THOUGH CONSIDERED FOR PROMOTION AS MAJOR GENERAL, BRIG NJS SIDHU WAS DENIED IT

CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has come down heavily on the Army for filing a misleading and false reply before the court and imposed a fine of `25,000 in a case of promotion of a brigadier to major general.

“…every attempt was made to mislead us. Therefore, it rocks and shocks the judicial conscience as to how carelessly and casually the Union of India had taken a stand which could encourage their instrumentalities to follow the illegal pursuit; this requires to be curbed at this stage, as the respondents (central government) never tried to amend, correct and even felt apologetic to project their wrong stand,” said the bench comprising Justice Surinder Singh Thakur and Lt Gen DS Sidhu (retd).

THE CASE

Brig NJS Sidhu (retd) had applied for a permanent transfer from artillery to Army Aviation Corps, which was allowed and he joined at the Western Command in 1999. He was the senior-most in the Army Aviation Corps but was not considered for promotion to the rank of major general. He went to the Punjab and Haryana high court, which in 2002 ruled that Brig Sidhu was entitled to be considered for promotion. The Army went to the Supreme Court in appeal, which was dismissed in 2010.

As per the orders, he was considered by a selection board held on January 7, 2011, but still the Army did not approve him for the rank of major general.

The judgment observed that the applicant was the only one who was eligible and was considered by the selection board for promotion but the misleading reply filed before the AFT through Col Devendra Singh, Col Military Secretary (Legal), said the “applicant had failed to make the grade based on the overall profile and comparative batch merit within the batch as evaluated by selection board”.

The judgment observed that the reasons for not giving promotion to Brig Sidhu were neither available in the records, nor decipherable from any other source and the proceedings of the selection board had been mechanically and blindly approved by the Centre.

By setting aside the selection board held on January 7, 2011, the AFT ordered for holding the selection board again for Brig Sidhu, and if he is rejected then “reasons and procedure adopted needs to be clearly spelt out and recorded in the proceedings”.

Brig Sidhu had retired in 2002, so if he is promoted he would be given the rank notionally and would be given the pension of a major general.

OROP: Says gesture should jolt the consciousness of those in power
Mohit Khanna

Ex-servicemen protest atop a water tank.

Former soldier Harjinder Singh Khera from Nabha, who is travelling to Delhi after collecting soil from battlefields of Asal Uttar, Khem Karan, Madhopur, Basantar and Jammu, was accorded to a resounding welcome by the ex-servicemen league at a local restaurant in the city here today.
Brig SS Gill, who organised a function to honour the endeavour of Harjinder Singh Khera, said he learnt about Khera visiting the city on his way to Delhi yesterday.
“I spoke to him over phone and made the arrangements for his stay at the Sanik Rest House. Later, I spoke to my fellow retired ex-servicemen and officers and decided to host a party to honour Harjinder,” said Brig SS Gill.
It was on December 5, that Harjinder Singh had set-off from Nabha to collect the soil of various battlefields. During his challenging journey (over 1,500km so far), his bike broke down twice.
Khera said the armed forces veteran and widows were on indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi since June 15.
The government has issued notifications for the One Rank One Pension (OROP) implementation but the same has been rejected by protesting ex-servicemen as it does not live up to the definition.
Khera said he was taking the urn, containing soil of battlefields, to Jantar Mantar for the massive Aakrosh Rally on December 13.
As a mark of respect, restaurateur Sukhkaran Singh Gill along with four bikers escorted him till Doraha. Harvinder Singh further met army officers in Khanna and then went on to visit Patiala. The ex-serviceman who is carrying his bedding food items and medicines along, said he had made arrangement for the long journey.
Says pained to see ex-servicemen protesting on roads
Harjinder said he was pained to see the ex-servicemen coming on road to protest against the government for pensions. Finally, he decided to take the soil of battle fields where the brave soldiers gave their blood to protect their motherland. He said perhaps his endeavour would jolt the consciousness of those in power.

Four ex-servicemen threaten to commit suicide in Sholay style

OROP ROW Dramatic scene continued for 16 hours, ended after the administration assured the protesters that the defence minister will hold talks with ex-servicemen within 15 days

IN A SCENE REMINISCENT OF BOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER SHOLAY, FOUR EX-SERVICEMEN, WHO HAD CLIMBED THE TANK ON FRIDAY AT 2 AM, WARNED THAT THEY WOULD JUMP AT 6PM

LUDHIANA: High drama was witnessed in the city’s railway colony area on Friday as four ex-servicemen climbed atop an overhead water tank and threatened to jump, as a deadlock between the central government and veterans over the One Rank, One Pension scheme continues.

JS GREWAL/HTEx-servicemen climbed atop a water tank at the railway colony near Jagraon bridge in Ludhiana on Friday.

Harbhal Singh, Pargat Singh, Gurdial Singh and Kartar Singh, all residents of Tarn Taran district, remained on the tank for 16 hours, prompting the police to deploy more than two dozen policemen at the spot.

In a scene reminiscent of Bollywood blockbuster Sholay, the four ex-servicemen, who had climbed the tank at 2 am, warned that they would jump at 6 pm as frantic civil and police officials spent hours trying to persuade them to come down.

The veterans came down only after officials told them their “charter of demands” had been sent to the defence ministry and that the defence minister will be holding talks with the exservicemen community in the next two weeks.

The four ex-servicemen are members of the Voice of Ex-Servicemen Society, which has been demanding equal pension benefits for defence personnel irrespective of the rank.

The ex-servicemen society comprises retired junior commissioned officers and noncommissioned officers from across the country.

Its national coordinator and secretary general, Bir Bahadur Singh, said the society has been demanding that pension benefits, including the disability and widow pension, be given equally to all personnel of one rank.

‘ISSUE HIJACKED’

The society’s demands also include transparency in grant of bravery medals, besides allotment of security agency licenses and release of sepoys lodged in Pakistani jails.

Bahadur Singh also blamed the high ranking ex-servicemen of having “hijacked” the One Rank, One Pension slogan.

“It was originally given by junior personnel who struggle in service and even after retirement to make both ends meet,” he said.

Punjab has more than 3 lakh ex-servicemen, mostly junior personnel such as sepoys, lance nayaks, havildars, seamen and airmen from the army, the navy and the air force.

“85% of the junior rank employees in the forces retire after 17-20 years of service, and their survival later becomes an issue,” Bahadur Singh said.

OROP: Ex-servicemen protest atop water tank

Climb down after they were assured of a meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

Protesting against the non-implementation of the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme, four ex-servicemen had climbed a water tank near Jagraon bridge and threatened suicide if their demands were not met. They decided to end their protest later in the evening after assurances from the government.

The men, under the banner of the Sanka Sainik Sangarsh Committee, climbed the tank at 2.30 am. They said they were disheartened at the growing disparity in the pay and pension between the jawan and office cadre. They also want to meet the Union defence minister.

The protesters – Harbhal Singh, Pargat Singh, Kartar Singh and Gurdial Singh – had threatened to jump to their deaths if their demands were not met by 6 pm on Friday. Soon SDM and local police arrived at the spot to negotiate with the protesters. By 6.30 pm, they claimed they were shown a fax from the defence ministry, which agreed to fix an appointment with the minister within a fortnight.

Beer Bahadur, National Coordinator of Voice of Ex-servicemen society, said, “The four had protested in Jantar Mantar from August 23 to September 7. We had a meeting with joint secretary at PMO office on October 11 where they had asked us to give everything in writing yet again. And today we had a meeting at Chandigarh road to apprise all the union members about details of meeting at PMO office, but much before the meeting, they climbed the water tank. We are here to support them.”

Nalin Talwar added,”Since 1973 the pay and pension disparity between officers and jawans have been increasing and even if it is corrected, it will take more than 15 years to fill this gap.”

The members demanded that the disability pension and military service pension should be equal to all ranks. JCOs and Jawans should be paid 75% of the pension of their last drawn salary, they demanded. They wanted officers to stop asking jawans to do their personal chores.

Meanwhile, a meeting of Ex-servicemen welfare society comprising was held at Bistro restaurant in Ghumar Mandi where Dafedar Harjinder Singh Khera from Patiala had arrived. Khera is on a motorcycle yatra to all parts of Punjab to spread awareness of OROP. Col R.S Sohi (retd), President of Ludhiana Ex-servicemen welfare society said, “The protest by at Delhi is for one and all and Gen Satbir Singh who is leading the protest said that demands of widows, jawans will be met first.”- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/orop-ex-servicemen-protest-atop-water-tank/#sthash.DRMg89MK.dpuf

OROP protest: 4 ex-servicemen climb water tank, threaten suicide

Four ex-servicemen climbed atop a water tank in Chandigarh and threatened to commit suicide by jumping off it if their demands regarding the One Rank One Pension (OROP) issue were not met, police said.

Ex-servicemen Harbhal Singh, Pargat Singh, Gurdial Singh and Kartar Singh, all residents of Taran Taran, said they would end their lives by jumping off the water tank if the government did not accept their demands. The army veterans are protesting under the banner of Voice of Ex-Servicemen Society that has retired JCOs and NCOs from across the country as

SHO Beant Juneja’s efforts to persuade them into ending their protest did not yield any positive results. The protest was underway till the filing of this report.

National coordinator of Voice of Ex-Servicemen Society Bir Bahadur Singh said the ex-servicemen would continue with their protest till the government agrees to their demands. He accused senior retired officials of hijacking the slogan of the OROP issue which, he claimed, was originally given by the officials junior in rank to them.

Bir Bahadur Singh listed their main demands — equal benefits for all defense personnel irrespective of rank which include disability pension, widow pension, service pension, transparency in grant of bravery medals, equality for allotment of licenses of security agencies, freedom of sepoys languishing in Pakistan jails.

Hotline between Northern Command and PLA to be discussed

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Northern Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda’s visit to China from December 14 to 19 will fine-tune communication channels between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for quickly resolving stand-offs in Ladakh.A hotline between the Northern Command Headquarters and the PLA may also be established.“Besides fine-tuning military ties, a hotline between the Northern Command and the PLA in the western sector and more mechanisms to quickly resolve incidents of stand-off at the local level will be discussed between General Hooda and his counterpart from the western sector,” said a defence source.The Line of Actual Control (LAC) has not been delineated in Ladakh. Therefore, both sides will evolve more efficient ways and methods at the local level to avoid stand-offs, the source added.A defence official pointed out that military ties between the two countries had been constantly improving.“This year both armies have opened two more border meeting points — Chushul and Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) — in Ladakh and now this visit will further propel the ties,” he said.“Since there is no well-defined LAC, incidents of transgression do occur but there is an understanding between us to maintain peace and this visit will further fine-tune coordination at the local level,” the defence official said.Till May 4 this year, both sides had witnessed 59 face-offs and 68 incidents of transgression on the LAC in Ladakh.On August, India and China opened their fifth border meeting point at the Daulat Beg Oldie sector in northern Ladakh for local Army commanders to meet and sort out issues amicably.“Lt Gen Hooda will lead a delegation of military officers to China from December 14 to 19 on the invitation of the Chinese government,” said defence spokesperson Col SD Goswami said.Lt Gen Hooda and other officers will visit various military and civil establishments in China, including the PLA Headquarters at Beijing and the Lanzhou military region, he said.The delegation will also exchange views on measures to usher in greater peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh and Xingjiang province of China, he said.China had denied visa in 2010 to then Northern Command chief Lt Gen BS Jaswal on the grounds that he was responsible for a “disputed” state.

On agenda

• Lt Gen Hooda (in pic) to lead a delegation of military officers to China on December 14
• The Line of Actual Control (LAC) has not been delineated in Ladakh. Therefore, both sides to evolve more efficient ways at the local level to avoid stand-offs.
• The delegation to visit various military and civil establishments in China, including the PLA Headquarters at Beijing and the Lanzhou military region

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 9

Forty-four years after he spearheaded the Army’s charge to Dacca (now Dhaka) during the 1971 Bangladesh Campaign, the country’s one of the most highly decorated soldiers marched into oblivion. Brig Sant Singh, twice decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), the second highest award for gallantry, passed away here last night.
He was 94 and had been ailing for some time. He is survived by his daughter Satinder Kaur who is married to a brigadier. Hailing from Panjgrain village near Kotkapura, he had settled down in Chandigarh after retirement. The cremation is scheduled to take place tomorrow.
Belonging to the Sikh Light Infantry, he was among the only six individuals to have been awarded the Maha Vir Chakra twice. With his demise only one such recipient now remains alive.
During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, he was commanding the FJ sector in the eastern theatre and his formation achieved spectacular results, advancing 38 miles almost on foot, to secure Mymensingh and Madhopur in eight days. During the advance, in spite of stiff opposition from the enemy, he cleared heavily defended positions at several places, personally leading the troops. His advance paved the way for Indian troops to enter Dacca (now Dhaka) and he was among the first officers to enter the headquarters of the East Pakistan Commander, Lt Gen AAK Niazi. For his action, he was awarded the MVC. A framed-picture of Niazi and a desktop time-piece, which he seized from Niazi’s office, was his war trophies displayed in his home.
Six years earlier, in November 1965, while commanding a Sikh Light infantry battalion, then Lt Col Sant Singh had evicted Pakistani troops from OP Hill in Jammu and Kashmir, that had encroached on the Indian territory after the ceasefire. Despite difficult terrain and mine fields, the feature was wrestled back after a bitter hand-to-hand fight. For displayed conspicuous gallantry and leadership in the face of heavy fire, he had received his first MVC.
Lt Gen NPS Hira, Colonel of the Sikh Light Infantry, has condoled Brig Sant Singh’s death. The entire Sikh Light Infantry fraternity treasures his courage, significant contribution and pays tribute to the worthy officer, he said.
In his message, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh said Brig Sant Singh was an exceptional soldier of whom the Army and the nation was proud of and in his death, the country had lost a great soldier whose services would always be remembered.

Service: Army
Arm: Infantry
Unit: Sikh Light Infantry
P. Number: IC-5479
Birth: 12 Jul 1921
Marital Status: Married
Medals:
MVC, Operation: 1971 Cactus Lily, Date of Award: 02 Jan 1972  More Details
MVC, Operation: 1965 Riddle, Date of Award: 02 Nov 1965  More Details
Permanent Address:
1545, Sector 36-D
Chandigarh
160036
India
Contact Details:
Telephone: 01722601063

Gazette Notification: 22 Pres/72,12-2-72
Operation: 1971 Cactus Lily
Date of Award: 02 Jan 1972

Citation:

In November 1965, i.e. after the ceasefire with Pakistan, Brig Sant Singh, then a Lt Col commanding a battalion of the Sikh Light infantry, drove out Pakistanis, who had encroached on our territory, after a bitter hand-to-hand fight. This gallantry earned him the MVC. Then in 1971, as a senior commander in the eastern theatre, he carried out a rapid advance in the face of stiff enemy opposition, thus capturing Mymensingh and Madhopur. His conspicuous gallantry and inspiring leadership were recognised by the grant of the Bar to his MVC.

BRAVEST OF the BRAVE – BRIGADIER SANT SINGH, MVC(Bar)

In November 1965, i.e. after the ceasefire with Pakistan, Brig Sant Singh, then a Lt Col commanding a battalion of the Sikh Light infantry, drove out Pakistanis, who had encroached on our territory, after a bitter hand-to-hand fight. On the night of 2 November 1965, Lieutenant Colonel Sant Singh was given the task of clearing an objective, which notwithstanding the cease-fire had been encroached upon by Pakistani forces. This was a difficult feature & strongly defended by the enemy. Despite enemy mines and artillery fire, Lieutenant Colonel Sant Singh moved forward with his men, charged the enemy and, after a bitter hand-to-hand fight, cleared the objective. Later, taking advantage of his position, Lieutenant Colonel Sant Singh moved from bunker to bunker in the face of heavy artillery and automatic fire encouraging his men and cleared another objective, which also had been encroached upon by Pakistani forces. Throughout, Lieutenant Colonel Sant Singh displayed conspicuous gallantry and leadership of a high order.

Commanding the Punjab regiment in the eastern sector during the 1971 war with Pakistan, Brigadier Singh was entrusted with the task of capturing Mymensingh, a well defended enemy stronghold. But Pakistan aware of an impeding Indian attack had deployed a strong force to hold back any Indian advance.The experienced Brigadier, however failed their plans by his tactics and resourcefulness and Mymensingh was easily captured. The Brigadier marched ahead another 60km. to capture Madhopur, a vital town on the road of Dhaka.All through these operations, the Brigadier led from the front, ably directing his troops. His gallantry encouraged the Indians to advance rapidly despite strong Pakistani resistance. For his inspiring leadership, the Brigadier was awarded the bar to the Mahavir Chakra.
Medals:
MVC, Operation: 1971 Cactus Lily, Date of Award: 02 Jan 1972
Bar MVC, Operation: 1965 Riddle, Date of Award: 02 Nov 1965
Brig Sant Singh was born in Village Panjgrain near Kotkapura and currently lives in Chandigarh.

Armed Forces Flag Day was celebrated at District Sainik Welfare Office on Monday. On the day, our fellow countrymen remembered the sacrifices made by the Army personnel for the nation. They donated to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund for the families of the martyrs and Army personnel, who got disabled during the war, and for war widows. The day is celebrated every year on December 7. Speaking on the occasion, DC Rajat Agarwal appealed to all city residents to wholeheartedly donate for the fund.Seminar on latest advances in laserOver 75 dental surgeons from various parts of Punjab and surrounding states attended a seminar on latest advances in lasers held by the Indian Dental Association. Dr Ajay Chabbra, principal, Bhojia Dental College, inaugurated the seminar. Dr Vipul Srivastva, a renowned endodontist from Lucknow, talked about latest advances in laser dentistry. He described the materials and instruments to be use in pain free surgical dentistry with the help of lasers. In the afternoon session, Dr Vipul gave hands on demonstration to around 40 dental surgeons. Meanwhile, a continuing dental education programme on ‘latest advances in laser dentistry’ was also held at the BJS Dental College, Hospital and Research Institute on Monday.

Acupuncture camp

A seminar-cum-camp was organised by Dr DN Kotnis Health and Education Centre to mark the completion of 40 years of the acupuncture system. Dr Elahee, president, Acupuncture Council, Bangladesh, and others provided free acupuncture services to nearly 380 patients. It was announced that a national seminar would be held on Tuesday, where doctors from different parts of the country would be participating.

Our Correspondent
Pithoragarh, November 29
Indian vehicles were denied entry into Nepal at Banbasa border in Champawat district today after a faction of Nepalese Maoists called for a bandh against alleged anti-Nepal policies of India.
The bandh affected Mahendranagar town of Kanchanpur district on the India-Nepal border.
“We have not allowed Indian vehicles into Nepal via Banbasa bridge today after a bandh call by the Maoists (Viplav faction) in Nepal, but Nepalese vehicles plied normally,” said DS Kunwar, Superintendent of Police, Champawat.
The decision to prevent the entry of Indian vehicles was taken at a meeting attended by officials of the SSB and the Nepalese police, the police officer said.
“The Nepalese police had advised against allowing Indian vehicle towards their territory fearing violence by the Maoist group which has called for the bandh,” said the SP. The Champawat SP said the Indian police had stopped the smuggling of petroleum products from Banbasa towards Nepal after shortage of fuel in Nepal and some gangs of smugglers had gone active on the border as well.
“We have controlled trips of some Nepalese smugglers who used to make several visits inside Indian territory to take petrol and diesel illegally to that country,” said the Champawat SP.
The SP said the SSB and Nepalese police besides several intelligence agencies had beefed up security on the border adjoining Champawat.

Nepal unrest hits trade, many lose jobs in Bihar

The “Madhesi movement” in Nepal has brought to a standstill the lives of many families in Bihar who were working for companies in the neighbouring country.
After the implementation of the new Constitution, Madhesis (Indian-origin Nepalis) started an agitation against the Nepal Government as they felt their basic rights and facilities under various government schemes had been scrapped.
Industries, shops and schools were forcibly closed by the community members that left thousands of Bihari workers jobless. Those left in Nepal were victimised due to the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and petroleum products. Weary of the situation, they finally returned to their homes in Bihar whose seven districts share border with Nepal where prices of essential items have risen up by 10-15 times.
“What can I do if I lost my job? I was unable to sustain in Nepal where the prospect of the movement was looming large. How can I pay Rs 6,000 for a gas cylinder? Returning home is also not safe but I somehow managed to reach here,” said Radhey Shyam Singh, a resident of Motihari.
Raj Kumar Gupta, president of Indo-Nepal Chamber of Commerce in Raxaul, said: “The prolong movement in Nepal has paralysed trade and commerce in Bihar and the transportation has crippled. The government has paid no heed to the traders and workers who are turning jobless daily. Condition is even worse in Bihar’s seven districts — East Champaran, West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj.”
He said: “The turnover of daily business transaction at Indo-Nepal border is of over Rs 12-15 crore, as 70 per cent of commercial activities in Nepal depend on Indian traders. Raxaul border has only been legalised for exit and entrance of foreign tourists and foreign export and import activities monitored by Indian custom officials. Petroleum and goods-laden trucks are queued up for days.”
Ramakant Singh, a cloth merchant from Muzaffarpur, said: “We do our business in four districts of Nepal —Dhanusa, Sirha, Mahthari and Saptari. Now we don’t dare to go for collection after the chaotic condition developed. We are bearing the brunt of the agitation of Madhesis, who are in majority in Nepal.”
Koraiya resident Manoj Paswan, who wants to see her daughter Ragini in Janakpur town of Nepal, said: “My daughter lives in Janakpur. If I knew things will turn so ugly in the area, I would have never got my daughter married there. After implementation of the new Constitution, my daughter, who has two children, would not be entitled to many rights and facilities of the Nepal Government.”
New Constitution angers Madhesis
After the implementation of the new Constitution, Madhesis (Indian-origin Nepalis) launched an agitation against the Nepal Government as they felt their basic rights and facilities under various government schemes had been scrapped
Industries, shops and schools were forcibly closed by the community members that left thousands of workers from Bihar jobless
Those left in Nepal fell victim to the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and petroleum products

Balasore, November 26

India today successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable 350-km range Prithvi-II missile as part of a user trial by the army.
The test was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur at 1210 hrs.
“The data relating to the trial conducted by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) shows positive results,” said a defence source.
The surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile is capable of carrying 500-to-1,000 kg of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engines. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target.
“The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the entire launch activities were carried out by the specially formed SFC and monitored by the scientists of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of the training exercise,” a defence scientist said.
“The missile trajectory was tracked by DRDO radars, electro-optical tracking systems and telemetry stations located along the coast of Odisha,” he said.
The downrange teams on board a ship deployed near the designated impact point in the Bay of Bengal monitored terminal events and the splashdown, they said.
Inducted into India’s armed forces in 2003, Prithvi II, the first missile to be developed by the DRDO under India’s prestigious IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program) is now a proven technology.
Such training launches clearly indicate India’s operational readiness to meet any eventuality and also establishes the reliability of this deterrent component of the country’s strategic arsenal, they said. The last user trial of Prithvi-II was successfully conducted on February 19, 2015 from the same test range in Odisha. — PTI
Can carry 500-1,000 kg of warheads
The test was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur at 1210 hrs
“The data relating to the trial conducted by the Strategic Force Command shows positive results,” said a defence source
The surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile is capable of carrying 500-to-1,000 kg of warheads