Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 25

A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to attend the Veer Bal Diwas programme in Delhi on Monday, various Sikh bodies, including the SGPC, objected to the Union Government designating the occasion as ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ here on Sunday.

Sahibzadas referred to as ‘Babas’

Calling the martyrdom day ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ is against Sikh philosophy as Sahibzadas are referred to as ‘Babas’ and not ‘bal’ (children). Referring to them as children belittles their tall stature as their sacrifice was of extremely huge stature. Sikh bodies

Countering the BJP-led Centre’s move, the SGPC called upon the Sikh community around the world to observe the occasion as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’.

Sikh bodies are of the view that any decision in relation to Sikh Gurus and their family members should be taken by the Akal Takht in the light of Sikh philosophy and principles.

They said that calling the martyrdom day ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ is against Sikh philosophy as Sahibzadas are referred to as ‘Babas’ and not ‘Bal’ (children).

Referring to them as children belittles their tall stature as their sacrifice was of extremely huge stature.

Cautioning the sangat of the government’s “tricks and move” to destroy Sikh history and heritage, Harjinder Singh Dhami, SGPC president, appealed to them to be vigilant.

Accusing the Centre of tinkering with Sikh history, he said Harmeet Singh Kalka, president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), was conniving with the government. He urged the DSGMC to refrain from the event which was “distorting” Sikh heritage.

He asked if the government really wants to pay homage to Sahibzade, then what is the problem in celebrating the occasion as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’.

On the directions of the Akal Takht, a committee of Sikh scholars had suggested the name ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’ but the Narendra Modi did not pay heed to it, he alleged.

Naib Subedar Omkar Singh cremated at his native village in Pathankot on Sunday. Tribune Video Grab
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PTI

Chandigarh/Jaisalmer/Bankura/Etah, December 25

Family members of Army personnel who were killed in a road accident in Sikkim were inconsolable as their last rites were held with full state honours at their native places in four states on Sunday.

There was hardly a dry eye as the three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son of Lance Naik Somvir Singh of the 113 Engineers Regiment lit his pyre in Haryana’s Hisar.

As soon as his mortal remains reached his residence, his mother and father kissed their son’s forehead while his sister saluted him.

The scenes were no different in Jhojhu Kalan where the eight-year-old son of havildar Arvind Kumar of 8 Rajputana Rifles performed his father’s last rites.

In Fatehabad’s Pili Mandori village, residents chanted ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ as the mortal remains of grenadier Vikas Kumar of the 25 Grenadiers left home for the final journey.

In West Bengal’s Bankura, villagers gathered in large numbers at the residence of Naik Gopinath Makur to bid him farewell, as his widow and parents struggled to come to terms with the tragedy.

These soldiers were among the 16 who were killed when an Army truck in which they were travelling fell into a gorge while negotiating a sharp turn at Zema in North Sikkim on Friday.

The truck was part of a three-vehicle convoy that was going from Chatten towards Thangu, according to the Army.

Minister of state Anoop Dhanak, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Jaibir Yadav, army personnel and other officials attended the last rites of Somvir Singh, who was commissioned into the Army on 26 June, 2015.

He had recently come home on a 55-day leave and resumed duty last week.https://00c24b0497345e0eac061dc19aeb8717.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Havildar Arvind Kumar had joined the Army 15 years ago and his wife is posted with the Haryana Police. His cremation was attended by MP Dharambir Singh and local MLA Sombir Sangwan.

Grenadier Vikas Kumar had joined the Army four years back and got married two years ago. MP Sunita Duggal and several other political leaders, Army personnel and civil administration officials attended his last rites.

In Rajasthan, the mortal remains of Subedar Guman Singh, Lance Naik Manoj Yadav and soldier Sukha Ram were consigned to the flames in Jaisalmer, Jhunjhunu and Jodhpur districts, respectively.

Thousands attended the last rites of Guman Singh in his Joga village.

In Jodhpur, the body of Sukha Ram was taken from the Jodhpur airport to his Sawantkua village in Khedapa in a large procession.

Scores of people carrying the tricolour joined the last journey of Lance Naik Yadav in Jhunjhunu’s Majri village.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Tajpur Ada village, Lance Naik Bhupendra Singh’s younger brother lit his pyre as slogans of ‘Jabtak Suraj-Chand Rahega, Bhupendra Tera Naam Rahega’ rent the air.

Lance Naik Singh is survived by his three-year-old daughter. 

munition at Hathlanga village near the LoC in the frontier town of Uri in north Kashmir.

“At present, the number of terrorists, besides arms and ammunition, across Kashmir is at an all-time low. Pakistan is desperate to infiltrate terrorists and arms and ammunition to Kashmir so that terrorist-related activities carry on unabated,” Chandpuria told reporters in Baramulla.

He said Pakistan was carrying out such desperate attempts as it could not accept the “prevailing peace and prosperity across the Kashmir valley”.

On Friday, a search operation was launched in the general area of Hathlanga Nala which lasted eight hours and concluded with the recovery of arms, ammunition and other war-like stores.

The Army and police recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition which included 8 AK-74U with 24 magazines and 560 rounds, 12 pistols with 24 magazines and 244 rounds, 14 grenades, 81 balloons with Pakistan flag imprints, 5 wheat bags with made-in-Pakistan imprints and other incriminating material.

“We are following the leads on the recovery of the arms and ammunition but can’t share details,” he said. “A close movement close to the launch pads was noticed. It seems the terrorists panicked and left the war-like stores behind before moving back to the PoK,” he said.

Chandpuria said intelligence agencies had been receiving inputs for the last two weeks about the infiltration attempts and dumping of war-like stores by terrorists in the Hathlanga village of the Rampur sector.

Searches were conducted for more than two weeks along the LoC.

Around eight anti-militancy operations were carried out in the same sector this year in which 14 AK assault rifles, 20 pistols, 1 M16 rifle, 76 hand grenades, 1226 AK rounds, 484 9mm rounds, 15 kg of drugs were recovered, General Chandpuria said.

Another Army officer said the security forces had stepped up anti-militancy operations and had set a target to bring down the number of active militants in Kashmir further.

“The Army is vigilant and won’t allow any infiltration into Kashmir,” he said.

The officer said short guns were being sent here by Pakistan just to target the civilians but “we will thwart those attempts”.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Baramulla, Rayees Muhammad Bhat said, “Balloons, which are typically sent more frequently to the Jammu side, have been sent to the Valley side for the first time. It perhaps points towards a kind of attempt to instigate certain propaganda again.”

Sandeep Dikshit

Now that Covid has come knocking again, the world would desperately want an end to the 10-month-old war in Ukraine where the rapid Russian military thrust, though not bogged down into a stalemate, is in a two-steps-forward-one-step-back kind of situation. The strength of the Russian war machine and the resistance of the Ukrainians have both been surprising.

It all began in Kyiv

About 2,000 years back, Kyiv was the heartland of the Rus, the forerunners of the Russians. In 988 AD, Rus ruler Vladimir chose the Greek Orthodox Church as the state religion and two Greek monks brought an alphabet to create a standardised written dialect. This later became the Russian script. The moment of the two monks with the tablet is commemorated by a monument in central Kyiv. The abode of Nestor, a contributor to Russia’s history compiled in “Primary Chronicle,” is not far away and, now, a Unesco heritage site.

From Russia, with love

Three of India’s cutting-edge acquisitions bear the Russian stamp. One is the missile defence system S-400 that even the Israelis are wary of. The second is its assistance for nuclear submarines that could become a game-changer against China. And the third are the 1,000 MW nuclear reactors in Tamil Nadu. While the West was giving the first with strings attached, the second was denied outright and the third ruinously expensive. Add to these, the open as well as quiet Russian assistance in international politics, the space sector and intelligence, and it becomes clear why India will not abandon Russia in its moment of crisis.

With China in the grip of Covid, global supply chains are already wobbling. But there are no signs that either of the protagonists in the Russia-Ukraine conflict can politically afford to back down to ease the pain of food and fuel being felt on nations overburdened by the debts incurred in previous Covid waves.

All wars are ultimately political acts. This one was in the making since the Soviet Union disintegrated. It may not have been a coincidence that the chiefs of both churches who headed the Ukrainian nationalist movement against Moscow had their bases in the US, and were parachuted to Kyiv immediately after Ukraine became independent.

The head of the Uniate church, Cardinal Mirolav Lubachivsky, returned from exile in Ohio in 1991 and Bishop of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church, Mastislav, landed in Kyiv a few months later from his headquarters in New Jersey. Their camp followers compared the two to the “Founding Fathers of America”, writes Mark Juergensmeyer, an authority on comparative religions. Leaders of both the churches were forced out by Stalin, who was peeved over the half-hearted participation of some Ukrainians and even collaboration with the Germans during the Second World War.

The opinions that were then polarised bore fruit eight years back when a pro-Russian President was sent packing by a mob and the pro-western replacements did not seem inclined to honour the earlier agreements to allow Moscow to operate its naval bases, especially the biggest of them in Crimea. Russia read the writing on the wall and a few months later, it sent in “little green men” to annex Crimea. The story has been downhill ever since.

For eight years, Ukraine’s western military advisers had been expecting a Russian military action. The Kremlin fervently believed that it would invade and win quickly. But the preparatory bombardment was not full tilt, nowhere near the western carpet bombing of Iraq, Afghanistan or Libya. This left part of the Ukraine air defence system and air force functional. There was inadequate infantry, which led to unsupported tanks getting picked off by mobile groups of regulars. But for a tight political circle, the commanders learnt of the invasion at the last moment. In an intercepted conversation, Chechen commander Daniil Martynov told Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov that Russian commanders had ‘bulging eyes’ when they were told of the invasion.

Aided by some bizarre Russian strategy such as the 40-mile convoy to Kyiv which finally turned back without firing a shot at the objective, the two lakh Ukrainian soldiers, bolstered by thousands of western professional fighters and volunteers, have distinguished themselves. So has Volodymyr Zelenskyy, once dismissed as a lightweight and a comedian..

Vladimir Putin may not have won the war but his military has sunk the Ukrainian economy. And this without using sub-strategic nuclear weapons even after Russian forces had to abandon Kherson. The Russians have shown no signs of relenting and the entire industrialised part of Ukraine in the east has been flattened. On the other hand, Kyiv’s military does not have any more recruitment to fall back on and its civilians go without electricity and water in sub-zero temperatures.

The western narrative, dominant and overwhelming as it is, assumed greater ascendancy after banning Russian TV channels and other media outlets. Therefore, the world will not get to know what the Ukrainians really think of Zelenskyy having taken them down an alley where their per capita GDP now is just above that of India. But what the world knows is that thousands have been arrested in Russia for protesting against the war which was sold to them as a brief, policy-type special military operation. Putin, too, cannot afford an indefinite war.

Europe, badly maimed by America’s desire to convert the Ukraine conflict into an end game for Moscow, yearns for a cessation of hostilities. In the US, but for a discredited Donald Trump leading the Republican Party to a poor showing in the mid-term polls, resistance would have been greater to Biden’s funnelling of billions of dollars to Ukraine..l

This week has been dramatic. Zelenskyy went to the US, Putin to Belarus and former President Dmitry Medvedev to Beijing — all for the first time. Do the visits portend an intensified battle or some sort of ceasefire?

India, as did the other major emerging countries such as Brazil and South Africa, have taken the middle path. But Foreign Minister S Jaishankar easily stole the limelight among all his counterparts from the major developing states. The pressure on India was also more severe because of its status as primus inter pares in the Global South and its intimate defence ties with Russia.

India, as also China, needs a muscular Moscow to act as a counter-balance and a bargaining chip with the West. So too other developing countries which have seen the West’s capriciousness once too often. At the UNSC, WTO and climate change talks, the collision of self-interests compels India and the West to take divergent paths. The ones which walk more often with India are the Global South, China and Russia. But none of the major emerging countries face a belligerent China. This is why India is playing a much-finer balancing act in this conflict than most. It has to be by Russia’s side but equally play along with the US. It has done a reasonable job so far. As Covid seems set to upset global equanimity again, New Delhi will want the Russia-Ukraine disorder to end. Because, if the conflict sharpens, India’s flawless balancing so far can become error-prone.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 24

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a programme marking ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Delhi, on December 26, and will attend a ‘shabad kirtan’ by over 300 children.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister will also flag off a marchpast by over 3,000 children in Delhi. The government is organising interactive and participative programmes all over the country to inform and educate the citizens, especially children, about the story of exemplary courage of the Sahibzadas, the sons of Guru Guru Gobind Singh.

“In this endeavour, essay writing, quiz competitions and other activities will be organised in schools and colleges across the country. All over the country, programmes will be organised where dignitaries will narrate the life story and sacrifice of the Sahibzadas,” a PMO statement said. On Parkash Purb of Guru Gobind Singh on January 9, the PM had announced that December 26 would be observed as ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ to mark the martyrdom of 10th Sikh Guru’s sons Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh.

To pay tributes to the Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh, Mata Gujri and all martyrs of Chamkaur Sahib, a Gurmat Samagam was held in the Golden Temple here on Friday. – File photo
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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 23

To pay tributes to the Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh, Mata Gujri and all martyrs of Chamkaur Sahib, a Gurmat Samagam was held in the Golden Temple here on Friday. Sikh organisations would also celebrate the martyrdom day of Sahibzadas across the state on a grand scale on December 25.

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A large number of children together recited Japji Sahib, Gurbani Kirtan, Kavishri, Kavita and Dhadhi to pay tributes to the martyrs. In his address, Dharam Prachar Lehar chairman Rajinder Singh Mehta asked children to take inspiration from the sacrifices of the Sahibzadas. Earlier, the Hazuri Ragi jatha of the Golden Temple presented Gurbani kirtan.

Meanwhile, the Panthic Talmel Sangathan, an umbrella organisation of several Sikh bodies, said major religious events would be held in the gurdwaras of every village, town and city on December 25. It already translated the martyrdom of Sahibzadas into 12 languages.

Former jathedar Giani Kewal Singh, convener of the sangathan, said here on Friday that the programme would be celebrated under its ‘Galwakadi’ campaign to be held on December 25.

About 3 lakh forms containing questions in this regard printed by the Sikh organisation were distributed in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bhopal, Pune, besides the entire state of Punjab. Apart from Punjabi, Hindi, English, the literature was made available in Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Assamese, Telugu and other Indian languages. This history was also distributed online so that non-Sikhs could be made aware of the history of martyrdom.

The martyrdom day of Chhote Sahibzadas is being celebrated across the country as Veer Bal Diwas by the Union Government. Accordingly, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued guidelines to the educational institutions across the country under its authority that the martyrdom of Chhote Sahibzadas should be observed in schools for one month from December 26 under Veer Bal Diwas.

Jaswinder Singh of the Akal Purakh Ki Fauj (APKF) said in this regard events would be held in gurdwaras of each village, town and city. During these events, a turban competition for children would be conducted. Similarly, there would be a Bhujhangi Khalsa competition in which parents would bring along their young children as the heirs of the Sahibzadas. He said the winning children would be given bicycles, watches and many other prizes. These events will be held at around 20 places in the holy city alone on December 25.

It is pertinent to mention that the Shiromani Committee is celebrating martyrdom week from December 21 to 28. It has also printed booklets related to the history of Sahibzadas in eight languages to be distributed on the martyrdom day.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 24

The government has made RTPCR, the test for covid-19, mandatory for all arrivals from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand in the wake of a surge in cases in these countries.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya made the statement as India began random testing of 2 per cent of all international arrivals from 10am on Saturday.

RTPCR has a higher accuracy than rapid antigen tests, with the government mandate to states also being ensuring 70 per cent RTPCR and the rest antigen-based testing for accuracy.

India’s challenge is to track any potential new variant..

So far, the Chinese surge has been powered by the Omicron variant and its lineages some of which are highly transmissible. They are, however, less severe than Delta.

In a historic move for[1]ward, a federal appeals court has ruled that Sikhs recruits in the US Marine Corps can keep a beard and wear turbans. Judges from the Dis[1]trict of Columbia’s fed[1]eral appeals court on Friday cited the Apre[1]sent Corps’ boot camp rule of cutting hair and shaving beards as a vio[1]lation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The ruling came after three Sikh Marine Corps recruits — Aekash Singh, Jaskirat Singh and Milaap Singh Chahal — fought for an emergency appeal in District of Columbia’s federal court to get an immediate exemption to the Corps’ boot camp rule. “Now, three Sikh re[1]cruits, who had previ[1]ously been denied reli[1]gious accommodations, can enter basic training,” Eric Baxter, senior coun[1]sel who represented the Sikh trio, tweeted. In Sikh faith, men wear turban and they do not shave off their beards or cut hair. IAN

First batch of Agniveers dispatched for training from Hisar on Saturday. Tribune photo
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Tribune News Service

Hisar, December 24

The first batch of Agniveers was sent to different training centres of the Army from the Army Recruitment Office (ARO) here today.

Army officials said 97 candidates had been sent to various training camps out of total 459 selected from Hisar, Sirsa, Jind and Fatehabad districts.

These candidates had appeared in the recruitment rally held at the ARO, Hisar, in August. The selected candidates have been assigned six training centres where they are scheduled to reach by December 27.

A dispatch ceremony was held at the ARO, Hisar, under the supervision of Dot On Target Division of the Army where the selected candidates were addressed by Army officers and a flag-off ceremony was also held.

The screening process for Agniveers under the Agneepath scheme was held in Hisar after which medical and other requisite tests were conducted over the next few days. The first-ever recruitment of Agniveers was conducted in Hisar by the Army.