Current Events :
Built indigenously
‘INS Kadmatt’ is country’s second indigenous stealth anti-submarine corvette to be commissioned into the navyThe unique feature of the ship is the high level — about 90 per cent — of indigenisation in its productionThe corvette is equipped to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions and has guns, close-in weapon system, heavy weight torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets
Manav Mander,Tribune News Service,Ludhiana, January 4
With drop in temperature and atmospheric pressure, cases of knee and other joint pains increase in winters. Conditions become difficult for those who suffer from arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.The pain is due to swelling in body parts which results in constriction of blood vessels caused by lower blood circulation.City hospitals have witnessed a 10-20 per cent increase in OPD visits by patients complaining of joint pains and inflammatory conditions.“We have witnessed around 10-20 per cent surge in patient turnout with the symptoms related to different kinds of arthritis. With the onset of winters, the patients complaining of joint pain increases,” said head of department of orthopaedics at a local hospital.“Patients should take precautions early as a number of factors lead to increased joint pain and aches during winters. People choose to stay indoors which leads to deficiency of vitamin D due to less exposure to sunlight and this often leads to increased pain. There is also lack of exercise among patients during winter,” said city-based ortho specialist, Dr Harman Arora.Eating habits tend to change during winters as people resort to comfort foods. Increased weight would mean more pressure on the knees and hips which will eventually lead to joint pains in patients of osteoarthritis,” added he.Experts said it has been medically established that if a patient of osteoarthritis gains one kilogram weight, it will put thrice the usual pressure on the patient’s knees and six times the pressure on the patient’s hips.Doctors advise that patients should take precautions early so that the pain does not get worse with the progress of winters.
Tribune News Service,Dehradun, January 4
Lieutenant General Balwant Singh Negi, Army Commander, Central Command visited Pithoragarh and Bareilly Military Station today. This was his first visit to Pithoragarh after taking over the Central Command. He was briefed by the Formation Commander at the Brigade Headquarters about the operational and administrative responsibilities. A review of security situation was also undertaken specially in view of recent inputs.Negi also visited Headquarters Uttar Bharat Area at Bareilly. He was briefed about the operational and administrative responsibilities of the formation and various welfare activities undertaken for troops and their families including station matters.During the visit, Negi was also apprised of aspects related to veterans of the area and various steps taken and facilities provided towards mitigating their problems. He appreciated the efforts and complimented the veterans community for their zeal and enthusiasm and contribution towards Indian Army in particular and nation as a whole.Negi interacted with officers and troops and expressed his happiness at the high state of morale and operational preparedness displayed by them.
Tribune News Service,Dehradun, January 4
The Defence Employees’ Coordination Committee, Uttarakhand chapter, yesterday paid homage to veteran Communist leader AB Bardhan.Jagdish Chimwal, national executive member of the AIDEF said with the death of AB Bardhan, the working class and defence employees had lost their mentor and guide.The Defence Employees Coordination Committee Uttarakhand along with AIDEF expressed their deep sorrow and grief with family members and comrades who were associated with him. His death is loss to working and labour class of the country, said Jagdish Chimwal.
Tribune News Service,Jammu, January 4
In a major push to provide all-weather road connectivity to the isolated Ladakh region, IRB Infrastructure Developers has been entrusted with the task of constructing Rs 10,050-crore Zojila tunnel on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway in Jammu and Kashmir.The company has received a letter of award (LoA) from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, headed by Nitin Gadkari, for the construction, operation and maintenance of the longest tunnel in South-East Asia, Zojilla tunnel, in Jammu and Kashmir, IRB Infrastructure Developers said in a statement issued here.“It is the biggest national highway project awarded in India in terms of the project cost of Rs 10,050 crore,” an official spokesperson for the company quoted Chairman and Managing Director Virendra Mhaiskar here.The scope of the project includes constructing approaches on NH-1 (Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road) on design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) (annuity) basis.“This project has a strategic and socio-economic importance as it will provide the much-needed all-weather connectivity between the Kashmir valley and Ladakh, which remains cut-off during winter due to heavy snowfall and hence assumes national importance,” Mhaiskar said.“Besides a tunnel length spanning 14.08 km, the project also involves construction of a 10.8-km approach road with three vertical ventilation shafts, 700-m snow gallery and avalanche protection measures,” the spokesperson said.The construction of the tunnel is scheduled to be completed in seven years and the concession period is 22 years. The funding for the construction of the Zojilla tunnel was recently announced in the Rs 80,000 crore Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan for Jammu and Kashmir. In the package, Rs 9,090 was earmarked for the project.The Tribune had exclusively reported in its December 30, 2015, edition that the Centre had taken the first step for the construction of the Zojila tunnel connecting Kashmir’s Sonamarg with the Gumri area in Kargil district by inviting global bids for expression of interest (EOI).Meanwhile, the work is already in progress on another tunnel near Z-Morh, 20 km away from the Zojilla pass, on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway.Coming up at a cost of Rs 2716.90 crore, the Z-Morh tunnel is expected to be completed by 2017. The 6.5-km tunnel would connect Gagangeer directly with Sonamarg.Once the two tunnels are put in place, the journey time from Kashmir to Ladakh would be reduced drastically and the entire stretch would become motorable throughout the year.
Tribune news service,Jammu, January 4
Twenty two cadets of the current batch of Nagrota Sainik School’s class XII have passed the prestigious National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II) held by the Union Public Service Commission on September 27, 2015.A total of 45 cadets from the school had appeared in the examination.By passing the written examination, all 22 cadets have qualified to appear in the interview conducted by the Service Selection Board of the Ministry of Defence for entry into the officer cadre of the Armed Forces through NDA-136th course and Naval Academy 98th course, an official spokesperson said.Principal, Sainik School Nagrota, Col KD Koushal congratulated the cadets and the entire staff for achieving excellent result in the examination. He said the meticulous planning followed by dedicated and sincere efforts by one and all had brought desired results.The cadets who qualified the examination include Shahil Kumar, Sahil Sharma, Aaqib Khursheed Lone, Namkha Dorjey, Shubham Sharma, Arjun Khajuria, Saqib Gulzar, Salman Mehmood Dar, Shahid Nazir, Vishal Thappa, Gurvinder Singh, Bhawani Singh, Mayank Kumar, Ankush Parihar, Vishal Singh, Neelmani Dixit, Nishant Kumar, Manas Partap Singh, Rahul Kumar, Sandeep Chahal, Rahul Sharma and Ashish Kumar.
Tribune News Service,Srinagar, January 4
The Kashmir region today received the first snow of the year. Snow was received across the Kashmir valley with varying intensity. It was more in north Kashmir districts, while light intensity snow was received in Srinagar.It was also the season’s first snow in the summer capital. The state Meteorological Department in its forecast said scattered downpour was likely on Tuesday in Kashmir region.The Valley is in the midst of the 40-day-long harshest phase of winter, which began on December 21 and will continue till the end of this month. Known as ‘Chilai Kalaan’ in local parlance, the period is feared for its freezing weather condition and heavy snowfall.The region is already witnessing freezing night temperatures with the mercury plunging several degrees below the freezing point. However, overcast sky caused the minimum temperature to rise and settle above the freezing point last night. The minimum temperature in Srinagar was recorded at 2.2°C, an increase of almost five degrees from the previous night. Gulmarg, which received 19.0 mm of rain and snow since morning on Monday, registered a low of minus 5.6°C. The minimum temperature in Pahalgam resort settled at – 0.4°C.Internet remains down for 3 hours Srinagar: The internet services snapped for nearly three hours due to snow across the Valley on Monday. Both broadband internet services on landlines and mobile internet services were affected on Monday morning as moderate to heavy snowfall was reported from almost all parts of Kashmir, officials said. — PTI
Why did govt declare operation over?
PTIArmymen conducting a search operation in a forest area in the air force base in Pathankot.
Home minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday congratulated troops, said “all five terrorists” were dead. But on Sunday, body count went down to four. Fresh firing started at the base with at least two gunmen — and possibly more — holed up.
Why didn’t Punjab cops believe their SP?
Gurdaspur SP alerted them on Friday to the presence of four terrorists who’d taken his car and used his phone to call Pak. Despite call intercepts, cops launched a probe 12 hours later, wasting precious time looking at personal enmity angle.
Why the delay in action?
Security personnel had concrete intelligence and 24 hours to prepare. But gunmen managed to storm the base while troops were still looking for them outside. How many vehicles did gunmen use? Gurdaspur SP’s claim that four men seized his car suggests there were two teams of attackers.How did the others get to the air base?
Was standard operating procedure violated?
National Security Guard bomb disposal expert died in explosion while trying to retrieve grenade from a terrorist’s body.
PATHANKOT: With Pakistan-based terrorists in army fatigues once again setting into motion the second major attack on Punjab territory within five months with a car snatching, it remains a challenge for the security establishment to stop the misuse of the much-coveted uniform. The fabric that looks ‘almost similar’ to the army fatigues is available in most cloth shops on Railway Road, Pathankot, at a starting rate of around `200 per metre going up to `700 a metre. So, a full ‘uniform’ for an average adult male, who needs around 5-metre for both shirt and trouser can be had for as little as `1,000. After adding the stitching charges, one can roam around the city as an army man for less than `1,500.
JS GREWAL/HTThe fabric that looks almost similar to the army fatigues is available in most cloth shops in parts of the state.
Shopkeepers, however, claim that most customers they sell the fabric to are accredited army jawans.
“Most shopkeepers here have been selling the fabric for long and mostly for the use of army jawans. The army has never raised any concern on the sale. Everybody does it, so I do it as well. In fact, the sale of this fabric is our bread and butter. If an order is issued banning its sale, I will follow it,” a shopkeeper told HT on the condition of anonymity.
When contacted, defence spokesperson Manish Mehta said, “It is the duty of respective deputy commissioners to check the sale of cloth and uniform similar to the ones used by the army. Security personnel get their uniforms from respective units and only at authorised outlets in army areas.”
Deputy commissioner Sukhwinder Singh could not be contacted for comment. SSP RK Bakshi did not answer repeated calls made on his mobile.
In the first official briefing after gunfire began, Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and director general of air operations in the Air Force, Air Marshal Anil Khosla, said four terrorists had been killed so far in the encounter with security personnel.
“We are sure that still there are at least two more terrorists as firing have come from two different places. But we are not sure whether there are some more. We will come to know the number of terrorists only after the completion of the operation and body count,” Mehrishi said.
Mehrishi said Salwinder Singh, a superintendent of police in Punjab who was kidnapped along with two others on Friday and was left off later, said that there were only four terrorists.
When asked whether there was any lapse while dealing with the terrorists as seven security personnel were killed despite having prior information, Mehrishi said: “There was no lapse. Some casualties are obvious when there is an operation in this scale.”
The two officials said there were seven casualties — six Indian Air Force personnel (including five Defence Security Corps (DSC) personnel and one Garuda commando), and one National Security Guard officer, Lt. Colonel Niranjan EK.
The home secretary said the team of the specialised force was waiting in Pathankot for the terrorists as the exact point of possible attack was not known.
“When they (terrorists) attacked the air base, the NSG team moved immediately,” he said.
Air Marshal Khosla said the main aim of the terrorists was defeated as they could not reach the technical area of the Pathankot air base where high valued assets were kept.
“The first contact with the terrorists was made on Saturday morning at around 3.30 am. The terrorists were contained in an area where there is heavy growth and shrubs. The operation is now at a matured stage,” he said.
Khosla added that the operation was “slowed down” on Saturday after the killing of four terrorists as security forces were not sure whether there were more terrorists still at large.
Mehrishi said as of now it was suspected that Pakistan-bases terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad was involved in the attack
Jaish-e-Mohammad, the outfit believed to be behind the IAF base attack, has been operating with impunity, despite it being a banned entity. The attack comes a week after Prime Minister Naredra Modi’s visit to Pakistan and less than two weeks before foreign secretary level meeting in Islamabad to announce a timeline for a comprehensive engagement between the two sides.
Vijay Mohan,Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, January 3
A Lieutenant Colonel heading the National Security Guards’ (NSG) bomb disposal squad was among the seven fatalities in the terrorist attack on the Pathankot Air Force station. Five NSG commandos were among the 20 who sustained injuries. The high number of casualties and injuries despite “specific Intelligence inputs” is being viewed in security circles with concern. Particularly a senior officer of an elite counter-terrorist force losing his life during sanitisation operations. A commando from the IAF’s Garud special force, Gursevek Singh, was also killed.Lt Col Niranjan E Kumar was commissioned into 10 Engineer Regiment in 2004 and moved to the NSG on deputation in May 2014. He leaves behind his wife and an 18-month-old daughter. The last rites are scheduled to be performed at his hometown, Palakkad in Kerala, tomorrow.The mortal remains would be airlifted to Bengaluru and thereafter ferried by road.A tweet by the Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, stated that the officer was killed in “mopping-up operations”. Reports suggested that the NSG casualties occurred due to an explosion from either an IED that the terrorists were carrying or a booby-trapped body that was moved by them. One of the NSG jawans, Bhoop Singh, who sustained serious head injuries, has been airlifted to Chandigarh.Hailing from Ambala, IAF commando Gursevak had been hit during the initial gunfire. He carried on fighting and later succumbed to his injuries. He got married a month ago. Most of the other fatalities were from the Defence Security Corps (DSC), a branch comprising retired armed forces personnel who are reemployed for undertaking guard duties at military establishments. They included 51-year-old national shooting champion Subedar Fateh Singh and Hav Kulwant Singh, both of whom were from Gurdaspur, and jawans Jagdish Singh and Sanjiv Kumar. One of the DSC jawans had chased a terrorist and killed him with the terrorist’s own weapon before falling to fire from the other intruders.While the management of entry points into military stations is controlled by the Military Police, Air Force Police or Naval Police, as the case may be, along with armed active-duty personnel, DSC personnel are deployed on secondary duties such as guarding buildings and manning internal check-points. They are distinguished from the regular services by their khaki uniforms.Some security experts also pointed out that specially trained dogs could have been deployed for sanitising operations. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police has recently started training “commando” dogs, referred to in service parlance as Smart Mopping Up Dogs (SMUD), for sanitising encounter sites and hide-outs by sniffing out possible mines, IEDs or booby traps.
Lalit Mohan,Tribune News Service,Dharamsala, January 3
A pall of gloom descended on havildar Sanjeevan Singh Rana’s native Siyunh village near Shahpur, around 30 km from here, after the news broke that the 51-year-old had fallen to the bullets of the terrorists at the Pathankot Air Force station. His family was inconsolable.Employed with the Defence Security Corps (DSC), Sanjeevan was the sole earning member in his family.Though his wife Pinki Devi was not in a position to speak, relatives present in the house said Sanjeevan was critically injured during the encounter with the terrorists.He had received five bullet injuries in the chest and later died. His body would be brought to the village tomorrow.Sanjeevan is survived by his wife, two daughters – Komal, a Class XII student and Shivani, pursuing BCA – and a son, Shubham, who is doing a B Pharma course. He has five sisters and his parents are no more.Serving in the security forces has been a tradition with the family as Sanjeevan’s father Rattan Rana too retired from the Army.Sanjeevan had retired from the Dogra Regiment in 2009 and joined the DSC. He was transferred to Pathankot Air Base from Jammu two years ago.Kangra Deputy Superintendent of Police Hitesh Lakhanpal and Sub-Divisional Magistrate Shravan Manta also visited the martyr’s family today.Shahpur Congress leader and Himachal Pradesh Forest Corporation vice-president Kewal Singh Pathania has expressed grief over the death of the two soldiers from Himachal and has assured all possible help from the state government.Sources said the other solider from Himachal who attained martyrdom during the encounter is Jagdish Chand from Chamba district. The body of Jagdish Chand would also be brought to his native village tomorrow.Sources said Air Force’s Kishori Lal, who belongs to Jaisinghpur area of Kangra district, was also injured in the attack.
Suman Bhatnagar,Ambala, January 3
Garnala village near Ambala City went into mourning soon after hearing the shocking news of Gursewak Singh, who attained martyrdom in the Pathankot terror attack yesterday. The village wore a sombre look as most shops remain closed.
The body of the martyr would be airlifted from Adampur (Punjab) to Ambala air base this evening for the last rites in his village. Deputy Commissioner Ashok Sangwan said the martyr would be cremated with full state honours. Gursewak served the Garud Commando Force, a Special Forces unit of the Indian Air Force in Adampur.Even as people mourned the death of Gursewak, his father, Sucha Singh, said he was proud of his son’s supreme sacrifice for the country. He said he got the information about the martyrdom of his son from his elder son, who is also an Army officer. Later he confirmed the incident with senior officers of the Garud Commando Force.Sucha Singh said Gursewak was very intelligent and cleared the Air Force exam in his first attempt six years ago after completing his graduation. His idol was Shaheed Bhagat Singh, he added.Gursewak is survived by his wife Jaspreet, to whom he was married around one and half months ago, parents and an elder brother. Gursewak’s village friends could not believe he is no more as it was just last Sunday they had met him. One of the village youths, Amarpreet, said Gursewak was very bold since childhood and he never wanted to face defeat in the life. Heath Minister Anil Vij visited Gursewak’s residence today to share the family’s grief.Haryana to give Rs 20 lakhHaryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday announced financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh to the next of kin of Gursewak Singh, a resident of village Garnala in Ambala, who was killed in the Pathankot attack. He said martyr Gursewak Singh has done the state and the country proud.In a condolence message, the Chief Minister expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and prayed to the Almighty that the departed soul might rest in peace. “Brave soldiers of Haryana have always defended the borders of the country and never hesitated to sacrifice their lives for maintaining the security and integrity of the country. Such brave men sacrificing their lives for their country remain immortal and their sacrifice always inspires fellow countrymen,” the CM said. TNS
As a ‘defence analyst’ Ranjith was asked to mark entry exit points of the air base, distance of the base from nearby high rise buildings, recent air force exercises, movement of planes and deployment of units. POLICE SOURCES
NEW DELHI: Till last week, Leading Air Craftsmen (LAC), Ranjith KK was under the impression that he was working as a ‘defence analyst’ with a leading magazine in the UK. Clueless about being trapped into passing sensitive information to the intelligence agencies in Pakistan, the Air Force official allegedly did the job for over a year in exchange for money. He was finally arrested from Bathinda Air Force Station on Tuesday.
According to sources, Ranjith was befriended by one Damini McNaught, whom he met on Facebook. She sent him a Facebook friend request after he posted his profile picture in uniform on the social networking website.
The two chatted on Facebook Messenger and exchanged emails and even had a telephonic conversation. McNaught, who claimed to be an editor with a magazine in the UK, told Ranjith that she wants him to work as a defence analyst for them, for which he will be paid a handsome amount.
Sources said McNaught used to assign “tasks” to him on a weekly basis. She reportedly used to give him Google satellite maps of Bathinda and asked him to minutely mark important buildings, including high rises from where the entire Air Force base is visible and other important installations around the base.
In the next task, she gave him another map and asked him to mark the exact location of the air traffic control, air force base and the parking space of the fighter planes. He was even asked to mark the entire length and breadth of the runaway from where all fighters planes take off.
“McNaught used to give Ranjith only specific queries. He was not asked to leak any documents or plans but was asked specific information. As a ‘defence analyst’ he was asked to mark entry exit points of the air base, distance of the base from high rises, recent air force exercise, movements of aircrafts and deployment of various units . For the said information he got paid `30,000 to `35,000,” sources said.
According to the police, several other defence officials may have also been fooled by the ISI module.
“These Pakistani agents select profiles of these defence personnel from Facebook and then send them friends request to start a conversation, police said. “We have accessed her profile and are analysing the logs to see who she was in touch with. More arrests are likely,” police said.
Startling revelations have begun emerging as investigation into the BSF air crash progresses. Initial investigation has revealed that the snag-hit left engine of the aircraft, which essentially led to the crash, was replaced just eight months ago and a crucial inspection of the engine was due in the next couple of weeks.
The Border Security Force (BSF) aircraft which was crashed on Tuesday had a scheduled inspection related to over heating of the engines. According to the BSF, the inspection was scheduled for next month, but before aircraft could get last mandatory inspection, it met with the accident. According to BSF officials, the aircraft had new engines and was recently overhauled and denied any skip in servicing.
According to a senior official of the BSF’s air wing, the crashed aircraft’s engine was recently changed and overhauled in the first quarter of this year.
“Engineers suggested an unscheduled job for better and smooth functioning of aircraft. They said engine may have had some problem and it is suggested to get an unscheduled servicing done. Later, after doing the prescribed job, engineers suggested another scheduled overhauling of engine for which we consulted a Canadian-based company,” the air wing official told Mail Today.
Official also said that after checking the log book, which is maintained by the maintenance manager, it has been found that one of the important job of engines were pending.
“It has been found that a job to check aircraft engines’ capability to generate acceptable power for efficient and safe performance was pending but aircraft still had 30 hours of flying to get this job done,” the official added.
This is an open letter to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar sent by one of our readers.
http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2015-12-21/Is-our-Indian-Army-scared-of-ordinary-people-Then-how-safe-are-we-citizens-194605
