PTI

Imphal, September 21

Curfew was imposed in the entire Imphal valley on Thursday following violent protests for the release of five men, including a trained cadre of a banned terror outfit, who were arrested earlier this week on the charges of extortion.

Curfew was re-imposed after the Imphal valley witnessed protests by self-styled vigilante groups including ‘Meira Paibis’ who demanded the release of five men.

More than 10 people were injured on Thursday when security forces fired tear gas shells on protesters for trying to storm police stations and demanding the unconditional release of the five.

As a precautionary measure, the state government cancelled curfew relaxations in the twin districts of Imphal from 5 pm, officials said.

Responding to a call by six local clubs and Meira Paibis demanding the release of the five village volunteers, hundreds of protesters holding placards and shouting slogans tried to enter the Porompat police station in Imphal East and Singjamei police station and Kwakeithel police outpost in Imphal West district.

However, police and RAF personnel deployed at strategic positions fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

A protester, identified as Th Bimola at Porompat said, “We were left with no option but to court arrest as the government failed to release the five village volunteers. If such village volunteers are arrested, who will protect the Meitei villages in the periphery of the hills and the valley Kuki Zo militants.”

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 BY INDIAN DEFENCE NEWS

INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier
INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, was commissioned last September. The Navy has now submitted a proposal for production and procurement of a second indigenous aircraft carrier, sources said.
In a significant development, the Navy has submitted a major proposal to the Ministry of Defence, seeking approval for the production and procurement of a second indigenous aircraft carrier. This proposal aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ program in the defense sector. The Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi is poised to undertake the construction of this second aircraft carrier, top government officials told IndiaToday.in.
Sources indicate that the Navy will recommend the project to the Cochin Shipyard Limited. The Ministry of Defence is slated to convene soon to evaluate and authorize the proposal forwarded by the Navy.
On September 2, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant, at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
“Vikrant is not just a warship. This is a testament to the hard work, talent, influence and commitment of India in the 21st century. If the goals are distant, the journeys are long, the ocean and the challenges are endless – then India’s answer is Vikrant,” PM Modi said.
INS Vikrant stands as a testament to India’s indigenous potential, resources, and skills, PM Modi said. Notably, even the steel used in its construction is indigenous, developed by DRDO scientists and manufactured by Indian companies.
The Prime Minister spoke about the massive proportions of the carrier, comparing it to a floating city.
The Navy achieved a significant milestone in operationalising the indigenous aircraft carrier by successfully conducting the landing of a light combat aircraft (Navy) and MiG-29K on INS Vikrant in the Arabian Sea. The Navy has been working towards maintaining a three-carrier force with the ability to deploy one carrier on each coast at any given time while one undergoes refit.
The construction of IAC-2 is anticipated to create substantial employment opportunities in and around Kochi, where the shipyard will be located.

Srinagar: Javed Ahmad Beigh, a prominent socio-political activist, has drawn attention to the dire human rights situation faced by Shias in Pakistan, particularly in the illegally occupied region of Gilgit Baltistan, where a significant Shia population resides.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Beigh emphasized that Shias in Pakistan live under a constant shadow of fear due to an unannounced crackdown by the state on this minority group. He pointed out that Shias have long been treated as second-class citizens in Sunni-dominant Pakistan, and the situation has recently deteriorated further.
“Many people across Gilgit and Baltistan have been killed. A renowned religious scholar, Agha Baqir Ul Hussain, was arrested on false charges of blasphemy. He was vocal against an amendment to Pakistan’s blasphemy laws that allows the implication of any member of the minority community. Similarly, a young activist was arrested, detained in a central jail, and charged under the National Security Act. This is how the Pakistani regime has been treating minorities for the past 77 years,” Beigh stated.
Citing a Human Rights Watch report, Beigh revealed that as many as 4,000 Shias were killed by Sunni extremists between 1987 and 2000 in the aftermath of an unannounced call by the Pakistani government to suppress Shias.
According to The Muslim Vibe, nearly 23,000 Shias have been murdered in Pakistan since 1963.
Beigh further argued that Shias in Pakistan are being deprived of their fundamental rights and basic facilities, falling far below international standards.
“People lack access to the internet, government facilities, or institutions, and they cannot voice their concerns without being falsely implicated under the notorious blasphemy laws,” he said.
Moreover, a prominent Shia Muslim religious leader, Agha Baqir Ul Hussain from Gilgit Baltistan, was arrested by the police for raising objections to a bill passed in Pakistan’s National Assembly, which is believed to be against the interests of Shias in the region.
This incident is not isolated, as three Shia youths were apprehended by Pakistani security forces in Kharmarg, Gilgit Baltistan, in July 2021, with their whereabouts still unknown.
Similarly, in October 2021, Pakistani army personnel were accused of raping a Shia girl in Astore, Gilgit Baltistan.
These atrocities against Shias are not limited to Gilgit-Baltistan; they are widespread across Pakistan. In May 2023, five Shia teachers were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and just last year, in March 2022, a bomb blast in Peshawar claimed the lives of 100 Shias.
Earlier, Beigh had made an oral intervention during the ongoing 54th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
“While Shias face threats throughout Pakistan, it is crucial to highlight that the restive region of Gilgit Baltistan, a part of Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan’s only administrative region with a Shia and Ismaili majority, is particularly witnessing anti-Shia violence,” Beigh stated during his UNHRC intervention.

Hong Kong: First it was China’s top diplomat, then the commander and political commissar of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF), and now the country’s minister of defence. The list of disappearing leaders just continues to mount, as Beijing draws a veil of secrecy over the obvious failure of the regime’s efforts to curb personal greed and excesses.
Speculation about the fate of Defense Minister Li Shangfu took on a new luster when US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel cheekily tweeted that the “unemployment rate” in the Chinese government was very high. On 15 September, The Wall Street Journal reported that Li had been removed from his post.
The authorities have refused to divulge anything meaningful about the mysterious disappearance of the defense minister, who has not been seen or heard from since 29 August when he attended a security forum with African nations in Beijing. Since then, he has missed important meetings such as a trip to Vietnam and a Beijing appointment with Singapore’s navy chief. Beijing told Vietnam that Li had a “health condition”.

While it is possible Li is unwell or indisposed in some way, the government’s refusal to provide a detailed explanation suggests something more ominous. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman merely said she was “not aware of the situation”. Of course, this is the normal modus operandi for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which prefers secrecy rather than transparency.
As of 18 September, Li was still listed on the MND’s website as a CMC member, and as a state councilor on the State Council website. If it turns out that Li has in fact been purged, as many currently suspect, he would join the only other Chinese sitting defense ministers to be dismissed, Peng Dehuai in 1959 and Lin Biao in 1971.
Li was appointed to lead the Ministry of National Defense (MND) by Chairman Xi Jinping on 12 March. Of course, this reflects poorly on Xi, who is increasingly being shown up as a poor judge of character. While Xi might be able to reward sycophants and loyalists with positions of authority, he is not able to root out their desire for personal gain.
The number of high-profile Chinese figures undergoing investigation is staggering. If the equivalent were to occur in the USA, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the top two military commanders of the Strategic Command’s nuclear forces would all have been arrested for corruption within a short space of time.
One would construe this as nothing short of shocking and alarming! Yet this is what has occurred in China in recent weeks, and the government remains utterly silent as though it were routine, insignificant and unremarkable.
On the other hand, Lyle J. Morris, Senior Fellow for Foreign Policy and National Security at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s (ASPI) Center for China Analysis in New York, considers the disappearance of Li Shangfu as a “big deal”. One reason is that “Xi handpicked Li to be the next PRC minister of defense six months ago. As such, Xi put a degree of political stock in Li. There has to be a level of embarrassment for Xi so soon after appointing him.”
Secondly, Morris pointed out, “This would be the second high-profile minister taken down (the other being Qin Gang) whose job it is to interface with foreign country counterparts. In other words, he’s not some obscure official that can be swept under the rug with no one noticing.” Thirdly, “This follows the abrupt purge last month of two generals leading the country’s Rocket Force, also unprecedented.”
A fourth factor highlighted by Morris of ASPI is this: “The Central Military Commission (CMC) Equipment Development Department (EDD) (formerly the General Armaments Department) has long been rumored a hotbed of corruption, but with surprisingly few top EED leaders having been detained or removed. In July, the CCP re-upped an investigation into the EDD and PLA procurement processes dating back to October 2017.” Given that Li ran the EDD from 2017 till October 2022, he is a prime candidate for investigation and, it now seems, prosecution.
Xi is not the first to take on the corruption-riddled PLA but, even after his high-profile campaign, it is obvious that graft still exists even at the highest levels of the organization.
Fifthly, Morris pointed out: “…The retention of CMC Vice Chair Zhang You Xia, who ran the EDD before Li, suggests his status with Xi and within the PLA is sanctimonious. He’s one of only a few senior PLA leaders with combat experience and has close ties to Xi. If he emerges unscathed, it suggests he is a ‘tiger too big to hunt’.”
The American academic added that this “suggests Xi’s anti-corruption campaign in the PLA is nowhere near done. It’s impossible to completely root out corruption in the PLA. They are a singular power structure within a monopolistic governance structure (CCP). Like the Corleone family, you can selectively remove actors whose corrupt practices become too large to ignore to ‘kill the chicken to scare the monkey’ and hope the message gets through. But the organized crime system stays intact.”
Morris expected that the removal of Li would “not greatly influence the trajectory of PLA modernization or combat effectiveness. The Ministry of Defense is a symbolic position with no operational influence over the PLA.” Li, who joined the Central Committee in 2017, is in charge only of military diplomacy, and not of PLA affairs per see.
One potential advantage of his axing is that this could remove one impediment from US-China military relations. In 2018, Li was sanctioned by Washington DC for buying weapons from Russia. However, his removal is unlikely to greatly change the strained relationship, since Beijing has signaled in several ways that it is unwilling to engage the US in leader-to-leader exchanges due to the “conditions not being right”.
Li began his career as an aerospace engineer at a satellite and rocket launch center, before climbing his way up the slippery rungs of the PLA. He was reputed to be a favorite of Xi’s.
The disappearance of Li Shangfu follows on the heels of Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s fall from grace. Qin’s last public appearance was on 25 June, and no explanation for his sacking has been forthcoming. Xi officially removed him from office by a decree signed on 25 July, and he was promptly replaced by Wang Yi. With just 207 days in office, “wolf warrior” Qin was China’s shortest-serving foreign minister.
As alluded to earlier, after being absent from public view for several months, PLARF commander General Li Yuchao and political commissar General Liu Guangbin were formally superseded by General Wang Houbin (previously deputy commander of the PLA Navy) and General Xu Xisheng (formerly political commissar of the Southern Theater Command Air Force) on 31 July. Xi’s replacement of the top PLARF leadership with navy and air force personnel shows a serious effort to break up patronage networks. Cercius Group, a Canadian consultancy that tracks Chinese politicians, said the status of about ten senior PLARF officers is unclear. Last year, Cercius revealed that lower-level PLARF officials had been detained in late 2022.
Is Li’s removal therefore connected to this wide-ranging PLARF purge? Past defense ministers, such as Wei Fenghe, have come from the PLARF, plus the force and EDD (of which Li was director) both work on missiles and rockets. There is certainly a connection between Li and the PLARF given the EDD connection.
In July, the CMC called for a probe into corruption related to military equipment procurement over the past six years, and the establishment of an “early warning mechanism for integrity risks in the military”. Xi told top brass that they must “focus on solving the prominent problems that persist at party organizations on all levels with regard to enforcing the party’s absolute leadership over the military”.
Furthermore, the president of the PLA’s military court was removed just months after his appointment.
How widespread is corruption in the PLA and CCP? From 2012-17, more than 13,000 PLA personnel were punished for corruption. In early June 2023, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), an internal watchdog, stated that more than 39 senior military and political cadres had been arrested since the 20th Party Congress in October 2022 alone. The commission stated it would “resolutely eliminate the cancer of corruption with a zero-tolerance attitude”.
What is obvious is that Chinese politics, and the CCP, are opaque. Furthermore, it is apparent that Xi has made dubious and ill-fated decisions regarding personnel appointments. Could it be that Xi has not only failed to purge corruption, but has instead made it burrow itself even deeper?
Xi has employed none of the usual weapons against corruption that other countries have successfully used. In China there is no free press, nor no independent judiciary.
In fact, last year, Chinese courts achieved an astounding 99.975% conviction rate, a new record even for the party-controlled justice system.
Nor does China have a non-political investigation branch, such as the likes of the FBI in the USA. China prosecutes anti-corruption cases via the CCDI, but this agency is controlled by and accountable to the CCP. Indeed, it is so much under the party’s control that its head, General Zhang Shengmin, was Xi’s political appointee onto the CMC. Another factor that would reduce corruption is the presence of at least one strong opposition party. Naturally, this is unthinkable to the CCP. Party-states are inherently corrupt, and all the factors that contribute to a continuation of corruption remain under Xi’s tight control.
Whilst on the topic of disappearances, one should also remember the unfortunate case of professional tennis player Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing retired Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault on 2 November 2021. The government heavily censored the whole episode, and 75-year-old Zhang even appeared in prominent position at the 20th National Congress later that month, as though nothing had ever happened.
Although Peng has appeared in public on the odd occasion since then, it is clear that she had been warned to withdraw her allegations. The implications are clear – Xi and the CCP are concerned about upholding the law only if it is convenient to them.
Furthermore, the general public has zero influence when it comes to seeking justice against overbearing or criminal party leaders. For example, a netizen who posted a photograph of Xi’s daughter was given a hefty 14-year jail sentence, certainly an abuse of the justice system.
As observers both inside and outside China wait to hear of the fate of Defence Minister Li Shangfu, it is clear that the CCP has perpetuated a climate of, and opportunity for, self-aggrandizement. There are many in leadership positions who have grasped the chance to make money or to peddle influence – and some might get caught – but Xi himself is unable to exert the absolute control and personal fealty that he so desperately covets.

The Indian Navy has a fleet of 12 Boeing-made P-8I planes, split into two squadrons operating from Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu and Goa.
NEW DELHI: US defence and aerospace firm Boeing is exploring the possibility of a follow-on order from the Indian Navy for six P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft, company officials said on Thursday.
“We are in continued discussions with the Indian Navy about their desire to add additional P-8I aircraft. They want to add additional aircraft because the 12 planes they have are performing well and have accumulated more than 40,000 hours of flight time over the last 10 years,” said Dan Gillian, vice president, mobility, surveillance and Bombers, Boeing Defense, Space and Security.
The navy has a fleet of 12 Boeing-made P-8I planes, split into two squadrons operating from Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu and Goa.
India bought the aircraft from the US for more than $ 3 billion, under two separate deals, to sharpen the navy’s anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities as well as fill critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles in the vast oceans.
The P-8I is a military derivative of Boeing’s 737-800 commercial aircraft.
More P-8Is will bring enhanced capability to the Indian naval fleet, Gillian said at a media briefing to highlight indigenisation achieved in the manufacturing and sustainment of its P-8I aircraft at the global level.
Boeing, which shared details of its Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant) strategy, has already generated a substantial economic impact amounting to $1.7 billion to support the navy’s current P-8I aircraft fleet, the company officials said, adding an order for more aircraft will increase investments by another $1.5 billion while creating more indigenisation opportunities in India’s aerospace and defence sector by 2032.
“Boeing’s commitment to advancing the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision drives our dedication to the P-8I fleet. As we respond to the Indian Navy’s need for more P-8I aircraft, we’re actively looking to enhance engineering, manufacturing, and sustainment capabilities in India, for India, and the world, benefiting both Indian and global customers,” said Salil Gupte, president, Boeing India.

Justin Trudeau rules out release of evidence after MEA says Canada hasn’t shared info on Hardeep Nijjar’s killing

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, September 21

The government on Thursday pressed ahead with more retaliatory measures against Ottawa, including suspension of visas from its missions in the country and asking the High Commission here to reduce its staff so as to be commensurate with the Indian staff strength in Canada. The decision on visa suspension will include Canadian applicants in third countries.

Safe haven for ultras

If there is any nation that needs to look at reputational issues, it is Canada and its growing reputation as a safe haven for terrorists. The country needs to worry about its international reputation.

— Arindam Bagchi, mea spokesperson

India also said Canada has provided no specific information regarding Sikh terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder on June 18. “We are willing to look at any specific information that is provided to us, but so far we have received no specific information from Canada,” said Bagchi. In New York, however, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau called on India to cooperate with investigation into Nijjar’s killing and ruled out release of any evidence.

Advisory: Don’t give radicals TV platform

Grants for Trudeau from gurdwaras: Ravneet Bitttu

Cong MP Ravneet Singh Bitttu told the LS that Canadian PM Justin Trudeau was getting donations running into thousands of dollars from gurdwaras in Canada which were under the control of GS Pannun.

Ottawa has not acted on any of the several dossiers provided by Delhi on the activities of Indian-origin terrorists, radicals and gangsters who have found a safe haven in Canada, said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi at a media briefing here on Thursday. “I do think there is a degree of prejudice…. To us, it seems that these allegations by the Canadian government are primarily politically driven,” he said.

Canadian-Hindus ‘soft targets’

Stating that Hindu-Canadians are ‘soft targets’, Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya on Thursday urged the community to stay calm, vigilant and report incidents of Hinduphobia

On Wednesday, the government had issued a strongly worded travel advisory on Canada, and a day earlier, it had in a tit-for-tat action expelled the Station Head of Canadian intelligence posted here. “Clearly, we would expect better steps from the Canadians to ensure the safety of diplomats and the Indian origin community in Canada,” observed Bagchi.

Applicants in third countries also hit

• Visa suspension will include Canadian applicants in third countries
• Canadians having valid visas for India or OCI cards free to travel
• Canada to ‘temporarily’ adjust staff presence as precautionary step

The announcement of suspension of all categories of visas was announced in the morning, leading to consternation among a large number of relatives of Indo-Americans here. Bagchi, however, said the issue was not about travel to India but of incitement to violence and creation of an environment that makes the functioning of consulates difficult. He also said that it would be reviewed on a regular basis. Those who have valid visas for India or OCIs cards are free to travel, he clarified.

MEA advises students to stay alert

In its advisory, the MEA has asked students going to Canada to “stay alert, be cautious and look around” when in the country. Advising extreme caution, students have been asked to avoid regions and potential venues that have seen anti-India incidents.

In an announcement made earlier, Canada said it was reducing the number of diplomats in India due to security concerns.

Asked about Canada denying visas to former Army officials and Intelligence Bureau personnel who have served in Punjab, Bagchi admitted there were cases of some Indians not being given fair treatment or even of discrimination. And, the Indian Government had raised the issue with Ottawa, he said.

Bagchi added India had been engaged with friendly countries on various issues including this one. “We have been discussing, have conveyed our position and how we see the developments,” he observed. (With agency inputs)

Most of us have joint FDRs with “either or survivor” operational instruction. We feel that by having joint operational instruction, we will never face any operational difficulty in case of any contingency. Our general presumption is that the other surviving joint holder of FD will have the same operational powers as we enjoy when both of us are alive.

But this assumption of ours is far away from the reality. In absence of correct knowledge of exact RBI guidelines, we simply believe that in case of death of any one of the joint FD holders, the surviving one can get it even pre- matured as per his/ her own convenience. Till yesterday morning, I was also under the same impression.

Yesterday, by chance family members of one of our society flat met me at Union bank and shared their problem of not getting the FDRs of their parents pre- matured. I decided to help them in sorting out the matter and met the Bank manager along with them to peruse him to allow the pre- maturity of FDS. But when the manager disclosed me the RBI provisions regarding the pre- maturity of FDRs, I was bit surprised and even quite shocked also.

As per RBI guidelines, in case of death of any one of the joint holder of FDR (even having valid nomination also), the surviving joint holder do not have free assess to the funds so as to get it pre- matured as per his/ her own will or choice. He/ she can get the final amount only at the time of final maturity of the FDR without any ones interference. Before maturity time, for getting it pre- matured, consent of all the legal heirs of deceased FDR holder is must. Means the joint holder do not enjoy the free authority to get the FDRs pre- matured. The surviving FD holder is entitled only at the time of regular maturity of the FDR and not before that.

So, if we have long duration joint FDR, then in case of demise of one of the joint holder, the surviving one can not get the FDRs pre-matured without the consent of all the legal heirs of deceased one. This provision restrict the final authority of any surviving joint holder to use the funds freely in case of need. If any legal heir has any objection or not instantly available, *the surviving FD holder will bound to wait till final maturity date or availability of all the legal heirs at a given time.*

*Further never leave your joint holding FDR without nomination as he will be the one to claim the FDR proceeds in case of any contingency with both the FD joint holders, otherwise all the legal heirs will be required to claim the amount*.
*One thing is very clear that here nominee is only the custodian of the Proceeds – not the owner of the amount so handed over to him/ her. If we wish to make the nominee as the sole claimant of FDR proceeds after our death, we should clearly mention this fact in our will also to avoid any future dispute.*

Hope knowledge of this important provision of RBI will help us in planning the management of our own funds for timely availability thereof at the time of real need.

Note:- This opinion of mine is based on real experience and documentary evidence available in this regard.

Thanks to my Senior banker friend for sharing this useful alert !!

This has been one of the longest anti-militancy operations that has claimed the lives of 3 officers and a soldier

PTI

Srinagar, September 19

Security forces sieved through the dense forests of Gadole in Kashmir Valley’s Anantnag district for the seventh day on Tuesday, one of Jammu and Kashmir’s longest anti-militancy operations that has claimed the lives of three officers and a soldier.

Two bodies were found from the forest area on Monday. One was identified as Pradeep, the soldier killed by terrorists last week Wednesday. The identity of the other is yet to be ascertained, officials said.

Police officials have maintained silence on the operation for the last four days. They believe two to three terrorists are trapped in the forest area.

The operation started on Wednesday when Colonel Manpreet Singh, commanding officer, 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Ashish Dhonchak and Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Humayun Bhat, were killed by  terrorists. Pradeep went missing on the first day of the encounter and was believed to have been killed.

Officials had said earlier that drone footage showed a charred body near one of the terrorist hideouts destroyed during the operation. Security forces are using drones and helicopters to survey the dense forest area with several cave-like hideouts where terrorists are believed to have been holed up since Wednesday.

On Sunday, the security cordon was extended to the neighbouring Posh Kreeri area as a precautionary measure to ensure the terrorists don’t slip into civilian areas.

Addressing a function here late on Sunday evening, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said every drop of blood of the slain security personnel will be avenged and the terrorist handlers will have to pay a heavy price. “We have complete faith in our soldiers…. The entire nation stands in solidarity with the jawans,” Sinha said.

Top officials of the security grid in Kashmir, including the director general of police (DGP) and general officer commanding (GOC) of the Army’s 15 Corps, have been monitoring the operation.

Four security personnel, including two army officers and a police officer, lost their lives in the gunfight

Our Correspondent

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, September 19

J&K Police on Tuesday claimed that two militants including local LeT recruit Uzair Khan have been killed in Kokernag encounter in south Kashmir.  

Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said that two militants including Khan has been killed in Gadole Kokernag encounter in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

“Khan’s body has been retrieved while as the body of second terrorist is lying close to encounter site,” Kumar said.

The searches will continue to locate if there is any more terrorist in the area, he said.

Earlier, Kumar along with Army’s GoC 15 Corps Commander Rajiv Ghai visited Gudool area of Kokernag in south Kashmir’s Anantnag to take stock of the ongoing anti-militancy operation that entered 7th day on Tuesday. 

On late Tuesday evening, the ill-fated operation was initiated based on intelligence inputs indicating the presence of militants in a concealed forest hideout.

However, the militants swiftly detected the presence of the joint team comprising Army and J&K Police personnel on Wednesday morning. 

It led to a barrage of gunfire from the militants’ assault rifles, causing chaos and hindering evacuation efforts. The officers found themselves stranded in the line of fire.

During the initial exchange of fire, Colonel Manpreet Singh lost his life, while Major Ashish Dhonak and DSP Himayun Muzammil Bhat sustained injuries but later succumbed to their wounds. The Army has said that two soldiers were also injured during the encounter.

On Monday, body of an Army soldier Pardeep Singh was also recovered from the encounter site, taking the death toll of security forces to four.