IANS

London, May 26

Erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan’s ‘Bedchamber Sword’ had sold for more than 14 million pounds ($17 million) at an auction in London.

Described as “one of the world’s rare artefacts”, the sword’s sale was conducted by Bonhams — a privately owned international auction house in London — on Tuesday, achieving 14,080,900 pounds against an estimate of 1.5 million to 2 million pounds.

The auction house said the sword was found in Tipu Sultan’s private quarters of his palace after he was killed by British forces on May 4, 1799.

Following his death, the sword was presented to British Major General David Baird as a token of his courage, according to Bonhams.https://b056b7f113f0b2053e3c4b0422408ab8.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The auction house said that the sword’s “extremely rare calligraphic hilt is a masterpiece of late-18th century Indian manufacture, intricately inlaid in gold with fine calligraphic invocations to God”.

“The English inscription to the blade, presumably added by Baird or a descendant, explains how it was found in Tipu Sultan’s bedchamber following the fall of Seringapatam (now Srirangapatna) and presented to the General as a trophy of his victory.” On the spine of the blade, a gold inlaid inscription reads ‘Shamshir-e Malik’ or ‘The Sword of the King’.

“The sword has an extraordinary history, an astonishing provenance and unrivalled craftsmanship,” CNN quoted Nima Sagharchi, group head of Islamic and Indian Art at Bonhams, as saying in the statement.

“It was no surprise it was so hotly contested between two phone bidders and a bidder in the room. We are delighted with the result,” he added.

According to Bonhams CEO Bruno Vinciguerra, the “spectacular sword is the greatest of all the weapons linked to Tipu Sultan still in private hands”.

“Its close personal association with the Sultan, its impeccable provenance traceable to the very day it was captured, and the outstanding craftsmanship that went into its manufacture make it unique and highly desirable,” he added.

Indian Railway remembers Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan (51 SAG, NSG 7 Bihar, Bihar Regiment), an unforgettable Indian Army soldier, most remembered for fighting the toughest of his battles, the Operation Black Tornado – The 26/11 Mumbai Attacks. His bravery in commanding the special action group, fighting at Taj Hotel, floor by floor to rescue hostages as a team and at one stage, after losing his team to the extremely hostile firing, he fought the terrorists alone, until his last breath. As a dedication, Indian Railway salutes Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, honouring his leadership of the highest order and bowing to his supreme sacrifice for the nation, by posthumously presenting TKD WDP4B 40049 to him, naming it “ Sandeep Unnikrishnan”💐🫡🇮🇳

PTI

Lahore, May 22

A Sikh woman and her brother, separated during the Partition more than 75 years ago, were reunited at the landmark Kartarpur Corridor, in an emotional reunion made possible through social media.

Mahendra Kaur, 81, from India, reunited with her 78-year-old brother Sheikh Abdul Aziz from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at the Kartarpur Corridor after they found out through a social media post that they were siblings separated during the Partition in 1947.

The two families discovered that Kaur and Aziz were estranged siblings after connecting through a social media post detailing the separation of a man and his sister during the Partition.

During the Partition, the family of Sardar Bhajan Singh from the Indian side of Punjab was tragically torn apart when Aziz relocated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, while his other family members remained in India, said Imran Sheikh, a family member of Aziz.

He married at a young age but always had a longing to reunite with his parents and other family members.

On Sunday, Kaur and Aziz arrived at the Kartapur Corridor on wheel-chairs. Emotional scenes of the family reunion were witnessed, with the family members singing songs and showering flowers to express their love.

Overwhelmed with joy, Kaur repeatedly hugged her brother and kissed his hands and the two families also visited Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur together, sitting side by side and sharing a meal.

They also exchanged gifts as a symbol of their reunion.

Following the joyful reunion, the Kartarpur administration adorned both families with garlands and distributed sweets.

The Kartarpur Corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Punjab province, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in India’s Punjab state.

The 4 km-long corridor provides visa-free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Darbar Sahib.

IANS

Chandigarh, May 22

The Punjab government has given in principle approval for constructing a shorter and alternate route to the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport from Chandigarh, officials said on Monday.

The proposed routes will reduce the travel distance to around 3.5 km, reducing the time from 25 minutes to five minutes.

The Chandigarh Administration has been deliberating to develop a shorter and alternate route to the airport as the existing and single route is long and the commuters have to travel 11.5 km to reach the airport from Chandigarh.

The alternate route has been prepared after consultation of all the stakeholders — the Punjab government, the Ministry of Defence, the Indian Air Force, the Chandigarh International Airport Ltd, and the Ministry of Railways, an official statement said.

The Punjab government has also given its approval for acquiring the land falling in its jurisdiction, whereas the in principle approvals have already been taken from the other stakeholders.

The new route is planned to start from 200 metres before the T-point intersection of Vikas Marg (coming from Sector 43 bus stand) and Purv Marg (coming from Tribune Chowk).

PTI

Imphal, May 23

Manipur remained tense but calm on Tuesday after incidents of violence were reported a day before in the northeastern state where at least 70 people were killed in ethnic violence since May 3.

Business establishments remained closed on Tuesday morning and people were asked by security personnel to remain indoors through the public address system in New Chekon area of Imphal East district, where a mob torched two houses after four armed people, including a former MLA, forced people to shut their shops on Monday.

Locals, armed with licensed guns, were found guarding their localities against possible attacks by constructing makeshift “bunkers” in a few places including Pukhao and Leitanpokpi in Imphal East district and five such “bunkers” were destroyed by security forces in Sinam Khaithong village in Imphal West on Monday, police said.

Sit-in demonstrations, mostly by the womenfolk, were reported in the valley districts, with the agitators demanding that the Suspension of Operation (SoO) with Kuki militants be abrogated and action be taken against them. They also demanded that “illegal Myanmarese immigrants” be deported, poppy cultivation be stopped in the hill areas and also protested the hill MLAs’ demand for bifurcation of the state.

People living in areas adjoining the hills have complained of Kuki militants coming down to the valley and opening fire on civilians before fleeing, with at least three people injured in one such recent incident in Moidangpok village in Imphal West district.

Curfew relaxation period has been cut by two hours and the restriction is now from 5 am to 2 pm.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday evening appealed to the people to stop torching houses of innocent people.

He said three people, including an ex-MLA, were arrested in the New Chekon incident. The mob had beaten up one of the armed men, while the other three had managed to flee from the spot.

No casualty was reported in the torching incident as the empty houses were used for providing rented accommodation to people.

“We will initiate legal action against those involved in illegal activities… We have also decided to acquire 20 more companies of security personnel from the central forces,” the CM said.

Around 10,000 Army and Assam Rifles jawans are currently deployed in the state. Security forces are conducting aerial surveillance by unmanned aerial vehicles and Cheetah helicopters.

The CM said action will also be taken against those involved in inciting hate and enmity on social media inside and outside the state.

Internet services remain suspended since violence started in order to stop rumours and hate messages from being spread. However, it is alleged that the warring Meitei and Kuki community people living outside the state are spreading hatred in their social media posts.

“We need to engage in talks by sitting together to bring in normalcy and restore peace,” the chief minister said.

Clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The violence in Manipur was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

The ethnic clashes claimed over 70 lives and some 10,000 army and para-military personnel had to be deployed to restore normalcy in the northeastern state.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 22

Fresh incidents of violence were reported in Manipur today as two abandoned houses were torched by a mob in Imphal East district after two armed miscreants forced people to shut their shops, police officials said.

However, no casualty was reported due to the arson. The mob beat up one of the miscreants while the other managed to flee. The two were subsequently taken into custody. Army men deployed in the area rushed to the spot and used force and fired teargas shells to disperse the mob, resulting in minor injuries to a few people, the officials said.

Locals protested the incident by burning tyres on the road and following the incident, the curfew hours in Imphal East district, which had earlier been relaxed, were extended, they said. The government also issued a fresh notification extending the suspension of internet services for another five days till May 26.

The clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of tribal Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. Tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. The ethnic clashes have so far claimed over 70 lives and some 10,000 Army and paramilitary personnel had to be deployed to bring back normalcy in the state.

PTI

Jalandhar, May 23

The Border Security Force intercepted a fifth Pakistani drone in four days that intruded into India from along the International Border (IB) in Punjab to drop a drugs consignment, a force spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The flying object was “downed” around 9 pm on Monday in the Amritsar sector in Bhaini Rajputana village of Amritsar district, he said.

The BSF recovered the black-coloured drone, a quadcopter of ‘DJ Matrice 300 RTK’ make, with an attached payload of 2.1 kilogram suspected heroin attached through an iron ring, the spokesperson said.

A small torch in switched-on condition was also found attached to the drone so that drugs smugglers could detect the consignment and pick it up from the field on the Indian side, he said.

This is the fifth reported interception of a “rogue” unmanned aerial vehicle along the Punjab border since May 19.

A few more instances of troops picking up the buzzing sound of a drone were reported over the last four days but nothing more could be established, officials said.

The BSF troops shot down two drones and intercepted a third along the front on Friday last. A BSF spokesperson had said the third drone fell into Pakistani territory and could not be recovered.

A drone that “violated Indian airspace on Saturday night (May 20) was intercepted by firing in the jurisdiction of the Amritsar sector” and the force recovered 3.3 kilogram of suspected narcotics that was slung under it.

Punjab shares an over 500-kilometre-long front with Pakistan that is guarded by the BSF, and drones and unmanned aerial vehicles taking flight from the neighbouring country into India with drugs and arms and ammunition payloads have become a matter of concern for security agencies over the last three-four years.

Sub Avtar Singh is a well-known name among Canadian Ex-Servicemen . After completing 17 Years of army Service in Corps of Signals and S/o ESM from armoured Regt ,after earning substantive rank of Sub. Now well settled in Canada . he is also Director at Victoria Canadain Immigration ,Mississauga ,Ontario, Canada and has office in Amritsar also .He is also Secy of INDIO-CANADIAN VERETAN GROUP..

Since he is Secy (Hony) NRI veterans of Sanjha Morcha , we would like to share his kind hearted generosity and concern towards the widows and who has been doing social service by helping the needy families.
Sub Avtar Singh Raunak, on his recent visit to India,in Apiril 2023 , he met COL JAGDEEP SINGH,NODAL OFFR;ESM CEL at Jalandhar . He conveyed his desire towards assisting our ESM, VEER NARIS & WIDOWS in redressal of their grievances, resulting to financially sponsor ( on monthly basis )11 families of our Ex Non Pensioner Soldiers living in State of extreme Penury from Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar District. Even Though he lost his mother during visit to India .All these needy families have already received this financial assistance @ Rs2500/- each with effect from May 2023, which has brought smile on their faces
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Sanjha Morcha along with CoL Jagdeepp Singh Nodal Officer ESM Cell sincerely express our Gratitude to Sub Avtar Singh Raunak for helping these needy families in distress .
We Pray to Almighty to grant more powers and strength to Sub Avtar Singh Raunak to keep doing good work towards such Noble Causes. May God Bless him with Good health and Long Life.