There is another round of anguish in army circles. After the army chief General Bipin Rawat banned golf in Srinagar last week because it seemed inappropriate in a conflict zone for officers to be playing golf, there is a sense of dismay. It is believed the chief was on a visit to the area when he spotted officers on the course even as the bodies of slain military personnel were being brought to Srinagar. Unseemly? Of course, it is. So an incensed General ostensibly said, enough of this nonsense. Ban the bloody game.

It is also just the kind of story to sell to civilians. And the public. No one in uniform will ever accept that officers would continue playing golf if it was a time to salute the fallen. It just does not happen. The military mindset and the espirit de corps would not allow any officer to be so crass. If at all anything like this incident this occurred it was inadvertent, in no way deliberate.

But that said, stopping golf in an area where the military is operationally active makes sense from the point of view of security and just the fact that it doesn’t look right. The reason why the army officers are livid is because they see it as the next ugly milestone on the dissolution of the armed forces’ identity. First, the cantonments were open to all. For no good reason, seeing as how keeping the armed forces in barracks so to speak is acceptable in all armies of the world. Military areas are restricted zones.

Then the link to this ‘improper conduct’ makes the Srinagar decision even more suspect because that grandstanding wasn’t necessary. Why not just pass the order banning golf without the indictment?

It gives the impression of callous, uncaring, thoughtless officers messing about with woods and putters while their men are dying. Come on, that is a load of nonsense. But a peg was needed to justify the move and this was easy to market peg.

And the message that these officers are sharing has sinister connotations. It says: ‘The Army, as per a report published in The Indian Express in 2015, operates around 100 luxury golf courses and sports clubs on approximately 8,000 acres of the government property. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament had in 2011 said that golf could not be taken into consideration as a ‘military activity.’

No one asked why not?

Just the links in the US Club Mumbai would be worth Bill Gates’ fortune in real estate terms. There are nearly a hundred others all over the country.

The BBC ran a story in 2011 where it said: The report by the Comptroller and Auditor General described the army’s management of its huge land holdings as dismal. It found that at least 32 sq km (12 square miles) of rent-free land had been handed to a privately-run company, Army Zone Golf, which operates 97 luxury golf courses.

By the same token, as civvy street suddenly realises how much prime real estate and property lies in the control of the armed forces, it is like the authorities have found Alibaba’s cave and a mountain of treasure. When Service chiefs begin to view things from the point of view of the civilians it does get a little murky. By this measure, tennis, squash, bridge and rummy should also be stopped in Srinagar because soldiers do not play them. All the polo fields should be turned into farmland.

Uhhmm., what about rifle ranges, miles of open land just to fire bullets and shells at paper targets. Maybe they can fire practice on cyber targets and playstations? Where does it end?

The next step in this poorly disguised land grab exercise are the clubs in the cantonments where service officers are members. That and the regimental and battalion messes are active in some of the most expensive central urban enclaves. The clubs where officers only meet in the evenings and Sundays, usually with families to play Bingo, and ease up would be worth their weight in gold if reworked into guest houses for politicians and bureaucrats.

The latest message while genially insulting the General does make one valid point: General, there are a million other more productive/innovative ways of showing solidarity.

For a start, get them better equipment, get them better rations, build more accommodation for the jawans…the list is endless.

This fear of dismantling the military apparatus is now very real, and the sore point is that if four-star officers in the lead begin to accept this diktat and support it, that is pretty much letting the side down. Surely, there are larger problems in the nation than going after the uniform.

Srinagar, July 11

Northern Army chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, while concluding his tour to Kashmir, visited the forward areas of the Valley to review the prevailing security situation and strategy for counter-infiltration and counter-terrorist operations.Accompanied by Chinar Corps chief Lt Gen AK Bhatt, the Army chief visited forward posts in the frontier district of Kupwara where he was briefed on the counter-infiltration grid and operational preparedness of the formations. The Army chief was appreciative of the measures and the standard operating procedures instituted by the units and formations to meet the challenges posed by the inimical elements.During his interaction with the soldiers on ground, he lauded them for their high level of morale and round-the-clock vigil which they maintain to thwart infiltration bids by the terrorists. The Army chief exhorted them to continue to work with same zeal and dedication to defeat the enemy’s hostile designs. — TNS

Brig Gurinder Singh (Retd)

In the Army, it is not unusual to find real brothers or cousins serving together in the same unit, especially in caste and region-based regiments as parental and sibling claim is given due consideration while assigning battalions. Not only multiple pairs of brothers, but also father and son serve in the same company and battalion. As a young officer, I saw a Havildar who chose to be the Guard Commander at the Quarter Guard on the last day of his service with his son (who had joined the battalion a week earlier) as a sentry.Subedar Prem Singh was one such proud father whose son Subhash joined our paltan while he was still in service. While Subedar Prem, stout and handsome, had been a wrestler of repute in his youth, Subhash was thinly built and barely met the basic Army physical standards. He managed to pass the mandatory physical tests with some push from his colleagues, a bit leniency of the officers and abusive threats from his father.Subhash had an uncanny knack of misinterpreting a simple order and executing it in exactly the opposite manner and justify it too. He surprised everyone with his misadventures where ever he was assigned any duty. But his father continued to harbour high hopes for him. In 1985 when our battalion was in Dagshai (HP), Subedar Prem’s request for the family quarter was accepted. He arranged Subhash to proceed on leave with the instruction ‘Maa ko le aana’. The ever obedient son left for his home in Ghaziabad. Meanwhile, Subedar saheb took charge of his new quarter, arranged furniture and prepared himself to live with the family for some time before retiring a year later. He was determined to spend some quality time after years of separation. He also made plans to take the family to Shimla and Kasauli.On the day of Subhash’s return, Subedar saheb dyed his greying moustache and whatever hair on his mostly bald head. He double-checked every detail at the newly allotted quarter and reached the Dharampur Railway Station well ahead of the scheduled arrival of the narrow gauge train from Kalka. He also arranged some chai-pakora to welcome memsaheb at the platform.Finally the train arrived and Subhash alighted from the train with a couple of suitcases and then extended his hand to help Maa get down. An 80- year-old lady emerged and slowly walked towards the reception party. Furious, Prem Singh dragged Subhash to the side and shouted, ‘Arre, maine teri Maa ko lane ke liye kaha tha meri nahi, nalayak!’ (I asked you to bring your mother not mine). Unapologetic, Subhash retorted, ‘Apne bola tha maa ko lana, meri ya teri ka nahi kaha tha’ (you asked me to bring mother, but didn’t specify whose). In 2006, Prem Singh came to my house and presented me a can of homemade ghee. When I asked him the reason, he said: ‘Subhash thik-thak pension aagaya hai aap logon ki meharbani se.’

A unique Kashmiri translation of 40 poems by Bhai Vir Singh on the heritage and glory of the Valley will be unveiled by J&K Governor NN Vohra today

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 1

As Kashmir gets back to normalcy, a Delhi-based Punjabi literary centre has prepared its own contribution to the ongoing national efforts aimed at healing the Valley of its wounds. Bhai Vir Singh Sadan has published a unique Kashmiri translation of the Punjabi poems the Father of Modern Punjab Literature Bhai Vir Singh wrote over a span of many years starting 1922 when he first visited the Valley. From then on, he returned to Kashmir every summer to capture its virgin beauty in thoughts and words.The title of the anthology — “A Valley Nonpareil” — is a literal translation of Bhai Vir Singh’s famous poem describing Kashmir as “Tukdi jag ton niari”.Featuring 40 poems, each illustrated by a photograph of the location that inspired the work, the book will be unveiled by Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra at a special ceremony in Srinagar tomorrow. Each verse bears the Kashmiri and English translation of the original Punjabi poem on Kashmir by Bhai Vir Singh.The work brings to life the Valley’s diverse heritage using the poet’s tender verse which often laments how Kashmir’s beauty has become its bane. The works mirror Kashmir in all its glory as the poet reflects on the Punjabi love legend of Heer and Ranjha unfolding on the banks of Chenab, captures the beauty of Kashmiri damsels, relishes the cadences of Valley’s countless streams and even rues the axing of grand Kikars.A rare gem in the work is a photograph of Bhai Vir Singh basking in the beauty of Alpathar he visited on September 7, 1927 — a picture Sadan’s Director Mohinder Singh dug out from the archives as evidence of how the Valley inspired generations of saints, artistes and writers alike. Yet another Bhai Vir Singh poem the book reproduces is on Gulmarg. It carries as an illustration a postcard the poet himself wrote on August 10, 1928.Then there is an especially heartwarming longish “Dumel de Panian da Naad” in which Bhai Vir Singh traces the heritage of Kashmir and its rendezvous with Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Lord Budhha and Guru Nanak.Referring to the association of Sikh Gurus with the Valley, the poet dwells on Guru Nanak’s dialogue with Pandit Brahm Das in Srinagar on his way to Kailash Parbat. He then captures the Valley’s age-old tradition of peaceful coexistence by writing of how Gurdwara Matan Sahib and the temple in the memory of Brahm Das stand side by side in Kashmir, as testimonies to its s all embracing culture.“How could such a land and beautiful Valley become a centre of conflict?” wonders the poet.The book has a preface by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a foreword by NN Vohra and an introduction by eminent litterateur Dr Surjit Patar.

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NEW DELHII: Video footage of surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) that took place on September 29, 2016 was aired on TV news channels on Wednesday.

The eight-minute-long video shows how the Special Forces of the Indian Army crossed over the LoC and destroyed the targets on the Pakistani side of the LoC.

The footage was reportedly shot from drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and was shot on thermal imaging cameras used by

Ever since the surgical strikes took place, the opposition had been raising questions and demanading proof of the military action.

The strike were conducted in 2016 when the the Indian Army destroyed terrorist launch pads and killed many terrorists.

“The operation was monitored from a control room in Udhampur, Headquarters of Indian Army’s strategic Northern Command,” Lt Gen (retd) D S Hooda, the then Northern Army Commander told Times Now.

“One of the major challenges that the team that went across, faced was that the camps were located close to Pakistan Army posts,” Hooda added. He further said that the “feed was also going to Delhi”. “The whole operation lasted for six hours. The first target was hit at midnights and the last at about 6-6.15,” he added.

A day after the video’s release, the Congress on Thursday accused the Modi government and the BJP of politicising the September 2016 surgical strikes to garner votes.

Addressing a press conference, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala charged that while on the one hand the Modi government is seeking credit for the sacrifice and valour of the armed forces, on the other it has failed to provide direction and vision to deal with Pakistan .

He also accused the government of meting out “step-motherly treatment” to the armed forces by not providing them with state-of-the-art equipment and slashing their budgetary allocation.

In Video: Video footage provides proof of surgical strikes across LoC

The political co-habitation between BJP and PDP in J&K has come to an end. There is no dearth of the inevitable ‘I told you so’ experts who claim that they had predicted it long ago. Equally, there are those who claim that they had the prescience to know of its failure from day one. However, in dealing with the vexed and long-festering problem in the State, which has defied solution for all these years, choosing a new direction was a bold and correct decision.   As such, the experiment failed, is no reason that it should not have been tried.
The question now is what next? It has been suggested that the security forces must go ‘all out’ to hunt down the 200-odd terrorists reportedly present in the Valley. True that. But it ignores the fact that when – and if – the SF are able to do so, there is no denying that more will trickle in from across the border, following the same methodology that these 200 have done. The supply line is unending.
Another view is that the Hurriyat leaders being the real source of the problem, and a conduit for the inflow of funds and other wherewithal for the terrorists, must be imprisoned. This fetches a cautionary call by some. It is argued by the soft pedal group that the present Hurriyat leaders are soft, and if they are taken away, a more hard-line leadership is likely to take over. However, this apprehension is unfounded. Among the terrorists or their supporters, there is nothing known as a soft or  there is nothing known as a soft or hard category. Their mindset is all the same, working against the interests of the country. Since money link of the present Hurriyat leaders with their mentors or handlers in Pakistan has already been established, they must be incarcerated without delay, and must be kept away from circulation in the State. The reality of their active involvement in fuelling unrest cannot be overlooked on a mere apprehension that their successors would tow an even harder line.
In the aftermath of sudden political developments, the flow of debate lost sight of the real issue. Killing terrorists in not synonymous with finishing terrorism.  More will keep coming despite our best efforts to check their infiltration. For indoctrinated militants, who are determined to kill and are prepared to die, no security system can ever be fool-proof. Countering terrorism is akin to tackling the menace of malaria. Swatting mosquitoes in not the solution; their source of breeding has to be neutralised. That brings us to the basic question. We have to deter Pakistan from sending terrorists and from perpetrating violence in the Valley.
Read more at:
http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/the-kashmir-valley-what-next/

MEERUT/DELHI: 

Major Handa and Shailza Dwivedi, wife of Major Amit Dwivedi, met about three years ago in Nagaland, where both the officers were working together, the police said. Ms Dwivedi then moved to Delhi after her husband was transferred.

“He knew her since 2015… He was obsessed with her… He wanted to marry her,” said senior police officer Vijay Kumar.

Ms Dwivedi had left home on Saturday morning for a physiotherapy session at the Army Base Hospital in Delhi Cantonment, the police said.

30-year-old Shailza Dwivedi was found dead inside the Delhi cantonment.

An official vehicle assigned to her husband had dropped her outside the hospital. When the driver went to pick her up, he was told that she had not turned up for the session on Saturday, the police said. Half-an-hour later, she was found dead.

The police said they had got a call from passers-by about a body on the road. It appeared that she had been run over by a car, but when the police examined the body, they found her throat was slit.

Preliminary investigations indicated that Ms Dwivedi was last seen getting into another car from outside the hospital, the police said.
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Today, the police said Major Handa reached Delhi on Saturday to meet Ms Dwivedi and picked her up from Delhi Cantonment in his Honda City car. They said he ran her over to disguise the murder as an accident. “He called her on Saturday, slit throat with a knife and ran his car over body,” Mr Kumar said.

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Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, June 15

In the wake of intermittent spells of rain, the Mandi district administration has issued an advisory urging people, especially tourists, to take precautions while using the Chandigarh-Manali NH-21 between Mandi and Kullu. The stretch on the Pandoh dam-Kullu-Bhunter route is prone to landslides owing to the ongoing four-laning work.According to information, a landslide triggered by heavy rain damaged a vehicle near Hanogi on Thursday. The passengers, all tourists, escaped unhurt. However, the national highway remained blocked for several hours, leading to a long traffic jam. Only one-way traffic was allowed on the route till 7 pm.Sources said the district administration was mulling using an alternate route via Katola between Mandi and Kullu to ease traffic congestion in such a situation.Mandi SP Gurdev Chand Sharma said tourists were advised to be careful while using this route, especially during rain. “A police team has been deployed near the Hanogi Temple to assist commuters in case of any emergency” he added.

Had been swept away in a landslide while patrolling in December last

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 14

A pall of gloom descended on Makroli village in Indora area of Kangra district as body of soldier Shammi Singh was cremated with full military honours on Thursday afternoon.A large number of locals, including BJP MLA from Indora, Rita Dhiman and BJP MLA from Gagret in Una district Rajesh Thakur participated in the last journey of the late soldier.Father of the deceased soldier Kirpal Singh is a farmer. “We were hoping against hope that my only son might return home. However, a call from army authorities a day before that his remains have been recovered shattered all our hopes. He was sole bread earner in the house as I just do farming in small piece of land we own in Makroli village”, he said.Sources here said that though Shammi Singh had gone missing about six months ago, his family failed to get any assistance from the state government. When asked, SDM Indora, Gaurav Mahajan said that since the body of the late soldier had not been recovered no assistance could be provided to his family. Now the case for assistance from the state government would be processed, he said.The remains of Shammi Singh, who had gone missing on December 11 fighting nature’s fury in Kashmir’s frontier Naugam Sector in Kupwara district last year, were recovered by the Army on Wednesday after snow melted.Shammi Singh was part of an operational team which was serving at the formidable heights along the Line of Control in Uri and got swept away due to a landslide while patrolling along with two other soldiers. While the dead bodies of other soldiers were recovered by the Army the last remains of Shammi Singh could only be recovered now after snow meltThe Army release said that search and rescue operations recommenced after the snow melted this year. The search ended on June 13. At a ceremony at BB Cantonment, Maj Gen S K Sharma, Chief of Staff Chinar Corps, paid homage to the martyr. His last remains were flown to his native Makroli village on Thursday.Shammi Singh (26) had joined the Army in 2012. He is survived by father, mother and two sisters.