Current Events :
Naxals had recently put up posters in Bastar region calling for boycott of the Assembly polls. File
Raipur, October 27
Four personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and two injured after Naxals blew up a mine-protected vehicle (MPV) in poll-bound Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Saturday, police said.
The incident occurred around 4 pm near Murdanda camp of the CRPF under Awapalli police station, when its 168th battalion was out on “area domination” operation, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg said.
When the MPV carrying six personnel was around 1 km away from the camp, ultras triggered a powerful land mine blast, he said.
“Four paramilitary personnel were killed and two others were injured in the blast,” he said.
Reinforcement was rushed to the spot immediately and the injured personnel were being evacuated, the official said, adding they were retrieving the bodies from the site.
The attack took place on a day when Chief Minister Raman Singh launched the ruling BJP’s campaign for the first phase of polls on November 12 in neighbouring Sukma district.
The first phase of election will cover 18 constituencies in eight Naxal-affected districts — Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon.
Naxals had recently put up posters in parts of Bastar region calling for boycott of the polls. PTI
Imphal, October 19
In a move to strengthen bilateral ties, the Indian Army has handed over 15 trained horses to its Myanmarese counterpart at a ceremonial function at Moreh town in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, along the India-Myanmar border, an official release said.
The ceremony, organised by the Assam Rifles on Thursday, was aimed at enhancing “mutual trust and bonding between the armies” of the two Asian neighbours, the release issued by the paramilitary force said. The horses, which reached Moreh town on Wednesday from Hempur in Uttarakhand, were selected by a Myanmarese delegation during their visit to Remount Training School and Remount Veterinary Corps in the northern state in September. They were “provided on sale to the Myanmar army as part of defence foreign co-operation measures” between the two nations, the release said.
The Hempur establishment has a “rich experience of 240 years” in breeding and training of horses and dogs for the Army and its counterparts in other countries. — PTI
Tribune News Service
Jammu, October 18
Lt Gen Paramjit Singh, General Officer Commanding, White Knight Corps, visited the Surankote sector and the Counter Insurgency Force (Romeo) at Palma on Thursday.
During the visit to the Counter Insurgency Force headquarters, The General was briefed on the prevailing the security situation and the conduct of the recently held urban local bodies elections in the region and the forthcoming panchayat polls.
He was also briefed on the actions being taken to ensure a robust counter-terrorist grid to enable continued peace and stability in the region.
The General complimented the troops for ensuring the situation remains stable and lauded the local population, especially the Gujjar abd Bakerwal community, for their support in bringing peace to the region. He appreciated the civil administration and other security forces for their synergised efforts, which resulted in the successful conduct of the urban local bodies elections.
The General also interacted with soldiers and complimented them for displaying high standard of professionalism. He was appreciative of the measures and the standard operating procedures instituted by the units and formations in their area of responsibility and for the conduct of operations without causing inconvenience to the locals.
Sepoy Happy Singh of Ram Nagar Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda, Punjab.
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 27
Two civilians, a soldier and three militants, including an SPO-turned-militant, were killed in Kashmir on Thursday.
Three encounters broke out in Anantnag, Srinagar and Budgam districts when security forces launched three separate operations in the wee hours of Thursday.
A civilian was killed at Noorbagh locality in Srinagar city, during a cordon and search operation which was launched following an input about the presence of militants.
The slain civilian was identified as Mohammad Saleem Malik. Security sources said they had an input about the presence of two militants in the area when the operation was launched.
Intense clashes erupted in the area and authorities suspended mobile internet in Srinagar to maintain law and order.
J&K Police blamed militants for the death of Malik.
“…The hiding terrorists fired indiscriminately resulting in death of Saleem Malik,” a police spokesman said. The operation was later called off.
In a separate gunfight, a soldier and a local militant were killed in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district that broke out on Thursday morning.
The gunfight broke at Gaksigund Dooru when the forces were carrying out a search operation in the area.
“In the gunfight, a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant commander and a soldier were killed,” police said.
Police identified the slain militant as Asif Malik.
“He was involved in several attacks on security forces including the killing of CRPF men at Achabal this year and in many other cases of civilian atrocities,” a police spokesman said.
The slain jawan was identified as 25-year-old Happy Singh of 19 Rashtriya Rifles and a resident of Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda.
Two local militants were killed and two soldiers were injured in another gunfight in Budgam district.
The two local militants were trapped in Panzan mosque during a cordon and a search operation. Special forces were deployed to flush out the militants.
“Security forces also appealed to the terrorists to come out. However, the terrorists turned down the offer and consequently the operation had to be carried out in a deliberate manner keeping intact the sanctity of the mosque. In this operation, two terrorists were killed,” the spokesman said.
The two militants were identified as Sheeraz Ahmad Bhat of Kralwari Chadoora and Irfan Ahmad Dar of Kakapora Pulwama and the two were affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen.
Irfan Ahmad Dar was working as an SPO and had deserted a couple of months ago, the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, an unidentified man was killed in alleged Army firing in Kupwara district.
Police said the Army at around 2 am had laid an ambush at Rangward area of Kralpora when they noticed a man moving in the area who was challenged.
“He ran away and the Army fired at him. The man was injured and taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning,” he said.
The identity of the slain youth could not be established. However, he does not appear to be a local.
A Srinagar-based defence spokesman said they were ascertaining the facts about the incident.
PARIS:
Images of two trade union documents put up by the French blog Portail Aviation may add fodder to the political wrangling over the deal for 36 Rafale jets sealed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the French in 2016.
The images are of documents published by two unions of Rafale-maker Dassault – the CFDT and CGT. These are minutes of a meeting held on May 11 2017, in which the number 2 of Dassault Aviation, Loik Segalenn, is talking about the joint venture with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence.
The CGT statement says, “…a complete presentation of ‘Make in India’ with the creation of the enterprise ‘Dassault Reliance Aerospace’ at Nagpur was done for us”.
The blog does not interpret the documents and leaves it to readers to conclude whether or not Reliance was imposed on the French as a partner as a condition for the deal.
The CFDT’s document was mentioned earlier in a report by the French publication Mediapart just after former French President Francois Hollande’s explosive statement that France had no choice when it came to selecting Anil Ambani and his rookie company as offset partner for Dassault. According to Mediapart, an internal document of Dassault confirmed Mr Hollande’s statement.
Dassault denied the allegation, saying the reference in the document was to the obligation to make offset investments in India and not the compulsion to get into a joint venture with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence.
Details of the meeting appear to present a different picture.
The CGT statement says, “…a complete presentation of ‘Make in India’ with the creation of the enterprise ‘Dassault Reliance Aerospace’ at Nagpur was done for us. According to Mr (Loik) Segalen it was imperative and obligatory for Dassault Aviation to accept this “contrepartie” in order to obtain the export contract Rafale India.” The French word used is “contrepartie”, which can mean “compensation” or could have the negative sense of a “trade off”.
The second union (CFDT’s) statement talks about ‘Make in India’ being “the inevitable consequence” of the deal “imposed” by India, and says a joint venture with Reliance was created to attain this objective.
It is evident that the statements are not talking only about the offset obligation but also about the joint venture with Reliance. Whether the Reliance partnership was mandatory are among the questions raised by the opposition in India as well as a section of the French media.
The Congress has accused the government of corruption and crony capitalism. The party had seized on French president Hollande’s comment to Mediapart last month to go hammer and tongs against the government, alleging that Anil Ambani’s company was imposed as a preferred partner on the French.
PUBLISHED ON: SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 | DURATION: 5 MIN, 56 SEC
Former Union Minister Arun Shourie took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on the new revelations in the Rafale controversy that saw former French president Francois Hollande claim that India favoured industrialist Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence for the multi-million dollar fighter-jet contract. “France’s rebuttal has been cleverly-worded. France does not contradict what Hollande has said,” Mr Shourie said.
Breaking | Indian Govt Proposed Anil Ambani For Rafale Deal : Francois Hollande, Ex French Prez
India Government Chose Anil Ambani For Rafale, Says Francois Hollande: 10 Facts
Former French President Francois Hollande has been quoted by an article on French website Mediapart as stating that the Indian government had asked the French government to nominate Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence Industries as its India partner in the Rafale jet deal. The charge has been denied by the Defence Ministry.
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, October 14
“Students of Sainik School, a pride of Punjab, have brought accolades to Punjab with their achievements. They shine like a star in country and abroad,” said Punjab Education Minister Om Prakash Soni, who presided over the award distribution ceremony of 57th annual athletics meet at Sainik School here.
The Education Minister said 1,100 military officers, including 50 Lieutenant Generals and Major Generals, have been serving the country after passing out from Sainik School. Congratulating the students, he said they were very fortunate to study in such prestigious institutions. “Students studying in such coveted institutions never fail in their life and definitely get higher posts in their career, he said.
After giving away prizes to the winners of the three-day athletics meet, Soni said they were the founders of future, hence they should work diligently and with full dedication to achieve their goals.
Cadets held a march past under the banner of their respective houses coupled with wonderful presentation of the world famous bands of school.
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, September 18
The Northern Railways has decided to start Captain Service in long route trains operating in the region to felicitate passengers. According to the Railways authorities, the decision was taken in view of increased rush of passengers during the festive season.
They said this service would be provided in more than half dozen long route trains operating from the Northern Region.
The railway authorities said the ticket checker deployed in trains would be given additional charge of Captain in long route trains. “The Captain will be given a complaint book and passengers can inform him about the problems being faced by them while travelling. The mobile number of the Captain will also be displayed on the reservation chart,” a railway official said.
In fact, the rush of passengers is expected to increase manifold during the festive season in the coming some days. “A badge will be given to the train Captain, so that passengers can easily recognise him. Passengers can register their complaints with the Captain. They can also give their feedback and suggestions about their travelling experience in trains,” said Ludhiana Railway Station Director Abhinav Singla.
He said the railways expect to improve its service on the basis of suggestions and feedback given by passengers. “We are duty bound to provide best possible service to passengers. We appeal to the passengers to give their valuable suggestions to the train Captain about the facilities provided in the trains, so that we can improve in future,” Singla said.
HE IS CREDITED WITH DESIGNING THE ICONIC KHALSA COLLEGE, AMRITSAR, LAHORE’S AITCHISON COLLEGE, MAYO SCHOOL OF ARTS, PUNJAB UNIVERSITY AMONG OTHERS
AMRITSAR : While walking inside the district courts complex in Amritsar, one cannot help but notice the striking colonial-era building of the old deputy commissioner (DC)’s office.
The building with a cafeteria and a small garden will soon house the municipal library-cum-cultural centre to be named after Bhai Ram Singh, the foremost 19th century architect from the city who is credited with designing the iconic Khalsa College, Amritsar besides Lahore’s Aitchison College, Mayo School of Arts (now National College of Arts), Punjab University, Museum, and Chamba House.
The restoration work at the library is underway as part of the ‘Hriday’ project of the National Institute of Urban Affairs in partnership with the Amritsar municipal corporation. One of the library halls will showcase the works and life journey of the long-forgotten architect.
Bhai Ram Singh once worked with John Lockwood Kipling, founder of the Mayo School and father of poet Rudyard Kipling, and was known in the United Kingdom for designing the Durbar Hall of Osborne House, the summer retreat of Queen Victoria. The Batala-born boy who worked as a carpenter in Amritsar went on to join the Mayo College in Lahore to further his talent. His genius for designing was soon noticed.
WORK BEGAN IN 2015 While the exteriors of the library are nearly done, work on the interiors will begin soon and the project is likely to be completed by spring.
Conservation architect Gurmeet Rai, who is overseeing the restoration work, says, “Working on the heritage sites of a city is not just involves dealing with brick and mortar, it is to evoke the human spirit that went into making it. Bhai Ram Singh’s story is truly remarkable. After the Durbar Hall assignment, he worked as the principal of the prestigious art college, thus erasing the line between an artist and artisan.”
FOOD FOR THE SOUL While the cafeteria is going to be named ‘Durbar
Hall Café’ the garden around will be dedicated to Punjabi litterateurs Nanak Singh, Dhani Ram Chatrik, Gurbaksh Singh Preetlari and Saadat Hasan Manto, who spent many years here. Another cultural space that is being created is in the restored UBDC canal and power house. The plan is to utilise the space for performing arts.
The writers and artistes of the city have welcomed the project.
