A local youth, Rikshit Chauhan, is among the three Indian nationals detained by the United States after the oil tanker Marinera was seized by the US Coast Guard in the North Atlantic on Wednesday. 

The tanker, which was earlier named Bella 1, was operating under the Russian flag and had been chartered by a private trader. It was reportedly carrying crude oil linked to Venezuela and was en route to Russia when it was intercepted.

At the time of the seizure, the vessel had a total of 28 crew members on board, including three Indians, 20 Ukrainians, six Georgians and two Russians. All crew members are currently under detention by the US authorities, pending further legal and diplomatic procedures.

A team from The Tribune this afternoon visited Rikshit’s family which resides in Ward 7 on the outskirts of Palampur under the Palampur Municipal Corporation. The family is anxious and distressed over the sudden loss of contact with their son.

Ranjit Singh, father of Rikshit, said that they had last spoken to their son five days ago over the phone. “We have not received any information from any official source. Neither the Indian Government nor the Russian authorities have contacted us so far,” he said with tears in his eyes. “Our entire family is extremely worried about his safety and well-being.”

He added that Rikshit had joined Merchant Navy in August last year, marking his first assignment at sea. The family had been proud of his new career, but now fears and uncertainty have overshadowed their hopes.

Family members further stated that a representative of the Merchant Navy Officers Association of India had reached out to them and informed that the Russian Government was closely monitoring the situation. Russia has reportedly urged the United States to ensure humane and dignified treatment of all 28 crew members and has demanded that their rights and interests be strictly respected. Moscow has also called for no hindrance to the prompt repatriation of the crew to their respective home countries.

In the meantime, local MLA Ashish Butail contacted the family and assured them of all possible assistance. He has requested the Chief Secretary, Sanjay Gupta, to take up the matter urgently with the Ministry of External Affairs so that diplomatic efforts can be intensified for the early release and safe return of the local youth.

The incident has triggered concern not only among the families of the detained crew but also within diplomatic circles, as it involves international maritime law, sanctions, and the rights of civilian seafarers. Families of the crew members are now anxiously awaiting official communication and a humanitarian resolution to the situation.

In the pre-dawn skies of September 4, 1965, as the war with Pakistan intensified, a young fighter pilot from the hills of Kangra registered his name in the Indian aviation history. Flying a nimble Folland Gnat, Flight Lieutenant Virendra “Pat” Singh Pathania engaged a formation of Pakistani F-86 Sabre jets — the aircraft famed for their speed and firepower. Minutes later, one of the Sabre jets fell onto the ground.

It was the first confirmed air combat kill of the Indian Air Force (IAF), a defining moment that should have made Pathania a household name. Instead, his legacy slowly faded from public memory.

That morning above Pathankot, however, his brilliance was unparalleled. As the Sabre jets swerved, dived and climbed, Pathania held his nerve. His manoeuvres were crisp and instinctive. In a dramatic dogfight, he outpaced the enemy, slipped behind one of the jets and fired with deadly precision. The Sabre plunged earthward, marking India’s arrival in the modern aerial warfare.

The victory proved far more than a single kill. It lifted morale and helped the IAF assert air superiority during the 1965 war with Pakistan, demonstrating that Indian pilots could match the best in the region through skills and courage.

For this act of exceptional gallantry, Flight Lieutenant Pathania was awarded the Vir Chakra, one of India’s highest wartime honours. Today, as his story resurfaces, he is remembered not only as a fighter pilot but also as a pioneer whose legacy continues to inspire generations of aviators.

From Nurpur’s royal lineage to the skies

Virendra Singh was born into the royal Pathania family of Nurpur on November 6, 1937, and inherited a legacy of warriors. Yet, unlike his forebears, his ambitions lay not on land but in the skies. Known affectionately as “Bhoti” among friends, his childhood was shaped by disruption. Partition forced him to leave Burnhall School in Srinagar and continue his education in Rey village and later in Dharamsala.

Watching aircraft thunder over the Kangra valley, the young Pathania found his calling. His choosing the Air Force over the family’s traditional Army lineage was seen as an act of defiance. Even after clearing the Joint Services Wing examination (now the NDA), he was urged to reconsider. He did not.

Commissioned into the IAF in 1956, Pathania served with Squadron No. 23 and 18, flying Vampire jets before transitioning to the Hawker Hunter. Postings in Poona, Kalaikunda and Bagdogra sharpened his combat skills. In 1963, he was selected for the elite Pilot Attack Instructor Course, the IAF’s equivalent of a Top Gun programme. Graduating among the finest dogfighters in the country, Pathania returned to Squadron No. 23 unaware that the history awaited him.

When Pakistan’s Sabre jet fell on that September morning in 1965, Pathania not only defended Indian airspace but also etched Nurpur’s name into the annals of military aviation.

Life beyond the cockpit

After the war, Pathania returned to civilian life with quiet dignity. In December 1965, he married Asha from the royal family of Keonthal (Junga). Their eldest son, Trigun Vir, is associated with Eagle Riders (India) while their second son, Karan Vir, chose agriculture over aviation. Their daughter Preeti has pursued her own professional ventures. The family today divides its time between Patiala and their ancestral home in Rey, preserving the cultural and historical legacy of the Nurpur royal family.

Overlooked for decades, Flight Lieutenant Virendra “Pat” Singh Pathania exemplifies how the greatest heroes often remain unsung, despite their extraordinary contributions.

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The Army has initiated disciplinary proceedings against a Colonel attached with the Rajputana Rifles Centre for various irregularities and professional misconduct and has been placed under suspension for three months.

The officer, who was earlier commanding an infantry unit based in Rajasthan, is facing 10 charges under Section 63 of the Army Act for acts prejudicial to good order and military discipline and two charges under Section 54 for behaving in a manner unbecoming his position as an officer.

A court of inquiry convened to investigate the allegations against him had held him blameworthy for several acts of omission and commission, including interference in an ongoing investigation against a jawan by the Military Police.

Subsequently, disciplinary action was ordered against the Colonel and he was attached to the regimental centre for further proceedings which included hearing of charge and recording of summary of evidence, a prelude to a possible trial by general court martial.

The officer, on his part, has averred irregularities in the proceedings against him and violations in compliance of mandatory provisions of law and has submitted a representation in this regard to Army Headquarters.

With four Hindu men killed in Bangladesh, the likelihood of internal insurgencies creeping up in our country has risen again, especially in the Northeast. Growing discontent, if not contained, can become a source of major instability in the region, writes former Manipur Governor and J&K ex-DGP Gurbachan Jagat Look to the Northeast. The linking of neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China is a fact and not a figment of the imagination, he writes. There is an unstable Myanmar; an erstwhile friend but a now hostile Bangladesh, and Pakistan, with the covert help of the Chinese, is with them providing men, material and moral support.

However, despite setbacks in the security arena this year, New Delhi did well on the geopolitical front, says ORF Distinguished Fellow Manoj Joshi in his Edit piece Terror keeps India on its toes. 2026 should be the year in which India must work out a new geopolitical orientation to replace the one lost with the US. Besides emphasising multi-polarity, it also needs to take steps to boost the country’s defence expenditure in keeping with trends around the world. America’s ties with Pakistan and China suggest abundant caution not to rely on the US too much, he writes.

As domain experts continue to rework the definition of the Aravallis, the goddess of Justice, although blindfolded, has demonstrated that it can both ‘see’ and ‘hear’ when it is under vehement, largely justified, attack, writes ex-Secretary, Environment, Forest & Climate Change Ashok Lavasa in his Op-Ed article Aravallis, like old parents, can’t be abandoned. Has the design of vested interests of turning a mountain into a molehill been defeated or have the saviours of the Aravallis succeeded in making a mountain of a molehill? he wonders. Cynics argue how could the court accept a definition without understanding its impact on the ground, both in terms of the extent of actual area covered by the definition and the effect of the permitted activities on the environment.

If the Aravallis are made to conform to the new definition, land degradation will only hasten, writes food and agriculture specialist Devinder Sharma in his Edit Aravallis are vital for food security. There is a dire need to protect the hills that serve as a green wall against desertification. The true economic cost of their ecological and environmental services has not been worked out. Once this cost is known, the nation will realise the economic necessity of keeping the hills intact, he argues.

Talking of Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had stormed to power in 2022 riding the wave of disillusionment and got a massive mandate from an electorate desperately looking for an alternative. However, power’s intoxicating effect has changed AAP from what it promised to be — a different party, writes senior journalist Nirmal Sandhu in his Op-Ed article Tu Mann na Mann, Punjab is sinking deep in debt, writing exhaustively about what has gone wrong in Punjab’s political hotpot. Punjab has become the second most indebted state in the country after Arunachal Pradesh. Instead of debating this issue, special Vidhan Sabha sessions are called to discuss politically useful matters, he writes. And AAP’s contribution to the fiscal mess is no less significant. AAP had vowed to stop illegal mining and generate revenue, but the problem continues to persist after almost four years in power. Problems kept multiplying. Despite all shortcomings, the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government has done some good work, but there is more over-projection than concrete results on the ground, he thinks.

From AAP to the BJP, though the BJP government has had two terms of majority rule and it has re-consolidated political power by winning many Assembly elections, it has not moved significantly towards building consensus on crucial issues, writes senior journalist R Jagannathan in his Op-Ed article Why BJP needs dialogue, not deadlock. It does not mean everything has to be done by consensus — the Budget and some economic policies, for example, can be exceptions — but in most other cases, the government should seek as wide a consensus as possible so that there is less internal heartburn.  The BJP has to look beyond mere electoral gains, it has to begin discussions with major opposition parties on everything — from electoral and economic reforms to delimitation of constituencies and sharing of resources between the Centre, states and local bodies.

The Higher Education Regulatory Bill, being projected by the government as a decisive break from the failures of the UGC, is being offered as a solution to many ills plaguing education in India. By separating funding, accreditation, regulation and academic oversight into distinct functions, the government claims to eliminate overlap, reduce arbitrariness and introduce transparency, writes ex-PU professor Shelley Walia in his article Illusion of reform in universities. But the Bill is detached from the complex social, caste-based and linguistic realities that shape academia. This contradiction is stark when read alongside the NEP’s commitment to creativity, critical thinking and multidisciplinary exploration, he writes.

Talking about the freedom of speech, The Tribune Editor-in-Chief Jyoti Malhotra writes in her weekly column The Great Game Free speech and media control that Article 19, a fundamental right in the Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech and expression, gives with one hand but takes away with the other. So, for example, while Article 19(1)(a) grants citizens the right to freely express their thoughts, opinions and ideas, “reasonable restrictions can be imposed on this right” in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, public order, decency, morality, etc. But the question is, who is to decide what is “public order”?

Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma on Monday took part in the Dhruva motorcycle rally that started in Udhampur, to pay tribute to the sacrifices of India’s bravehearts and strengthen the Army’s commitment to veteran outreach and military-civil fusion.

Ahead of the 10th Veterans’ Day on January 14, the general officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-in-C) laid a solemn wreath at the Dhruva War Memorial in Udhampur to honour the supreme sacrifices made in the service of the nation.

The rally was ceremonially flagged off here by Param Vir Chakra awardee Honorary Captain Bana Singh and Chinta Devi, wife of Vir Chakra awardee late Naib Subedar Chunni Lal, a defence PRO said.

As an expression of solidarity with and tribute to veterans, Sharma, White Knight Corps GOC, and senior Army officers rode along with the bikers from Udhampur to Nagrota, covering the first phase of the rally, he said.

“Spanning approximately 740 kilometres, the Dhruva motorcycle rally is a deliberate outreach initiative designed to celebrate the unmatched contribution and supreme sacrifices of India’s bravehearts, while strengthening the Indian Army’s commitment to veteran outreach and military-civil fusion,” the PRO said.

The rally will traverse the scenic landscape of the Pir Panjal region in the White Knight Corps zone before culminating at the mega ex-servicemen’s rally on January 13 at Rajouri, he said.

Along its route, the motorcycle rally will conduct wreath-laying ceremonies at various war memorials. “It is accompanied by ‘Aarogya Rakshak’ medical teams, which will establish medical outreach camps to provide health screening, preventive care and essential medicines to ex-servicemen,” he added.

Blood pressure monitoring machines will be distributed to senior veterans, reinforcing the Army’s sustained focus on medical care.

The Dhruva motorcycle rally stands as a testimony to the Army’s ethos of ‘service beyond uniform’, honouring the past, engaging the present, and reaffirming an unbreakable bond with the veteran community, the PRO said.

“The initiative not only commemorates sacrifice but also celebrates the indomitable spirit, resilience and lifelong service of soldiers,” the officer added.

To commemorate their selfless service and sacrifices, the Northern Army commander felicitated Honorary Captain Bana Singh and Chinta Devi.

In Army, discipline has a direct impact on its functional efficacy

Ruling that there is necessity of stringent punitive measures to maintain military order and integrity, the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has upheld the demotion of a soldier held guilty for falsifying official records and tampering with documents.

The soldier, DK Singh, belonging to the Army Service Corps has tried by a summary court martial for tampering with the counterfoils of bank cheques issued to a trading firm and unauthorisedly signing railway warrants in lieu of a Lieutenant Colonel commanding the unit where he was posted.

The Trial, however, was set aside by the General Officer Commanding, Madhya Bharat Area on account of certain legal infirmities. Thereafter, based on legal advice, administrative action was initiated against him and a show cause notice was issued.

The soldier pleaded guilty to one charge and not guilty to the second. Based upon his reply, he was awarded the punishment of reduction of rank from Havildar to Naik. His representation before Army Headquarters against the punishment was rejected, following which he was discharged from service in 2018.

In his petition before the Tribunal, he contended that once the proceedings of the court martial were set aside, was relieved of all the consequences arising out of the trial and he ought not to be punished for the same offence through administrative action.

The army, on the other hand, contended before the Tribunal that since charges against the soldier had become time barred as the period of limitation had expired, therefore, in view of the same administrative action was initiated against him as he had committed an offence of moral turpitude of grave nature which cannot be dealt with leniently in Army where discipline has a direct impact on its functional efficacy.

The Tribunal’s Bench comprising Justice Suresh Kumar Gupta and Lt Gen Anil Puri ruled that the soldier had committed a grave offence, which cannot be dealt with leniently in the Army where discipline has a direct impact on its functional efficacy and leaving him scot-free after committing such a serious offence, for which he himself pleaded guilty, would have adverse effect on the overall discipline of the organisation like the Army.

Refusing to interfere in the matter, the Bench also observed that despite the serious nature of the offence, for which the maximum punishment is imprisonment up to 14 years, he had been leniently punished by reducing his rank only, keeping in view of his length of service so that he could get his due pension.

Court held him blameworthy for acts of omission, commission

The Army has initiated disciplinary proceedings against a Colonel attached with the Rajputana Rifles Centre for various irregularities and professional misconduct and has been placed under suspension for three months.

The officer, who was earlier commanding an infantry unit based in Rajasthan, is facing 10 charges under Section 63 of the Army Act for acts prejudicial to good order and military discipline and two charges

A court of inquiry convened to probe the allegations had held him blameworthy for several acts of omission and commission, including interference in an ongoing probe against a jawan by the Military Police.

Subsequently, disciplinary action was ordered against the Colonel and he was attached to the regimental centre for further proceedings which included hearing of charge and recording of summary of evidence, a prelude to a possible trial by general court martial.

The officer, on his part, has averred irregularities in the proceedings and violations in compliance of mandatory provisions of law and has submitted a representation in this regard to Army HQ.

Difficult to cut & climb 12-ft fence; backed by high-tech cameras, enhanced area domination plans

Amid high alert along the India-Bangladesh frontier, owing to the civil unrest in the neighbouring nation, the BSF has installed newly designed border fencing system in almost 75 per cent of the strategically significant Chicken’s Neck (also called the Siliguri corridor) region, according to highly placed sources.

The upgraded 12-feet-high new design fencing (NDF) has been erected in the sensitive region, backed with powerful cameras and enhanced area domination plans, the BSF officials said.

They said it takes several minutes to cut the new fence, while it was also difficult to climb, owing to its height. These measures would help in cutting down infiltration attempts and also incidents of cattle smuggling.

A top BSF official said lots of efforts were being made to secure the Chicken’s Neck region, which borders Bangladesh, and therefore the new design fencing (NDF) has been erected in 75 per cent of the region. As part of these efforts, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras have been installed along the border, which provide live feeds for rapid response and support efforts to create a “smart border” with technology and manpower.

Additionally, domination plans have also undergone changes. As per the new plans, the BSF targets areas from where cattle are collected and brought near the border for smuggling. Officials said the BSF personnel even retreat several kilometres within the Indian territory to raid these areas so that cattle smuggling can be curbed.

The BSF has also started a new community-centred project aimed at discouraging Indian villagers from engaging in border crimes, in connivance with Bangladeshi touts and smugglers.

Personnel from the border guarding force visit homes of suspect smugglers and touts and try and make their families aware of the consequences of such actions. These confidence-building measures have played a major role in bringing down cattle smuggling and human trafficking incidents in the past one year, the BSF sources said.

Officials said that in the recent past, several Bangladeshis who entered India illegally, but inadvertently, were also handed back to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), but only after a thorough background check. Their fingerprints and personal details were also shared with the authorities for verification of any criminal or anti-national records.

Since January 2025, the BSF has seized cattle, gold, silver, wildlife, arms, ammunition and other contraband worth around Rs 8.5 crore. A total of 440 Bangladeshis — including touts and smugglers — and 152 Indians, as well as 11 others, were apprehended. Of them, 187 Bangladeshis were handed over to BGB.

First indigenously designed pollution control vessel

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Samudra Pratap — the country’s first indigenously designed pollution control vessel and also the largest ship in its fleet — in Goa on Monday.

It is the first of two pollution control vessels built by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL). According to the Ministry of Defence, “The ICGS Samudra Pratap is India’s first indigenously designed pollution control vessel and the largest ship in the ICG fleet till date. The ship has over 60 percent indigenous content.”

Singh described the vessel as an embodiment of India’s mature defence industrial ecosystem, which possesses the capability to handle complex manufacturing challenges effectively. He added that consistent efforts were being made to enhance the indigenous content in ships to 90 percent.

The minister said although the ICGS Samudra Pratap has been specially designed for pollution control, but its role is not limited to this alone. As multiple capabilities have been integrated into a single platform, the ship will prove to be effective in coastal patrol and strengthen maritime safety.

The ship is equipped with advanced pollution detection systems, dedicated pollution response boats, and modern firefighting capabilities. It also features a helicopter hangar and aviation support facilities.

The ship has a displacement of 4,170 tonnes, length of 114.5 meters and capacity to speeds exceeding 22 knots. It is powered by two 7,500 kW diesel engines and an endurance of 6,000 nautical miles.

It is equipped with state-of-the-art systems, including side-sweeping arms, floating booms, high-capacity skimmers, portable barges and a pollution control laboratory. Its armament includes a 30 mm CRN-91 gun and two 12.7 mm stabilised remote-controlled guns, supported by modern fire-control systems.

Will abide by directions, appear barefoot on Jan 15: Mann

Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Kuldip Singh Gargaj on Monday summoned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to appear before the Takht secretariat on January 15 to explain his alleged utterances against Sikh institutions and related issues.

Responding to the summons, Mann said he respected the directive and would comply with it. “I will appear before Akal Takht by walking barefoot like a humble Sikh, not as the Chief Minister,” Mann posted on X.

Addressing mediapersons in Amritsar, the Jathedar said the summons had been issued in view of the CM’s alleged repeated statements denigrating and insulting Sikh institutions, “which had hurt the sentiments of the community”. He said Mann had made “disparaging remarks against key Sikh principles, including Daswandh and Guru Ki Golak”.

“The action has also been initiated in view of a highly objectionable video of the CM that surfaced recently, in which he is seen indulging in extremely objectionable activity with the images of Sikh Gurus,” he said.

The Jathedar clarified that since Mann was not a ‘Sabat Surat Sikh’ (one embodying spiritual discipline), he could not appear before the Takht’s ‘fasil’ and had instead been summoned to the secretariat.

Gargaj also questioned the delay in delivering justice in the 2015 Bargari sacrilege and the 2017 Maur bomb attack cases in which seven persons, including five children, were killed. He asked when Bargari case accused Pradeep Kaler, who was arrested earlier, had “named Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and his associate Honeypreet as perpetrators”, why no action was taken against them. He claimed the Maur blast case was also “linked to the dera”.

The Jathedar also accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of trying to draw political mileage from the Bargari issue. He said when AAP leaders had been repeatedly claiming that the Maur blast was carried out to prevent them from coming to power, why no action was taken in the case even after the party assumed power. Meanwhile, Punjab Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond visited Akal Takht barefoot and also appeared before the Jathedar. Sond assured the Jathedar of appointing in his department an official well-versed in Sikh history, culture and code of conduct to oversee government-run institutions connected to the religion.

Chief Khalsa Diwan president and AAP MLA Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, who also appeared before the Jathedar, assured him of complying with the constitution of a century-old Sikh educational body that allowed only Amritdhari (baptised) Sikhs as members.

Sond and Nijjar appeared before Gargaj following directions issued by the Sikh high priests on December 28.

Sond appeared to offer a clarification in person over a painting depicting Guru Gobind Singh wearing shoes while administering Amrit Sanchar to Bhai Jaita Ji at Bhai Jeevan Singh (Bhai Jaita Ji) Memorial in Anandpur Sahib. The Sikh high priests had termed it to be against Sikh principles and traditions.

Delegates of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee also appeared before the Jathedar in a separate case.