently managed to escape.
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The Army and police immediately launched a search operation in the area to nab the militants.
No militant group has owned the responsibility for the attack.
This is the second attack on an Army convoy in north Kashmir in the past one month. On August 17, two Army men and a policeman were killed in the wee hours ambush on the outskirts of Baramulla town on the strategic Srinagar-Uri highway.
Following the Kashmir unrest, the Army was moving its convoys in the night for essential supplies and routine movements to avoid any confrontation with the protesters. However, after the August 17 attack, the Army decided to move convoys during the day after getting proper security clearance from Army’s Road Opening Parties on all the designated convoy routes.
NEW DELHI: Pradeep Chauhan, the man who has been accused of blackmailing Union minister VK Singh’s wife, has filed a police complaint alleging that there was a threat to his life as he was aware of some “secrets” of the minister’s family.
In his complaint, a copy of which is with HT, he stated, “I am being threatened because I have strong evidence against Singh and his family planning to eliminate a Colonel and his OSD (officer on special duty). I have both audio and video clips to support my claims.”
He also named VK Singh’s daughter, wife Bharti Singh, brother-in-law and a captain of the army in his complaint.
Sources said that Chauhan has recorded conversations between Singh and some officials of the ministry of external affairs related to some inquiries. The recordings also had some correspondence between Singh and defence ministry officials.
“We are not aware of any such allegations. All of this is rubbish. Let the investigation agency work and get to the bottom of it,” Singh’s counsel Vishwajeet Singh said.
Chauhan has reportedly submitted his phone to the Gurgaon police for investigation. It will now be handed over to the Delhi Police who are looking into the case. “The mobile will be sent for forensic examination. If Chauhan pursues the case, then voice samples of Bharati and Singh will be collected and compared with the audio clips recovered from Chauhan’s phone,” an investigator told HT.
Sources said that Singh’s family approached the police to quash the case. The police, however, refused to act saying that the matter was now in the court.
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, August 10
Reaching out to civilians with some intricate details about the working of Indian Armed forces, 15 Infantry division of army kicked off the six day exhibition at Panther stadium. It was inaugurated by 15 infantry division General officer Commanding Major General Nav K Khandhuri. The exhibition displays weapons, engineering equipment, tanks and other significant ammunition in use by army.The Army band playing signature tunes, the first day of the exhibition saw moderate crowd with school students thronging the stadium to know about the combat weapons and equipment used by the army. A minor disruption due to sudden rainfall, notwithstanding, the exhibition progressed with cultural programmes on national integration. Battle tanks displayed at the exhibition were a major crowd puller and army officers also gave out information regarding the recruitment procedure to the enthusiastic young visitors.Addressing the gathering at the exhibition, Major General Khanduri said, “The purpose of the exhibition is to make youngsters aware about the armed forces as a lucrative career option and also make them privy to the various technical know-how. It will help inculcate the spirit of patriotism in today’s youth and motivate them to come forward in nation-building.” He also said that the army will continue organizing such exhibitions after few months. The exhibition was attended by the NCC cadets, retired army officers, IAS officers and students in heavy number.With series of such exhibition to promote Army-civilian interaction being organized over the years in various cities, Major General Khanduri said that such exhibitions will continue to reach out to youngsters.
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 6It’s unprecedented. Key posts in the military are without regular appointees. These include posts of Western Army Commander, Director General Military Intelligence (DGMI) and Master General Ordnance (MGO).Even a top Air Force officer, Air Marshal S Neelakantan, who was holding temporary charge as CISC, has been posted out. The post of DGMI, too, does not have a regular appointee after Lt Gen KG Krishna superannuated on July 31. Normally appointments to such posts are made a month in advance. In the Western Command headquartered at Chandimandir, the General Officer Commanding of Jalandhar-based 11 Corps, Lt Gen Jagbir Singh Cheema, is the officiating Chief after Lt Gen KJ Singh superannuated on July 31. The Western Command is the only command dual-tasked with Pakistan and China (Himachal Pradesh) border.Lt Gen DR Soni, an Armoured Corps officer who till a fortnight ago was commanding the Bathinda-based 10 Corps, is a contender for the Western Command as well as the Shimla-based Army Training Command. He was set to be the Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command but the proposal to keep the post with the Navy, and not to rotate it between the three services, has held that back.Meanwhile, ARTRAC commander Lt Gen PM Hariz has been appointed to head the Southern Army Command on September 1, replacing Lt Gen Bipin Rawat, who has been appointed as the next Vice Chief of the Army after Lt Gen MMS Rai superannuates on August 31. The other contender for the Western Army Commander post is the Sukna-based 33 Corps Commander Lt Gen Surinder Singh.
New Delhi
American defence major Lockheed Martin on Thursday said it has offered to move its lone production line of the latest version of fighter aircraft F 16-Block 70 to India from Texas to meet Indian and global requirement. “The offer is unmatched and unprecedented,” Randall L Howard, F16 Business Development head, said. PTI
Patna
Toppers scam: One held
The third rank holder in science stream of the Intermediate Examination from Bishun Rai College in Bihar has been arrested by the Patna police, which is probing the toppers scam in the state. Rahul Kumar was arrested from his uncle’s house at Azampur village. It has been revealed that a deal of Rs 5 lakh was struck to make him a rank-holder, City SP Chandan Kushwaha said. PTI
Lucknow
Relief for farmers
The UP Awas Vikas Parishad has decided to return 35,000 acres acquired across 15 cities for housing colonies to farmers. Housing Commissioner RP Singh said most housing projects had been planned in the 1980s and the process of acquiring land had started after that, running into legal disputes. TNS
Gorakhpur
Ex-minister gets life term
A former Uttar Pradesh minister was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in a 22-year-old murder case. According to the prosecution, a body was recovered from the farmhouse of Jitendra Jaiswal alias Pappur Bhaiyya at Pipraich in 1994. After hearing arguments, the court held Jaiswal guilty. Jaiswal was a minister in the state cabinet during the BJP regime in the 1990s. PTI
Chennai, July 31
There is no stepping down of search operations for the Indian Air Force AN-32 plane with 29 people on board that went missing on July 22, despite no signs of debris or oil slick on the sea surface, a senior Indian Coast Guard officer said on Sunday.“Whether it is the Coast Guard or Indian Navy or IAF, the search operations have not been slowed or stepped down,” the officer, who did not want to be named, said.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)He said now hopes are pinned on the Sagar Nidhi vessel belonging to the National Institute of Ocean Technology that is expected to join search operations soon.The ship has the capacity to search under water and is expected to join search operations on August 2 or 3.The plane went missing shortly after taking off from Chennai for Port Blair. Its last pick-up was 151 nautical miles east of Chennai when it took a left turn with a rapid loss of height. — IANS
Ishrat S Banwait
Mohali, July 29
Ex-servicemen ruled the day of the police recruitment drive in Mohali. With all 18 candidates passing the dope and physical tests, the indomitable Army spirit was on display.The physical test included a run of 1,400 metres in 12 minutes and 50 sit-ups.According to the Superintendent of Police, Harbir Singh Atwal, three per cent of the posts had been reserved for the ex-Army men. While the ex-servicemen said their Army training made test easy, the rest of the candidates said their performance was inspirational.In three days, only one ex-Army man has flunked the dope test.While 334 candidates appeared on the third day of the drive, seven failed the dope test and 174 flunked the physical test. Atwal said, “Yesterday, three ex-Army men had failed to clear the physical test, that too, because they did not have the minimum required height of 5’7.” He added that most of the ex-Army men 1,400-meter run in seven minutes.
