Army launches multinational ‘Pragati’ exercise in Meghalaya as INS Sunayna returns after seven-week Indian Ocean deployment with foreign sailors onboard

India’s multi-lateral push on military exercises, with a focus on the extended neighbourhood, saw two separate developments on Wednesday.

An Indian Navy warship, INS Sunayna, with sailors from 16 countries, completed its unique seven-week mission, while the Army announced the start of a two-week multinational exercise involving contingents from 12 countries.

The Naval warship’s mission, named ‘Indian Ocean Ship Sagar’, concluded with the vessel docking in Kochi, Kerala, on Wednesday. It had been flagged off from Mumbai on April 2 by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth.

During the deployment from April 2 to May 20, INS Sunayna made port calls at Colombo in Sri Lanka, Phuket in Thailand, Jakarta in Indonesia, Singapore, Chittagong in Bangladesh, Yangon in Myanmar and Male in Maldives.

Joint exercises and professional exchanges onboard and ashore provided comprehensive training to Indian Navy and foreign sailors from UAE, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Maldives, Seychelles, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Timor-Leste and Bangladesh.

Far away from Kochi, the Indian Army on Wednesday said the multinational exercise named ‘Pragati’ is being conducted in Meghalaya, in the north-eastern part of the country.

Contingents from the armies of 12 friendly nations are participating: Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Both military drills — the Naval sail and the Army exercise — aim to improve interoperability with international partners. Both exercises include countries that are involved in maritime disputes with China.

The Army’s exercise named ‘Pragati’ is an acronym for ‘Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region’.

The Ministry of Defence said the objective of the exercise includes enabling seamless coordination among participating nations in joint operations and identifying common areas of cooperation. The two-week exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain.

The training programme will include joint planning exercises, tactical-level drills and coordinated operations designed to improve adaptability, endurance and tactical proficiency of participating troops.

As part of the exercise, Indian technology and defence companies will showcase indigenous equipment and innovations under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Meanwhile, the Naval warship that concluded its seven-week deployment demonstrated to participating countries how to tackle a range of challenges, including maritime security threats, piracy, illegal fishing, trafficking, natural disasters and the growing need for safe and secure sea lines of communication.

Prior to sailing out, there was a two-week harbour phase at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi from March 16 to 29. This was designed to build foundational and advanced competencies across a broad spectrum of naval operations.

A key highlight of the training was the extensive use of state-of-the-art simulators and modern training infrastructure, enabling realistic, scenario-based learning.

These advanced facilities provided participants with hands-on exposure to complex maritime situations, enhancing decision-making and operational readiness in a controlled environment. The integration of theoretical instruction with practical application ensured a holistic learning experience aligned with contemporary maritime challenges.

India’s establishment has a habit of waiting for inconvenient energies to dissipate. But the cockroach is among the most resilient creatures

LET me tell you something about India that most people in positions of authority still refuse to accept: this country’s youth is neither stupid nor silent. They are, in fact, ferociously, brilliantly, devastatingly articulate and when you insult them from the highest Benches of the land, they don’t sulk.

They organise. They satirise. And they may make you look like a fool in ways that no editorial, no press conference, and no prime-time debate ever could.

Enter the Cockroach Janta Party.

Chief Justice Surya Kant, in an open court hearing, declared that “parasites” were attacking the system and then, with perhaps rightful and breathtaking condescension, compared unemployed youngsters to cockroaches —those who “don’t get any employment or have any place in the profession” and who “start attacking everyone.” Now, one presumes that a man who has presided over some of the most consequential constitutional matters in recent memory would possess, at minimum, the political instinct to avoid comparing an entire generation of struggling young Indians to insects.

One would be wrong.

The clarification that followed — that the CJI had been misquoted, that he was referring to those with fraudulent degrees, not the youth at large — landed with the grace of a courtroom adjournment that nobody asked for.

The damage, as they say in South Delhi drawing rooms, had been done. But something rather magnificent had also begun.

Within six days of its launch on May 16, the Cockroach Janta Party had amassed over 16 million followers. Let that number sit with you for a moment. Sixteen million.

The CJP’s founder Abhijeet Dipke told the Associated Press quite plainly: “It is the younger people who were actually very frustrated. They didn’t have any outlet. They were really angry at the government.” That sentence is worth printing on the front page of every newspaper in this country — not because it is revelatory, but because it is so obvious and yet so consistently ignored by those who govern us.

India has a youth employment problem that is not a secret but is treated like one. Government data reveals an unemployment rate of nearly 10% among those aged 15 to 29, climbing to 13.6% in urban areas. More than half of Indian Gen Zs have reportedly postponed major life decisions— buying homes, starting families — because of economic anxiety. These are not abstract statistics. These are the young men and women who crammed for competitive exams only to discover that the papers had been leaked. Who graduated to find that the job market had moved on without them. Who scroll Instagram at midnight not for entertainment, but because there is genuinely nothing else to do.

And what did their Chief Justice call them? Cockroaches.

Well. You reap what you sow.

The genius of the Cockroach Janta Party is not merely that it is funny, though it undeniably is.

Its genius lies in the alchemy of reclamation. The party calls itself the “Voice of the Lazy and Unemployed.” Its satirical manifesto demands a ban on post-retirement Rajya Sabha seats for chief justices, 50% reservation for women in Parliament, and a 20-year ban on defecting legislators. These are not the demands of nihilists. These are the demands of people who have been paying attention — who understand the architecture of how power perpetuates itself in this country and who, in the language of memes and irony, are demanding accountability.

Anurag Kashyap, Dia Mirza, Sonakshi Sinha, Kunal Kamra and the usual suspects have followed the CJP’s Instagram page. You may roll your eyes at celebrity endorsement, and normally I would join you. But this is different. This is not brand ambassadorship. This is a signal: that the sentiment animating the CJP resonates well beyond the campus and the hostel room.

Predictably, the establishment’s first instinct was suppression. The CJP’s X account, which had gathered around 2,00,000 followers, was withheld in India. The response from Dipke? A new account, a poster reading “Cockroach is back,” and the immortal line: “You thought you can get rid of us? Lol.” If you needed any further evidence that this generation has absorbed India’s political theatre and is now writing its own script, there it is.

Now, before the usual brigade of credentialed commentators rushes to dismiss this as mere social media froth, let me offer a counter. Every significant political realignment in recent Indian history has had a cultural precursor. The Anna Hazare movement lived on social media before it hit the streets.

Movements do not arrive fully formed; they gather energy from precisely these kinds of cultural flashpoints.

The CJP may never file a nomination paper. It may never contest an election. But it has done something arguably more important: it has given a name, an identity, and a vocabulary to a generation’s rage.

Dipke — who is Dalit, and has faced casteist attacks online since that identity became public — has spoken of wanting the CJP to guide supporters towards concrete activism: filing RTIs, becoming politically engaged, refusing to be invisible. That is not the language of a meme page. That is the language of a movement.

India’s establishment has a well-practised habit of waiting for inconvenient energies to dissipate. Sometimes that strategy works. But the cockroach, as biology will confirm, is among the most resilient creatures on the planet. It survives conditions that would obliterate lesser species.

Perhaps the Chief Justice, of all people, should have known that. Or perhaps he does.

The meteoric rise of satirical digital outfit Cockroach Janta Party on social media has left the parents of its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, overwhelmed by fears that he could land in trouble or even face arrest.

The outfit, now popular as CJP, has garnered over 19 million followers on Instagram since it was founded barely a week ago by Boston University student Dipke, earlier associated with the Aam Aadmi Party.His parents Bhagwan and Anita Dipke, who live in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, told a Marathi news channel on Thursday that they were not keen on letting their son enter politics. The parents said they had lost their sleep after learning about Abhijeet’s move.

Bhagwan said the explosion of CJP on social media has made him anxious. “I’m worried because Abhijeet is now famous. And such individuals get arrested. I have not slept for the past two nights worrying about what might happen to him. I hate politics and have no interest in it,” he added.

Cockroach Janata Party, according to Dipke, was born following a controversy over Chief Justice of India Surya Kant using the terms “parasites” and “cockroaches” while pulling up a lawyer for his plea seeking senior designation.

Though the CJI later clarified that he was misquoted and his remarks were directed specifically at individuals entering the legal profession through “fake and bogus degrees”, the CJP, with the insect as its symbol, took the social media by storm.

“If we look at politics nowadays, fear is natural, no matter how many followers he has. In one of his interviews, he himself expressed fear of being arrested after returning to India. We read about such incidents in newspapers,” said Bhagwan Dipke.

Abhijeet’s mother Anita said she would want her son to stay away from politics and instead focus on getting a job.

The parents said they first learned about the CJP from a neighbour. “Later, I was told by one of my grandchildren that he has more followers on social media than many prominent people in the country. Earlier, he had worked with AAP. Even then, I had told him that we were not into politics and that he should pursue a service,” said Anita. — PTI

Regional bodies says understanding reached on restoring democratic structure

In a major breakthrough, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Friday said the bodies had reached an “in-principle” understanding with the Union Government on “restoring democracy” in Ladakh and providing “constitutional safeguards on the lines of Articles 371A, 371F and 371G,” as applicable to Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram.

The subcommittee-level talks between the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ladakh leaders were held in New Delhi on Friday.

The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance have been engaged in talks with the Centre since 2021 over their four-point agenda, which includes statehood for Ladakh and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule. According to the LAB and KDA, during Friday’s meeting they reiterated the long-standing aspirations of the people of Ladakh regarding restoration of democracy, constitutional safeguards and the demand for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections.

The two bodies said the understanding was reached to provide constitutional safeguards on the lines of Articles 371A, 371F and 371G, which are currently applicable in Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram. These constitutional provisions provide special protections and safeguards to the northeastern states.

Following “detailed and constructive deliberations”, both sides arrived at an in-principle understanding on several critical points, the two bodies said in a statement. They said under the proposed model, legislative, executive and financial powers would rest with elected representatives through a Union Territory-level legislative body.

“All bureaucrats of the UT, including the Chief Secretary, will come under the executive head of the UT-level elected body (proposed to be Chief Minister),” the statement said. During the meeting, MHA officials explained that the only reason why Ladakh could not be granted full statehood at present was that it “currently lacks adequate revenue generation to meet expenditure such as salaries of employees”. “However, this setup will lead Ladakh towards full statehood once it meets the revenue criteria,” the two bodies said.

LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk told The Tribune that further meetings would be held to discuss the proposal in greater detail. “There is no date yet for the next meeting, but yes, further talks will take place,” he said.

The KDA and LAB stated that they looked forward to closely working out the finer operational details with the MHA in consultation with legal and constitutional experts.

Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra told The Tribune that the talks were “constructive, positive, optimistic and free-flowing”. “The discussions were held in a democratic spirit, with the goal of deepening democracy in Ladakh,” he said.

Ladakh BJP leader and former chairman of the Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Tashi Gyalson, who attended the meeting on Friday, said after a long time, a “viable solution has been proposed which is pragmatic and sustainable for Ladakh”.

Veteran Ladakhi leader and former chairman of the Leh Apex Body, Thupstan Chhewang, said the agreement to secure Ladakh’s status under Article 371 of the Constitution, along with “meaningful financial and administrative empowerment of local institutions and an elected UT-level legislature with a leader having status equivalent to a CM”, represented a “historic step forward” for the people of this region. “Today has kindled genuine hope,” he said in a statement.

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena had earlier announced the date of the meeting ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Ladakh on April 30. The subcommittee is chaired by senior officials from the MHA and the Ladakh administration. This was the first subcommittee-level meeting since Saxena took over as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh in March.

The Centre had constituted a High-Powered Committee (HPC) on Ladakh under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai to deliberate on issues concerning the UT. The last meeting of the HPC was held in New Delhi on February 4, after which no immediate follow-up meeting was convened.

Maj Gen BC Khanduri, AVSM (Retd),Bombay Sappers & Former CM Uttarakhand,dies at 91

2 Indian Army women doctors on UN duty save life mid-air

Squadron Leader Saanya soars into IAF record books as first woman Category-A Qualified Flying Instructor

CBI arrests army colonel in bribery case

Centre clears defence land hurdle for Rs 1,983-crore Zirakpur-Panchkula bypass

Pay and pension can be reduced if found to have been fixed incorrectly: Armed Forces Tribunal

Pakistan Army criticises Gen Dwivedi’s remarks

Why Pakistan is renaming places to Hindu and Sikh names like Krishan Nagar and Sant Nagar in Lahore

Gunshot injuries during firing competition cannot be classified as war injury: Armed Forces Tribunal

US approves $428 million support services sale for India’s Apache helicopters, M777 howitzers

SC allows euthanasia of stray dogs posing threat to human life

8th CPC panel meets injured soldiers amid disability pension tax row

Former Uttarakhand CM, Maj Gen BC Khanduri, AVSM (Retd) fades away at the age of 91. He had an outstanding army career. During the 1971 war he was the Commanding Officer of 113 Engineer Regiment (Bombay Sappers) in the highly contested Shakargarh sector (Western front). He was a Central Minister and 5 times Lok Sabha MP.

A soldier. A Sapper. A parliamentarian from Garhwal. A son of Uttarakhand. A public servant to the last.

Major General Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, AVSM (Retd) passed away today 19 May 2026 after a prolonged illness at Dehradun aged 91

Commissioned into the Corps of Engineers in 1954, he served the Indian Army for thirty-six years and participated in the 1962 Indo-China War, the 1965 Indo-Pak and commanded an Engineer Regiment during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

For his distinguished service, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.

After retirement, he carried the same sense of duty into public life. He represented the Garhwal Lok Sabha Constituency in the 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th Lok Sabha, served as Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways in the government of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and later as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from 2007 to 2009, and again from 2011 to 2012.

But through all the offices he held, he remained, to many, General Sahib — austere, disciplined, direct, and deeply rooted in the idea of public service.

Our salute to Major General B C Khanduri and his service to the Nation. We also convey out deepest condolences to the family.

Lt Col Urmimala Bhattacharya and Lt Col Kirti Sethi, on board the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET334, swiftly manage a passenger with seizure-like activity due to suspected hypoglycaemia, preventing possible coma and averting flight diversion

Two women doctors of the Indian Army, posted at a UN mission, have saved the life of a passenger during a mid-air emergency in a plane that was flying over Africa.

The Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping posted on X saying the two doctors, Lt Col Urmimala Bhattacharya and Lt Col Kirti Sethi, were on board the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET334. “They swiftly managed a passenger with seizure-like activity due to suspected hypoglycaemia, preventing possible coma and averting flight diversion,” the post said.

The two Indian Army doctors are posted with the Indian hospital at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The passenger on board the flight had a suspected case of hypoglycaemia, a severe drop in blood sugar levels, which can swiftly lead to unconsciousness or even life-threatening situations if not promptly addressed.

The incident occurred as the plane cruised at approximately 30,000 feet. With limited medical supplies on board and no immediate access to a health care facility, the doctors faced the challenge of quick diagnosis and action.

The two doctors assessed the passenger’s condition, identified the probable cause, and administered necessary treatment.

Their prompt intervention stabilised the passenger, averting further complications and allowing the flight to proceed without diversion, ensuring a safe continuation of the journey.

The two officers are integral to the UNMISS, delivering medical care. The ‘Indian Level 2+ Hospital’ in UNMISS is providing advanced health care to UN staff and supporting peacekeeping missions in South Sudan.

Breaking barriers: Squadron Leader Saanya becoming the first woman officer to earn the coveted Category-A Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) qualification.

According to IAF officers, a Category-A QFI is the highest instructional rating awarded to military aviators

Women pilots in the IAF have broken another glass ceiling, with Squadron Leader Saanya becoming the first woman officer to earn the coveted Category-A Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) qualification.

Terming it to a historic first, the IAF said on Monday that her achievement embodies dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence. “A proud milestone for the IAF and an inspiration for aspiring aviators across the nation,” the IAF said on its X-handle.

Commissioned in June 2015, Sqn Ldr Saanya belongs to the 42 Short Service Commission Course (Women) for pilots on the Flying Branch which had six women. She was promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader in June 2021.

According to IAF officers, a Category-A QFI is the highest instructional rating awarded to military aviators, and marks them as an exceptionally skilled pilot who is certified to train and evaluate other military pilots and instructors.

Such instructors undergo a 22-week course at the Flying Instructors School (FIS) located at the Air Force Station Tambaram, near Chennai. The rigorous training involves over 200 hours of ground-based courses and extensive flying instruction phases.

On successful culmination of the course, Cat-A QFIs are mandated with training ab-initio pilots as well as mentoring experienced operational pilots, evaluating other instructors and assessing flight skills.

The IAF has a structured grading system to evaluate and categorise the instructional skills of its pilots. Below the top tier Cat-A QFI is the A-Category comprising highly capable and skilful instructors with considerable experience. This is followed by the B-Category who are capable of standard instruction and below this is the C-Category comprising trainee or probationary instructors.

The IAF opened its doors to women pilots in 1994 in the transport and helicopter streams. In 2016, it opened a new chapter when the first women pilots were inducted into the fighter stream.

Initially, women pilots flew Cheetah and Chetak helicopters and smaller transport aircraft like the twin-engine AN-32 and Dornier-228. Later, they graduated to heavier helicopters like the Mi-17 and Dhruv as well as multi-engine and strategic airlifter like the IL-76. They now also form part of Rafale and Su-30 fighter squadrons.

Women officers in the IAF have now also assumed command roles, heading various operational establishments in 2023, Group Captain Shaliza Dhami, a helicopter pilot, became the first woman to command an IAF combat unit, a frontline surface-to-air missile squadron in the western sector.

In 2019, she became the first woman Flight Commander, when she took command of a Chetak helicopter flight at the Hindon Airbase. She is also the first woman Qualified Flying Instructor.

Himanshu Bali was arrested on May 18 from Kolkata and is being brought to Delhi, CBI sources say

The CBI has arrested an army colonel posted with the Army Ordnance Corps under the Eastern Command in Kolkata in an alleged Rs 50 lakh bribery case, official sources said on Tuesday.

Himanshu Bali was arrested on May 18 from Kolkata and is being brought to Delhi, CBI sources informed this newspaper.

Bali is accused of favouring a Kanpur-based company by allegedly manipulating the award of tenders, approving substandard samples, and facilitating clearance of pending and inflated bills.

In its FIR filed on May 18, the CBI said the colonel had contacted the industrialist over the pending bribe payment, to which the businessman cited cash constraints. Apart from the colonel, the FIR has named four other individuals.

The agency alleged in the FIR that the officer later called the industrialist’s driver and asked him to deliver the payment to one of his acquaintances. The pending bribe amount of Rs 50 lakh was to be routed through hawala channels, it further alleged.

The CBI arrested the colonel after registering a case against him and the private contractor in the alleged bribery case, officials said.

The Tribune Exclusive: Ministry of Defence grants NHAI working permission for 2.7461 acres at Chandimandir Military Station worth Rs 9.89 crore; NHAI to build 32 army quarters in lieu

Centre clears defence land hurdle for Rs 1,983-crore Zirakpur-Panchkula bypass

# The Tribune Exclusive: Ministry of Defence grants NHAI working permission for 2.7461 acres at Chandimandir Military Station worth Rs 9.89 crore; NHAI to build 32 army quarters in lieu

A copy of the MoD order is with The Tribune.

The working permission, issued with the concurrence of MoD (Finance), values the defence land at Rs 9,88,85,963 (approximately Rs 9.89 crore). However, instead of a cash payment, the compensation has been structured on an Equivalent Value in Infrastructure (EVI) basis — NHAI will construct approximately 32 Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO) and Other Ranks (OR) married accommodation units at Chandimandir Military Station at a total estimated cost of approximately Rs 12 crore, with the remaining Rs 2.21 crore to be met from the Defence Budget of the Army.

The order has been signed by Vikram Verma, Deputy Director (Lands), Ministry of Defence.

What the order says

Under the terms of the working permission, a Board of Officers (BOO) — comprising representatives of NHAI as the Indenting Authority, the Defence Estates Officer (DEO) and the Local Military Authority (LMA) — must be convened within four weeks of the order’s issue to carry out physical demarcation and measurement of the defence land, determine exact survey numbers and assess the security, safety measures and cost of relocation of any existing government or private assets on the plot.

The handing over of the land from the Army to NHAI is required to be completed within one month of the issue of the working permission. NHAI has been directed to use the defence land strictly for the purpose for which permission has been granted and for no other purpose.

The order further stipulates that NHAI must ensure no defence installation, utility or asset — including boundary walls, sewerage lines, water supply pipelines, communications networks and electrical lines — is compromised or damaged during construction. Any asset affected must be restored at NHAI’s cost.

The concessionaire must also comply with air and noise pollution norms prescribed by the Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Environment throughout the construction period.

Crucially, the working permission is contingent on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be executed between NHAI, the DEO and the LMA. Formal sanction for the permanent transfer of the 2.7461 acres of defence land will be issued only after obtaining Cabinet approval.

Why this matters

The MoD clearance directly enables ground-level work to begin on the 19.2-km Zirakpur-Panchkula Bypass — the Rs 1,380-crore project awarded to RKCPL Limited on March 27. The bypass, which runs from its junction with NH-7 (Zirakpur-Patiala) to NH-5 (Zirakpur-Parwanoo) across Punjab and Haryana, passes through the Chandimandir belt — making the defence land clearance a non-negotiable prerequisite for the project’s physical commencement.

The LOA for the bypass and its 10.3-km connecting Spur — awarded to Ceigall Infra Projects Private Limited at Rs 603 crore on the same day — together set in motion Rs 1,983 crore worth of construction that is projected to end Zirakpur’s status as the single most congested pinch-point in the Tricity. The Bypass is expected to be operational by early 2028, the Spur by late 2027.

Once built, the twin corridors will allow traffic from Delhi, Ambala and Chandigarh heading to Panchkula, Baddi and Shimla to leapfrog Zirakpur’s choked urban grid entirely — providing relief on NH-44, NH-205A and NH-152, the three most stressed national highway corridors approaching the Tricity from the south and west.

The two projects form the vital southeastern arc of the Rs 12,000-crore, 244-km Tricity Ring Road, which is designed to redirect non-local traffic away from the urban cores of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

With the Ambala-Chandigarh Greenfield Corridor 80 per cent complete and the IT City-Kurali stretch already open to traffic, the MoD clearance brings the full ring road network meaningfully closer to completion.