Lt-Gen Raj Sujlana (retd)

THE Army has a hierarchical chain of ranks from a Lieutenant to a General. Officers gradually progress up the ladder, manning a host of appointments at various levels of command and staff. Besides, there is an appointment of the Colonel of the Regiment (COR) which is not a part of this chain. It is different, and a privilege which comes only to a few. It differs from the rank of a Colonel and is held by a senior officer of every regiment, normally a serving General Officer of the same Regiment. It bestows on the officer, who is a fatherly figure for the regiment and responsible for the morale and welfare of his regiment. He regularly visits battalions of his regiment to address their issues, give advice, look after welfare of war widows and all ex-servicemen. The selection is by common suffrage but is restricted to one vote for each officer i.e. Colonel rank and above of the same regiment. The COR has a special privilege —he can wear the rank insignia of a Colonel whenever he visits any of his battalions. The analogy being that, a Colonel is the last rank which is in direct and daily contact with the troops. Officers thus selected have spent over two decades with the troops, earned their spurs in the junior ranks through thick and thin up to a Colonel’s rank and then move to higher command a bit detached from the direct contact with troops. This appointment, in Army parlance is referred to as ‘The Colonel’, and is a continued process and pinnacle of Regimentation in the Army.

I had the privilege of being ‘The Colonel’ of the Sikh Regiment. The tenure of over half a decade remains specially etched in mind —the wonderful interaction with the serving fraternity in varied conditions and situations, reaching out to war widows and ESM, ameliorating their problems and not to forget the tot of rum and vigorous Bhangra with them!

‘One travels in a time machine of yesteryears donning a colonels’ rank while holding the rank of General and can often land up in a humorous situation. In peace locations, formal social gatherings, if organised, are attended by officers from other regiments as well. During one of such evenings, as I mingled with the officers, a young Major, a doctor came up and said, “

“Sir, I owe you an apology!” A bit perplexed, I looked at him and wondered what possibly the reason for this was, but memory failed to ring a bell. His embarrassment was obvious as he went on, “Sir, during the evening I had observed many Colonels in the party, but you were drawing particular respect from all present, so I asked one of your Regimental Officers why this elderly Colonel was getting unwarranted respect, and reality dawned. So, sir do pardon me as I was somewhat unparliamentary!”

In another social evening, I was in conversation with a group of young Lieutenants when suddenly one of them said, “Sir I observe you are posted at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), what appointment you hold there?” Not expecting such a query, I looked at him and replied, “Well, whenever I have spare time, I love to put on The Colonel;s rank and visit battalions of the Sikh Regiment, otherwise, routinely, I perform the duties of the Commandant, IMA!” The poor guy looked shell shocked.

In both cases, I broke into a smile and told them, “to relax and enjoy the evening, life is a learning process and I am sure today you are wiser that there is an appointment of ‘The Colonel’ in the Army!

Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News service

Jammu, June 19

It has been 20 years since the Kargil war, when valiant forces of the Indian Army, fighting difficult terrain coupled with indifferent weather conditions, defeated the enemy sitting on an advantageous position. This is also the time to remember the brave who made it possible.

One such brave officer, who was awarded Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) for his service, is Colonel Balwan Singh Panghal. He was a lieutenant during the Kargil War and an indispensable part of 18 Grenadiers unit, under whose command the Army had successfully launched the assault on the Tiger Hill.

He, along with his platoon, was instrumental in regaining the supremacy of Indian Army in the area, where the enemy was keeping a close watch on every movement of the Indian forces and was inflicting damage.

Talking to The Tribune, Col Balwan Singh Panghal, who is posted in sub-area Ambala now, shared memories of the war and the efforts that went in to capture the Tiger Hill and turn the tide in the country’s favour.

Belonging to Sasroli village in Jajhar district of Haryana, Col Panghal became a household name across the country in general and Haryana in particular at that time.

Giving details of the operation, Panghal said, “Firstly, our platoon was given the task of capturing Tololing post, from where the enemy was continuously monitoring our movement and was attacking the Srinagar-Leh national highway. Moving through a difficult terrain in a freezing weather, we managed to get back Tololing in 22 days but we lost our two senior officials in the assault, Lt Col R Vishwanathan and Major Adhikari, and 23 other soldiers.”

“After that, we were assigned the task to get back the Tiger Hill. We started the operation on July 2, 1999, and on July 4, after a five-hour fierce gun battle, we claimed it back but lost nine soldiers,” the Colonel said.

He, along with 24 other soldiers, had led the assault on Tiger Hill and it was the most difficult part of the operation, as several other assaults had been unsuccessful.

“When we started the assault, firstly only seven soldiers managed to reach one of the posts on Tiger Hill and they killed 30 to 35 Pakistani soldiers, but out of these seven soldiers, six died and only Sepoy Yoginder Singh Yadav (now Subedar) managed to come back in critical condition. During the final assault, we managed to capture the Tiger Hill without losing any soldier,” he stated.

It was his planning and the crucial information provided by Sepoy Yoginder Singh Yadav after returning from the enemy post which enabled Col Panghal to capture the Tiger Hill.

Srinagar, June 18

The two soldiers who were injured in the IED blast in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir had succumbed to their injuries, a defence spokesman said on Tuesday.

Nine soldiers and two civilians were injured as militants targeted an Army patrol with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Arihal in Pulwama district on Monday.

“Two soldiers, brought to hospital with severe contusions and concussions, have succumbed to their injuries at 92 Base Hospital,” the spokesman said.

On Monday, he had sought to play down the attack saying it was a “failed attempt” and except for a “few minor injuries, all troops were safe”.

“A failed attempt was made to attack a mobile vehicle patrol of 44 RR with a Vehicle Based IED while the Army patrol was moving in the general area Arihal in Pulwama on Monday evening,” the spokesman said in a statement here.

He said the reports of attack on an Army convoy are “unfounded and baseless”.

“Troops all safe. A few minor injuries,” the defence spokesman said, adding that the damage was minimised due to the alertness of the patrol party. PTI

Major, ultra killed in Anantnag gunfight

Anantnag, June 17

A Major and a Pakistani militant were killed, while another officer of the same rank and a soldier were injured during a daylong gunfight in Anantnag district today.

In another incident, at least five Army personnel were injured when militants triggered an improvised explosive device fitted in a vehicle near an Army patrol in the militancy-hit Pulwama district of south Kashmir today.

The slain Major, who hailed from Meerut, has been identified as Ketan Sharma of the 19RR. “More information about him will be shared after his family is informed about the incident,” an Army officer told The Tribune. He said the injured soldiers, including Major Rahul Verma, were being treated at the Army’s base hospital in Srinagar. “We will be sharing further details about their condition soon,” the officer said. The gunfight took place in Bidoora village of Achabal in Anantnag, around 67 km from Srinagar city.

“An operation was launched around 7 am and the militant started firing around 7.15 am. His initial firing left the Major and another soldier injured, but later in the day Major Ketan Sharma was killed in exchange of fire,” a senior police official said. He said the unidentified militant was killed after several hours of gunfight when the house, where he was hiding, was blown up using explosives.

Meanwhile, an Army patrol vehicle was targeted around 6 pm with a car bomb in Arihal area of Pulwama, leaving at least five soldiers and a civilian injured. “The bomb went off, leaving the army vehicle damaged and some soldiers injured,” a local police official said, adding that a civilian working in a nearby field also sustained injuries.

Defence spokesman Rajesh Kalia called the IED attack a “failed attempt”. “It was a failed attempt and reports of attack on Army convoy are unfounded and baseless. All troops are safe. Just a few suffered minor injuries,” he said.

Pak warned of terror attack

• The Pulwama IED attack was carried out days after Pakistan shared intelligence reports with India regarding a possible IED attack in south Kashmir after which J&K was put on high alert
• The car bomb is the third such attack in south Kashmir since the deadly Pulwama attack of February 14 that left 40 CRPF personnel dead
• Another such failed attempt was made with a car bomb in Banihal on March 30 when six suspects, including a PhD scholar, were arrested by the NIA

Tribune News Service

Rajouri, May 5

The Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked shelling on Indian forward posts and civilian areas along the Line of Control in Rajouri and Poonch districts this morning. The Commanding Officer (CO) of an Army unit deployed in Mankot sector of Poonch district and four soldiers were injured in the shelling, said sources.

Col AP Singh and soldiers DK Yadav, PT Arjun, M Singh and K Singh received splinter injuries and were taken to the Army hospital at Rajouri.

An Army porter was also injured in the Rattal area of Keri sector in Rajouri and was shifted to the Command Hospital in Udhampur.

Since the Balakot airstrikes in February, the Pakistan army has violated the ceasefire 517 times.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 13

The controversy over the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France has taken a new turn following an article published in French daily claimed that Anil Ambani’s France-based company (not the same dealing with Dassault Aviation) was given a tax waiver of 143.7 million euros (over Rs 1,100 crore).

The waiver came in October 2015, six months after PM Narendra Modi announced the Rafale deal in April 2015,  Le Monde reported. Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence is an offset partner of Dassault in the Rafale deal. Reacting to the report by the French daily, Reliance Communications said the tax demands were completely unsustainable and illegal, and denied any “favouritism or gain from settlement”. 

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the period of tax concession did not relate “even remotely” to the Rafale deal.

Anil Ambani’s France-based  ‘Reliance Flag Atlantic France’ deals in under-sea cabling which carries telephone and internet traffic. French tax authorities, after a probe, found the company liable to pay 60 million euros in taxes for the period between 2007 and 2010. Reliance offered to pay 7.6 million euros as a settlement. 

This offer was turned down, and the French authorities conducted a fresh probe from 2010 to 2012 and levied an additional 91 million euros, Le Monde reported.

However, six months after the Rafale announcement, the French tax authorities accepted 7.3 million euros from the company as a settlement, the daily reported.

“France has cancelled a tax recovery of a total amount of 143.7 million euros, yet claimed for years, in favour of a French company belonging to Reliance Communications,” it reported. The French daily cited an auditor’s report of January 30, 2015, saying Reliance Flag Atlantic France is subject to two tax adjustments. It claimed that the parent company of the French company of Anil Ambani, Reliance Globalcom Ltd, is domiciled in Bermuda, which is on the blacklist of tax havens in the EU. In a statement, Reliance Communications said: “Reliance Flag settled tax disputes as per legal framework available to all companies operating in France.”

The MoD said: “Any connections drawn between the tax issue and the Rafale matter is totally inaccurate and a mischievous attempt to disinform… neither the period of the tax concession nor the subject matter of the concession relate even remotely to the Rafale deal concluded during the tenure of the present government.”

No political interference: France

• France has clarified a global settlement was reached between the French tax authorities and Reliance Flag, and that it was not subject to any political interference
• “The settlement was conducted in full adherence with the legislative framework governing this common practice of the tax administration,” the French embassy said

It’s Modi’s kripa: Cong

“This is called zero sum choices, startling tax concession and Modi ‘kripa’… PM Modi is acting as middleman for Anil Ambani… It is clear only one watchman is the thief.” —Randeep Surjewala, Cong spokesperso

The more Pakistan plays the ‘victim’ card, the less credible it appears. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Sunday that India was devising a plan to attack Pakistan, probably between April 16 and 20, after staging a ‘mishap’ in Jammu and Kashmir. Citing ‘reliable’ intelligence, he stated that the purpose of the ‘misadventure’ would be to justify India’s offensive against Pakistan and increase diplomatic pressure on Islamabad. Crying wolf, the neighbour has already apprised five permanent members of the UN Security Council about the so-called conspiracy.

The preemptive move betrays Pakistan’s nervousness in the light of its abject failure to rein in terror outfits operating from its soil. India has rightly dismissed Pakistan’s statement as irresponsible and preposterous and seen through the ploy of absolving itself of responsibility in case there is a repeat of the Pulwama terror strike. With several terror assets in place across the border, Pakistan has every reason to be nervous about one of its modules trying its luck with or without explicit instructions from Rawalpindi. Even though the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) had promptly owned up the February 14 attack on a CRPF convoy, Pakistan is suggesting that India orchestrated it all to justify the Balakot airstrike. This laughable theory will cut no ice with the international community, which is already distrustful of Pakistan’s claims and intentions. The Imran Khan government’s purported crackdown on banned militant outfits has proved to be an eyewash. In late February, India had handed over a dossier to Pakistan with details of the JeM’s complicity in the Pulwama attack and the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in the neighbouring country. A month later, Pakistan announced that it had found no evidence to prosecute 50-odd persons who were detained in connection with the terror strike.

Thanks to the Balakot operation, India managed to call Pakistan’s nuclear bluff. The neighbour’s latest act of desperation won’t help it defend the indefensible. India should remain on guard and resist getting provoked into taking any rash step. Sooner than later, and not for the first time, Pakistan could end up with egg on its face.

he 260 feet Maitri Bridge, the longest cable suspension bridge over the Indus river, has been built by Combat Engineers using innovative engineering methods in a record time of 40 days

War veterans of 1947-48, 1962, 1971 and 1999 operations in the Ladakh region led by Naik Phunchok Angdus (Retd), an 89-year-old war veteran, on Monday dedicated a cable suspension bridge constructed by the Indian Army’s Fire and Fury Corps over the mighty Indus river at Choglamsar in Leh. The Army undertook the task of building the Maitri Bridge on Indus river following requests received from the civil administration to help the locals of Choglamsar, Stok and Chuchot villages (largest villages of Ladakh region).

The bridge was opened to the public by war veterans in the presence of Lt Gen YK Joshi, General Officer Commanding, Fire and Fury Corps, in a brief ceremony which was attended by a large number of local Army veterans besides senior Army and civil administration officials.

​The 260 feet cable suspension bridge, which has been built using innovative engineering methods, is the longest suspension bridge over the Indus river. It was constructed by the Combat Engineers (Sahas aur Yogyata Regiment) of the Fire & Fury Corps in a record time of 40 days, ferrying almost 500 tonnes of bridging equipment and construction material.

Symbolising the excellent civil-military relations existing in the Leh-Ladakh region, the bridge, named Maitri Bridge, has been constructed in the year when the Fire and Fury Corps is celebrating 20 years of Kargil Vijay Diwas.
Locals of the area thanked the Army for constructing the bridge, which has brought much relief to people of the area.

Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, March 27

The Ferozepur police today nabbed a former Army driver who had absconded after killing a Chandigarh resident while attending a relative’s marriage five years ago. He was staying with a changed identity in Ludhiana for the past five years.

Sandeep Goyal, SSP, said the accused identified as Ranjit Singh, who was booked in a murder case five years ago, had been working as a driver in 11 Fd unit of the Army in Bathinda in 2014.

The SSP said Ranjit had gone to attend his cousin’s marriage on December 11, 2014, in Makhu where he allegedly killed Gulshan Dhiman of Chandigarh with his licensed revolver following an altercation.

After committing the crime, Ranjit reached Bathinda Military Station, where he continued his service in the Army for the next three months.

When the police reached Bathinda, Ranjit escaped. Later, he was declared as Proclaimed Offender (PO) on August 7, 2015. Subsequently, he was declared PO by the Army also due to his continued absence. For the next five years, Ranjit kept evading arrest and continued to dodge the police, the SSP said.

“At present, he was working as a driver with a local businessman from where he was nabbed,” the SSP added.

New Delhi, March 23

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday paid tribute to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru on their death anniversary observed as ‘Shaheed Diwas’ (Martyr’s Day), saying the spirit of revolution espoused by them is running in our veins.

Gandhi said we will continue to fight the battle for their thoughts and ideals.

“Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru are not mere names, they are the spirit of revolution running in our veins,” he tweeted in Hindi.

View image on Twitter

Rahul Gandhi

 ✔@RahulGandhi

  भगत सिंह, सुखदेव, राजगुरु, सिर्फ़ नाम नहीं हैं; हमारे रगों में दौड़ता क्रांति का एक जज़्बा हैं। 

उनका जीवन, आज भी, हमें मज़बूत बनाता है, आज़ाद बनाता है, इंसान बनाता है।

शहीद दिवस पर हमारे वीरों को शत् शत् नमन।

उनके विचारों और आदर्शो की लड़ाई हम जारी रखेंगे।#ShaheedDiwas

 “Their lives make us strong even today and make us free and human. On Martyrs Day, we bow our heads to our bravehearts. We will continue to fight the battle for their thoughts and ideals,” Gandhi wrote. — PTI