NEWS OF 25 SEP2023 BELOW
Current Events :
He was the highest official to be dismissed for alleged lapses that led to the Kargil intrusion in 1999. And now Brigadier Surinder Singh’s efforts to prove his innocence have been dealt a huge blow. The Army says it has burnt the documents that could’ve helped him restore his honour.
Mayor Anup Gupta pays tribute to Col Manpreet Singh at his bhog ceremony at New Chandigarh. Pradeep Tewari
Tribune News Service
Mohali, September 24
Residents of New Chandigarh, Army veterans and people from various walks of life paid tribute to Col Manpreet Singh, who laid down his life in the line of duty during a gunfight with terrorists in J&K’s Anantnag recently, during his bhog ceremony at his ancestral Bharaunjian village this afternoon. Besides representatives of the Western Command, senior leaders from political parties, women, children and elderly in large numbers paid their respect to the departed soul.
The Army officer, a Sena medal awardee, who laid his life in the service of the nation, was cremated at his village on September 15. Singh, a third generation soldier, belonged to 12th Sikh Light Infantry. Three officers — the Colonel, a Major and a DSP of the Jammu and Kashmir Police — were killed in the gunfight with terrorists in the higher reaches of the Kokernag area in the valley on September 13.
Dear Gen Ashok Sen Sir,
warm regards & respects,
Brig CS Vidyasagar (Retd), President TSEWA & Administrator the Defence Services Single Ladies of Officers WhatsApp Group
Mobile – 94931 91380
New Delhi, September 24
The Army has decided that its annual parade will be conducted in Lucknow in January 2024.
Lucknow is the headquarters of the Army’s Central Command that has been tasked with, among other areas, strengthening its position along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
In January this year, the parade was conducted in Bengaluru, making it the first such Army Day Parade outside the Capital. A decision has been made to rotate the Army Day Parade venue across different cities in India.
After the Bengaluru event, the Army has planned to ensure that each of its six operational commands gets a chance to host the parade. The idea is to conduct the event in selected venues within all commands, on a rotational basis. The last event was conducted in the Southern Command area.
The objective of this landmark decision is to diversify the locations and allow various regions to witness the grandeur of the event, said an official.
The rotation is not just about changing cities but about shifting the spotlight to various commands, each of which plays a unique and critical role in the nation’s defence. This also offers a chance to highlight the distinct cultural and regional backdrops against which our Army operates, the official said. — TNS
Was organised in Bengaluru this year
Washington, September 24
The US provided Canada with intelligence after the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, but communications intercepted by Ottawa were more definitive and led it to accuse India of orchestrating the plot, The New York Times (NYT) has reported citing sources.
The report came on Saturday as the top US diplomat in Canada confirmed that there was “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners” that had prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s offensive allegation against India in the killing of a Khalistani extremist on Canadian soil.
The allegations have infuriated India, which rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case. India also accused Canada of being a safe haven for terrorists.
Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was killed in Surrey in British Columbia on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
The United States has urged India to cooperate with Canada in its investigations.
“In the aftermath of the killing, US intelligence agencies offered their Canadian counterparts context that helped Canada conclude that India had been involved,” the NYT reported, quoting unnamed allied officials as saying.
Yet what appears to be the “smoking gun,” intercepted communications of Indian diplomats in Canada indicating involvement in the plot, was gathered by Canadian officials, allied officials said.
David Cohen, US Ambassador to Canada, in an interview with CTV News said that “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners” had informed Trudeau of the possible involvement of Indian agents in the murder of a Canadian citizen in June.
“I will say this was a matter of shared intelligence information. There was a lot of communication between Canada and the United States about this, and I think that’s as far as I’m comfortable going,” Cohen told CTV News.
After Nijjar’s death, American officials told their Canadian counterparts that Washington had not had any advance information about the plot, and that if US officials had they would have immediately informed Ottawa under the intelligence agencies’ “duty to warn” doctrine, according to two allied officials, the newspaper reported.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss what has become a diplomatic firestorm, said Canadian officials had offered a general warning to Nijjar but had not told him that he was the target of an Indian government plot, according to the report.
Cohen told CTV that said that the US takes very seriously these allegations. “And, you know, if they prove to be true, it is a potentially very serious breach of the rules-based international order in which we like to function,” he said in response to a question.
While Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, American officials have largely tried to avoid triggering any diplomatic blowback from India, the paper said.
But the disclosure of the involvement of US intelligence risks ensnaring Washington in the diplomatic battle between Canada and India at a time when it is keen to develop New Delhi as a closer partner, it said.
Blinken said the US is “deeply concerned” about the allegations raised by Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau against India and Washington was “closely coordinating” with Ottawa on the issue and wants to see “accountability” in the case.
Speaking at a press conference in New York on Friday, Blinken said the US has engaged directly with the Indian Government on the issue and the most productive thing would be the completion of this investigation.
Trudeau on Friday said that Canada shared with India “many weeks ago” evidence on the killing of Nijjar and wants New Delhi to commit constructively with Ottawa to establish the facts in the “very serious matter.”
When asked about Canada sharing any information in the case with India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi said: “No specific information has been shared by Canada on this case, either then or before or after. We have, you know, as we have said, or I think we have made very clear, we are willing to look at any specific information.”
New Delhi, September 24
In the alleged sexual harassment case lodged against outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, while the court granted him one-day exemption from appearance, the Delhi Police have said “the accused never missed an opportunity to sexually harass women wrestlers”.
The police made the submission before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Harjeet Singh Jaspal of Rouse Avenue Court, saying that there is sufficient evidence to frame charges against Singh.
Delhi Police cited alleged incidents from Tajikistan in its case against Singh, claiming that these events show his awareness of his actions.
According to the police, during an event in Tajikistan, Singh forcibly hugged a woman wrestler and later justified his actions by saying he did it like a father.
Another complaint from the Asian Championship in Tajikistan alleges that Singh lifted a woman wrestler’s shirt without permission and inappropriately touched her stomach.
Delhi Police argued that these incidents occurred outside India but were relevant to the case.
The police stressed that it’s not a matter of whether the victims reacted to the incidents but rather that they were wronged. They also mentioned an alleged incident at the WFI’s office in Delhi and asserted that the National Capital was the appropriate jurisdiction for the complaints.
After hearing the matter at length, ACMM listed the matter for hearing next on October 7.
During the last hearing, the Delhi Police had told the court that he was not exonerated by the oversight committee constituted by the government to investigate the allegations levelled against him.
“Singh was not exonerated by the oversight committee. The committee had given recommendations, and not a decision. Nowhere has it been stated that these allegations are not substantiated or are false,” special public prosecutor Atul Srivastava had told the court.
He had also urged the court to frame the charges against Singh, stating that even a mere gesture can constitute a crime under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
During the last hearing also, the complainant women wrestlers had said that the allegations they have levelled against him warrant framing of charges.
On September 1, the counsel for the wrestlers had argued that Singh and Tomar were never exonerated by the oversight committee, adding that the panel — headed by ace boxer M.C. Mary Kom — was an “eyewash to assuage sentiments”.
Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for the wrestlers, had said: “The allegations in the FIR culminating in the chargesheet of which your honour has taken cognisance are of a nature that necessitates the framing of charges against the accused persons.”
She had also claimed that the oversight committee was not constituted as per the rules of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act.
“The committee’s report needs to be junked. It was an eyewash to assuage the sentiments,” she had contended.
As the complainants concluded their arguments and placed on record the Supreme Court judgments, it was claimed that the committee has made only generic recommendations without any findings in the matter.
On August 11, Delhi Police had told the court that they possessed sufficient evidence to proceed with the trial against Singh. ACMM Jaspal was informed by the police that there is a clear case against Singh and co-accused Tomar.
Srinagar, September 24
Security forces on Sunday busted two terror modules in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district and arrested five “hybrid” terrorists, police said.
Two pistols, three hand grenades, one UBGL and some ammunition were seized from them, a police official said.
The arrested persons have been identified as Aadil Hussain Wani, Suhail Ahmad Dar, Aitmad Ahmad Laway, Mehraj Ahmad Lone and Sabzar Ahmad Khaar, the official said.
He said an FIR has been registered at the Qaimoh police station and investigation is underway in the case.
Says the BRO incorporating new technology, including 3D printing, in its projects; exploring new domains of construction
Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhary, Director-General, BRO, speaks at an event in Chandigarh, Sunday September 24, 2023. Tribune Photo: Nitin Mittal
Vijay Mohan
Chandigarh, September 24
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is laying greater emphasis on construction of tunnels in mountainous areas to provide year-round connectivity to border regions in Ladakh as well as the north-east.
“In the first 60 years of its existence since 1960, BRO had constructed just two tunnels. However, in the last three years alone, four tunnels have been completed and another 10 are expected to be complete within 1-2 years,” said Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhary, Director-General Border Roads Organisation, here on Sunday.
“Construction of another eight tunnels has also been planned,” he added.
He was here to review the progress of the world’s largest 3D printed complex that is being constructed by the BRO in Chandigarh to provide transit support facilities to personnel and equipment enroute to Ladakh.
Tunnels, he said, are the most effective means to provide fast and all-weather connectivity to remote border areas as most mountain passes remain closed during winters due to heavy snowfall.
The BRO is also working to reduce the time period that the passes remain closed.
A large number of projects including construction of roads, bridges and tunnels as well as upgradation of airfields in border areas are underway.
Lt Gen Chaudhary said that about 60 projects are expected to be complete shortly. Earlier this month, 90 new projects were launched by the defence minister.
For snow clearing operations along high-altitude roads, the BRO has introduced a GIS enabled navigation system mounted on dozers that provide operators the exact alignment of the road axis underneath the snow cover and guides their movement accordingly, thereby preventing the equipment from veering off-track. This system was used for the first time this year.
Lt Gen Chaudhary said that great impetus is now being laid on the development of border infrastructure and towards this end; the budgetary support for BRO has increased by 100 percent over the past two years.
“The BRO is also incorporating new technology, including 3D printing, in its projects, exploring new domains of construction and is also harnessing the use of waste material and industrial by-products,” he said.
“Development of border infrastructure is not for military purpose alone, but also vital for socio-economic development of far-flung areas and merging them with the mainstream,” he said.
BRO is in the process of constructing the world’s highest tunnel at Shinku La, which at a height of 16,855 feet will surpass mi La tunnel at 15,580 feet in Tibet.
Shinku La will link the Lahaul Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh with Zanskar Valley in Ladakh, enabling connectivity with dozens of villages on either side.
Construction of the world’s highest motorable road, the Likaru-Mig La-Fukche link in south-eastern Ladakh also began in August this year and will be complete in about three years. Touching 19,400 feet, it will break the record of the 19,024 feet high Umling La, also in eastern Ladakh.
