Current Events :
Amritsar: DAV College observed the National Sports Day with great enthusiasm and fervour which is celebrated every year on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. Principal Amardeep Gupta in his address enlightened the gathering that the day embraces sportsmanship and brotherhood that comes with sports. National Sports Day is celebrated graciously all over the nation to honour national sports teams for their outstanding performance for their respective country. Celebrating the Day, Dr B B Yadav, head, Physical Education Department, paid tributes to Major Dhyan Chand by recalling his contribution to the country and the Indian sports in particular. Dr Daizy Sharma, Dr Gurdas Singh Sekhon, Dr Rajni Khanna, Dr Neeraj Gupta, Dr Munish Gupta, Dr Vikas Bhardwaj, Dr Sandeep Sharma were also present on the occasion.
Games mark national sports day
Celebrations of the National Sports Day became a moment marked with zeal and passion when Spring Daleans cheered up their buddies for their outstanding performance in zonal level sports tournaments organised for football, table tennis, cricket, badminton and gatka. Sahiljit Singh Sandhu, Chairman, Spring Dale Educational Society shared that the while the school football team was adjudged winners in the zonal football tournament, table tennis under-14, under-17 and under-19 category for boys. Girls’ team also won by the championship. The school gatka team was adjudged overall winners in zonal gatka tournament for boys U-14 and U-19 category where the school cricket team won the zonal tournament U-19 for boys. School Principal Rajiv Kumar Sharma shared that during the zonal badminton tournament, school badminton team for boys was the winner in U-14 and U-17 category whereas the girls’ team was adjudged the first runner-up for U-17 and second runner up for U-14 category. “There could be no befitting way to celebrate the National Sports Day,” said Sharma while congratulating the winning teams.
Rakhi-making competition organised
The joyous festival of Raksha Bandhan was celebrated with great enthusiasm by the Ashramites. The celebration began with a special assembly where students of grade-1 explained the significance of Raksha Bandhan highlighting its cultural and emotional importance. Students had the opportunity to learn about the customs associated with Raksha Bandhan through different activities, which not only enriched their understanding of the festival but also promoted cultural awareness and respect for traditions. One of the highlights of the event was the ‘rakhi-making’ activity for the tiny-tots of Class I and II. They showcased their creativity by designing and crafting beautiful rakhis, which symbolise the bond of protection and love between brothers and sisters. Students of Grade V participated in ‘Poetry Writing Competition’, which was fully loaded with love and emotions. Students of Grade VI decorated the puja thali in ‘Thali Decoration Competition’. Grade III students wrote paragraphs emphasising the importance of sharing and becoming independent.
SBS holds sports events
SBS College of Pharmacy celebrated the National Sports Day by organising two- day sports events in the college. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sachin Saggar, Principal, SBS College of Pharmacy, said that the National Sports Day is celebrated to commemorate the achievement and services of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand on his birthday. He advised the students to maintain proper balance between sports activities and studies for overall growth and development. The event concluded with distribution of trophies and medal to winners of various events. Alka Arora, MD, SBS group of colleges, Amritsar, while congratulating the winners, said that sports help develop overall character to become more efficient, confident and adaptable. It teaches various life skills and healthy habits to students.
Chandigarh, August 28
Olympian Neeraj Chopra did not disappoint India as he came up with a superb throw of 88.17 and secured the gold medel in the World Athletics Championships on Sunday.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won silver, while Czech Republic’s Yakub Vadlejch took bronze.
Arshad Nadeem made a final attempt in sixth round with a big one, but it was still short of what he wanted and Chopra claimed the gold.
But what really caught social media’s attention was the 25-year-old Olympian from Haryana sharing a moment with Pakistan’s Nadeem after the javelin throw final in this beautiful video.
The wholesome video shows Neeraj invite Nadeem under the India flag.
Geneva, August 29
More than 1,300 schools have been totally destroyed in government-held areas of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, the UN children’s fund Unicef said on Tuesday. It said several other schools have been badly damaged. About a third of school-age children there are attending classes fully , it said.
Putin not to attend Prigozhin’s funeral
The war followed Covid disruptions, meaning some Ukrainian children were facing a fourth consecutive school year of disruptions as they return to classes this week after the summer break, Unicef said.
“This has left Ukraine’s children struggling to progress in their education,” said Regina De Dominicis, Unicef Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. — Reuters
So well brought out by this Paki ex army offr… how the concept of Martial Races was evolved by the Britishers after 1857… and the current state of Pak
Kyiv, August 28
Ukraine said on Monday its troops had liberated the southeastern settlement of Robotyne and were trying to push further south in their counteroffensive against Russian forces. The Ukrainian military said last week that its forces had raised the national flag in the strategic settlement, but were still carrying out mopping-up operations.
“Robotyne has been liberated,” Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar was quoted as saying by the military. The settlement is 10 km (six miles) south of the frontline town of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region on an important road towards Tokmak, a Russian-occupied road and rail hub.
Tokmak’s capture would be a milestone as Ukrainian troops press southwards towards the Sea of Azov in a military drive that is intended to split Russian forces following Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine’s defence ministry posted a video on social media platform X of soldiers describing the liberation and raising the flag in the settlement. “Mr. President, commander-in-chief, the village of Robotyne has been liberated from the occupiers by the forces of the 27th Mechanised Brigade and adjacent units,” a Ukrainian soldier said in the video.
Russia has not confirmed the Ukrainian advance. In its statement, Russia’s defence ministry said Moscow’s troops had repelled attacks by Kyiv’s forces near Robotyne and Verbove. Ukraine’s success in retaking Robotyne follows media reports of a meeting this month of senior NATO military chiefs and Ukraine’s top general on resetting Ukraine’s military strategy. — Reuters
US consulate employee accused of spying
A touch of acrimony seems to have crept into the negotiations between India and China regarding their border dispute. The latest issue is about who made a request for the meeting that took place in Johannesburg between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping last week. A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement claimed that it happened at India’s request, while sources say that India had sought an informal conversation with China but had rejected a long-standing Chinese request for a formal bilateral meeting.
India and China are working on a three-stage process that seeks to disengage forces from ‘friction points’ in eastern Ladakh.
On Thursday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the Prime Minister had conveyed to President Xi India’s concerns on the ‘unresolved’ issues along the LAC and that “the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas was essential for the normalisation of India-China ties.” He added that in this context the two leaders agreed “to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation.”
This was in response to China’s Foreign Ministry saying earlier in the day that “at PM Modi’s request”, Xi had met him in Johannesburg. Besides stressing the need for improving China-India relations, the statement read, “The two sides should bear in mind the overall interests of their bilateral relations and handle properly the border issue so as to jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border region.”
Neither the Chinese nor Indian statements provided details of the talks in Johannesburg, but the Chinese statement did note that “the two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the current China-India relations and other questions of shared interest.” So, this was not just a casual conversation.
While ostensibly the Indian and Chinese statements seem quite innocuous, what seems to be missing this time is the word ‘consensus’ that had figured in the report relating to their meeting at the G20 summit in Bali last year. A controversy had arisen there as well. Late last month, after a meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Beijing said in a statement that in Bali last year, Prime Minister Modi and President Xi had met briefly and reached an “important consensus” on stabilising bilateral ties. After some waffling, the Ministry of External Affairs acknowledged that such a meeting did indeed take place but added that “restoring peace and tranquillity is crucial for the overall resolution.”
India and China had recently held the 19th round of their Corps Commander-level talks on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo meeting point. This was followed by talks at the Major General level at the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) meeting point. At that time, there was speculation that the meetings were aimed at clearing the decks for a possible Xi-Modi meeting in Johannesburg. But it is now clear that there are still issues preventing disengagement from the last two points blockaded by China in 2020 — the Depsang Bulge and the Charding-Ninglung nullah.
India and China are working on a three-stage process that seeks to disengage forces from what India calls ‘friction points’ in eastern Ladakh, where the Chinese have blocked Indian patrols, to be followed by de-escalation by some 50,000 troops which both have brought up near the border. This is with the hope that it will finally lead to the normalisation of ties between them.
Disengagement in the Depsang Bulge is proving to be a tough hurdle for the two sides. This is not surprising since it was by far the largest area — 970 sq km — affected by the Chinese blockades. New Delhi is understandably leery of accepting a buffer zone which could be entirely at its cost. The Chinese aim seems to be to iron out the bulge and remove any advantage India derives from it.
Part of the Chinese posture comes from the fact that the bulge was the southern locale of the ill-fated forward policy of 1962 where India had deployed poorly supported posts in a north-west/south-east line stretching from the Chip Chap river and its environs. The Indian posts were wiped out in the first 24 hours of the war. What the Chinese now seem to want to assert is the boundary gained by war, but without saying so.
One thing is clear: even if the two sides manage some kind of a limited disengagement in the area, there is likely to be no de-escalation. Both sides have built up permanent facilities in the area and consolidated their positions.
Since 2017, it has been apparent that the Chinese were undertaking a major buildup in Tibet and strengthening their positions along the LAC. Last December, Chris Biggers, who works with radio frequency geospatial intelligence firm HawkEye 360, said in an interview that China had substantial combat force in the region opposite eastern Ladakh and had the ability to counter any Indian move in the area. There is a significant Chinese buildup along the Chip Chap river valley, facing DBO. Another area seeing a buildup is Rutog, at one tip of the Pangong Tso, where two new garrisons have emerged. To back up its forces, the Chinese are constructing a new G695 highway, parallel but closer to the LAC than the old G219 Xinjiang-Tibet highway.
Regardless of how the Depsang issue pans out, it is more than clear that there is no going back to the past now.
IN a fit of rage after not being allowed by his superior to detrain at a railway station, Constable Chetan Singh Chaudhary of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) shot dead Assistant Sub-Inspector Tikaram Meena on the Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express on July 31. Thereafter, he went on a killing spree, picking out Muslims, whom he identified from their beards. Three Muslims were shot dead from point-blank range, after which Chaudhary reportedly told a burqa-clad woman to chant ‘Jai Mata Di’ while pointing his gun at her. Fortunately, other passengers came to her rescue and shouted at him, forcing him to retreat.
Investigations by senior officers of the RPF have revealed that Chaudhary had a bad track record. He is known to have brought a Muslim autorickshaw driver, Wahid Khan, to the RPF post in Ujjain in February 2017 for apparently no reason and harassed him. He was taken to task after Wahid lodged a complaint with Chaudhary’s superiors. On another occasion, he allegedly withdrew Rs 25,000 from a colleague’s account using the latter’s ATM card. He is even alleged to have assaulted another colleague when posted in Bhavnagar. Assaulting a colleague is considered a serious offence in the police and paramilitary forces. Yet, he continued to be on the rolls of the RPF.
According to latest reports, he has been dismissed from service after being taken into judicial custody on various charges, including murder.
Chaudhary’s wife Renu Singh, who joined the investigation, told the Government Railway Police that he had a fall some years ago, following which he suffered from a neurological disorder and was under treatment in Mathura.
That he had been radicalised was evident not just from the killing of Muslim passengers but also from his utterances before he detrained. Standing next to one of the persons he killed, he said in a video, “…Pakistan se operate hue hain ye aur media yehi coverage dikha rahi hai, unko sab pata chal raha hai yeh kya kar rahen hain … agar vote dena hai, agar Hindustan mein rehna hai to main kehta hoon, Modi aur Yogi, yeh do hain….”
Senior officers of the RPF are now seeking the help of psychiatrists to screen the personnel and counsel those who need psychiatric treatment. Efforts are being made to improve their living conditions, as also working hours, and to identify stress factors that drive the personnel to take such extreme steps.
Three Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel deployed in Manipur were suspended for setting a meat shop afire in the New Checkon area of Imphal East district on May 27. The shop belonged to a Kabui Naga, a Christian. The Kabui Nagas inhabit Tamenglong district of Manipur. The three, including an inspector, were not from any northeastern state. The RAF, which is a specialised wing of the Central Reserve Police Force tasked to handle
communal disturbances, promptly suspended them.
Manipur Police personnel have been accused of playing a partisan role by joining the Meiteis when they went berserk, attacking Kukis in the valley. The fact that policemen handed over two men and three women to the agitated Meiteis in early May, which led to the women being paraded naked and one of them being raped, is a blot on the state police. That they were conspirators to the whole incident has been well established.
Even an iota of concern for the victims who looked up to them for protection would have goaded them to inform the police control room immediately or they could have rushed to the nearest police station and come back with reinforcements to rescue the victims.
The role of Manipur Police officers has also come under scrutiny. When women were publicly paraded and then raped, how is it that they were not aware of it until the video went viral two months later? What happened to the intelligence machinery in the state? These are matters of investigation.
Confrontations between the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force raised in 1835, and the Manipur Police have led to ugly situations, largely because the former stood firm that it would not allow the latter to enter the area inhabited by the Kukis. It was tasked to dominate the buffer zone to avoid clashes between the warring tribals and non-tribals. Suspecting that Manipur Police commandos are supporting the Meitei attackers, the Kukis have been demanding the retention of the Assam Rifles in the hills, while the Meiteis have called for their ouster from the state. The Kukis have gone to the extent of stating that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) should be reimposed in the state. And this, despite the fact that until the withdrawal of the AFSPA from areas under the jurisdiction of 15 police stations in April last year and another four police stations in March this year, there was vehement opposition to AFSPA in the state.
The need to insulate policemen and personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) from communal bias calls for serious and immediate attention of senior police officers. It is the sacred duty of every policeman to protect every citizen, even at grave risk to one’s life, irrespective of race, caste or religion. Senior supervisory officers need to maintain a constant watch on such personnel who have the proclivity to be influenced by radical ideas. As part of the annual medical check-up, they need to be put through psychiatric assessment.
There is a dearth of psychiatrists in the CAPFs and police forces. A good number of psychiatrists need to be enlisted and associated with the recruitment process so that hotheads do not make it to the CAPFs or the state police forces. Their activities on social media will have to be monitored as these play a very crucial role in radicalising the personnel. Unless the virus of communalism is not allowed to afflict personnel of CAPFs and the state police, the public will not repose confidence in them and certain sections of society will continue to feel fearful and insecure.
Dear Sir,
I am taking with me today 29 Aug at 8 AM the list of grievances mostly of our members of the Defence Services Single Ladies of Officers WhatsApp Group for discussion with various officials in the office of PCDA(Pensions) Prayagraj. The list is attached.
My trip is sponsored by TSEWA. Whether you are a member of TSEWA or not, I will try my level best to get your grievance resolved by my discussion of your grievance with officials in the office of PCDA(Pensions) Prayagraj on 30 & 31 Aug.
I hope to get redressal to most of the grievances.
Some of them have not been redressed in spite of lapse of few years.
Unless one goes personally to PCDA(Pensions) Prayagraj, these grievances will remain buried under thousands of files. There was a fire accident at 6:30 PM few days back in their office. Thanks to prompt action of Lt Col Ranjan Kumar and his dedicated staff at Defence Pensioners’s Contact Centre(DPCC) all our pension documents were saved.
We cannot blame staff of PCDA(Pensions) Prayagraj for this kind of unacceptable delay. We are also partially responsible.
I shall return to Secunderabad God willing (Insha Allah) and then only look into your problem. I may not be able to take your calls from 8 AM of 29 Aug 2023 to 11 PM of 02 Sep 2023.
I will give my progress report on my return to Secunderabad.
warm regards & respects Brig CSVidyasagar(Retd),President, TSEWA & Administrator DSSLOG, 94931 91380
Grievances Redressal, ECHS
| Sl No. | Name of Offrs | Appt | Contact No. | Mobile No. |
| (a) | Col Rakesh Kakar (Retd) | Jt Dir (S&A) (B) (Online ECHS Card) | Mob -8979800177 | |
| (b) | Col Jai Parkash Chahal | Dir (S&A) | Tele-25684645 | Mob-7004600623 |
Name & Contact No. for Other Grievances
| Sl No. | Name of Offrs | Appt | Contact No. | Mobile No. |
| (a) | Lt Col Deepak Bhatt | Jt Dir (C&L) | 20892332 | MB-7091567780 |
| (b) | Col Anirudh Shekhawat | Dir (C&L) | 20892332 | Mob -9217010070 |
| (c) | Maj Gen NR Indurkar SM | MD ECHS | Tele-25684846 | Mob-9971129165 |
Gen. ECHS est wef 01 Apr 2003 and providing comprehensive medical care to ESM and their dependents through polyclinics and empanelled hospitals. Central Organisation ECHS is Central HQ at Delhi and Regional Centres are est all over India for co-ordination and functioning of the Scheme. Being not a stand alone scheme, the Comd & Control is channelized through various Stn HQ/ Sub Area HQ / Area HQ / Comd HQ / Army HQ and DGAFMS. Like all other schemes and orgs, the Scheme is also having some shortcomings and the beneficiaries are facing problems. Our attention is, therefore, focused on the grievances redressal mechanism to alleviate the rising problems by forming a Grievance Cell at Central Organisation ECHS by employing a retd Army Medical Officer (rank of Col) who has been associated with ECHS in various appointments like Director (Medical), Commanding Officer Military Hospital and Senior Executive Medical Officer (SEMO) at Central Organisation ECHS under Director (Complaints & Legal) to look into the grievances and monitor redressals and assist the functionaries of Central Org ECHS in resolving the issues raised by the beneficiaries
Types of Complaints/ Grievances Received.
Following types of complaints/ grievances are generally received at his HQ:-
(a) Against the Functionaries.
(b) Eligibility and ECHS Card.
(c) Medicine/ Claims.
(d) Against Empanelled Hospitals.
(e) General Complaints.
3. Manner of Receipt of Grievances/ Complaints.
4. Methodology Adopted to Resolve.
5. Measures Undertaken to Further Improve the Grievances (Redressal Mechanism).
6. Conclusion.
Clientele satisfaction will always be our motto. Our constant endeavours will be on to redress the grievances of ECHS beneficiaries and every functionary will take it as a contributory responsibility to resolve the issues raised.
Faridkot, August 28
The special investigation team (SIT) probing the Kotkapura police firing incident of October 2015 filed the second supplementary challan in the court of Judicial Magistrate Ist Class (JMIC) here today.
Related News
The SIT presented a 56-page challan along with 2,446 pages of supportive documents in this supplementary challan.
Earlier the SIT, headed by LK Yadav, ADGP, and comprising IG Rakesh Agarwal and Bathinda SSP Gulneet Khurana as members, had presented the first challan on February 24 followed by a supplementary challan on April 25 in the Faridkot court.
The accused in these cases include former Punjab Chief Minister, late Parkash Singh Badal, his son and SAD chief Sukhbir Badal and former DGP Sumedh Saini.
However, in the second supplementary challan, former CM Prakash Singh Badal’s name has been placed in column no. 2 as he has died.
In the challan, column no.1 contains the list of the accused who have been found guilty during investigation or after the completion of investigation. Column no. 2 contains against whom the police find no case or they are not found to be culprits or those who died during the trial. In the second supplementary chargesheet, the SIT submitted more evidence in the court, said Harjeet Singh, SSP, Faridkot.
There are two criminal cases relating to the Kotkapura police firing incident in the aftermath of sacrilege incidents. The first was registered by the Kotkapura police against Sikh protesters on October 14, 2015.
Later, while all accused were given a clean chit, four police officers, including the complainant SHO, were named as accused.
The second FIR in the incident was lodged on August 7, 2018, on the basis of an investigation made by a judicial commission.
How events unfolded
