The climate activist completed one month in detention at the Jodhpur Central Jail

Detained climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has told the three-member advisory board, constituted to review his detention following the Leh firing incident in which four persons were killed, that his remarks had been taken “out of context”.

Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo, in a statement posted on X on Sunday, said she had accompanied Wangchuk to his meeting with the advisory board on Friday.

“He presented how he was illegally detained under the National Security Act (NSA) based on words, statements and ideas taken out of context from his videos; how the translator had deliberately paraphrased his statements wrongly; and how random, independent skirmishes between the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Ladakh Police and individuals were ascribed to him,” she said.

Gitanjali termed it a “travesty of justice” and “mockery of Indian democracy”. “However, he (Wangchuk) remains unfazed and tells everyone that ‘Insaaf ke ghar der hai, par andher nahi’ (justice may be delayed, but it is never denied), reiterating that truth will prevail. He also expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone supporting and standing in solidarity with us across the world,” Gitanjali said.

Wangchuk completed one month in detention at the Jodhpur Central Jail on Sunday. He was detained under the NSA on September 26, two days after four protesters were shot by security forces in Leh. The Leh administration had constituted the three-member board to review Wangchuk’s detention. The board comprises Chairman Justice MK Hanjura (retd), Principal District and Sessions Judge, Leh, Manoj Parihar and Principal District and Sessions Judge, Kargil, Spalzes Angmo.

Meanwhile, local leaders have criticised Wangchuk’s detention as he completed a month in jail. Sajjad Kargili, member of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), said in a statement that a month had passed since Leh Apex Body member Wangchuk was jailed under the “draconian” NSA on “baseless” charges.

“Such actions only deepen mistrust and hurt the democratic spirit of Ladakh. We reiterate our demand for his immediate release and restoration of democratic rights,” Kargili said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington’s efforts to rebuild its strategic partnership with Pakistan will “not come at the expense of India”.

Rubio’s comments come ahead of his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit. The two last met on the sidelines of the UNGA Summit in September.

“We’re fully aware of the challenges with regards to India and everything else, but our job is to create opportunities for partnerships wherever possible,” Rubio said, adding that the US and Pakistan had had “a long history of partnering on counter-terrorism”.

He said Washington was now looking to “expand it beyond that”, while acknowledging that “there’ll be some difficulties and challenges”.

Rubio emphasised that closer US-Pakistan ties should not be viewed as undermining relations with India. “I don’t think it comes at the expense of, or instead of, a good relationship with India — or anybody else, for that matter,” he said.

The remarks come as New Delhi remains watchful of recent signals suggesting a quiet thaw between Washington and Islamabad, particularly on security cooperation. Officials here said India would convey its expectations regarding “cross-border terror and stability in the region” during the Jaishankar-Rubio meeting.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump again stirred diplomatic ripples, reiterating his claim that India will “completely stop” buying oil from Russia —a statement New Delhi has consistently rejected.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said: “China is cutting back very substantially on the purchase of Russian oil, and India is cutting back completely, and we’ve done sanctions.” The US President’s comments came after Washington imposed fresh sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.

Indian officials have repeatedly maintained that energy imports are guided by national interest and market realities, not external pressure. “India’s decisions on energy security are sovereign,” a senior official said.

Observers say the Jaishankar-Rubio meeting in Malaysia will be closely watched for signs of how the Trump administration seeks to balance its renewed outreach to Pakistan with its deepening strategic partnership with India.

The sixth edition of Joint Military Exercise Dharma Guardian, between India and Japan, is scheduled at Mount Fuji, Japan from February 25 to March 9, the Indian Army said on Sunday.

The exercise aims to enhance interoperability between the two forces while undertaking joint urban warfare and counter-terrorism operations under UN mandate, said the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army) in a social media post.

“Building on the momentum of the Chief of the Army Staff’s (COAS) successful visit to Japan from October 14 to 17, 2024, Exercise Dharma Guardian 2025 will further strengthen the bilateral defence cooperation between India and Japan,” it said.

Earlier on February 11, special forces of India and Egypt commenced the ‘Cyclone III’ exercise at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan. An official said that the exercise would conclude on February 23.

“Exercise ‘Cyclone’ is an annual event conducted alternatively in India and Egypt. The last edition of the same exercise was conducted in Egypt in January 2024,” said the official.

The Indian contingent comprising 25 personnel is represented by troops from two Special Forces Battalions. Egypt contingent also comprising 25 personnel will be represented by the Special Forces Group and Task Force of Egyptian Special Forces.

The official said that the exercise aims to promote the military-to-military relationship between the two countries through the enhancement of interoperability, jointness and mutual exchange of special operations tactics.

“The exercise will focus on a high degree of physical fitness, joint planning and joint tactical drills. Drills to be rehearsed during the exercise include advanced special forces skills and various other tactics, techniques and procedures as per the current operational paradigm,” he said.

The official said the exercise will culminate with a 48-hour-long validation to rehearse the tactical drills for counterterrorism operations in desert and semi-desert terrain.

“The exercise will also include a display of indigenous military equipment and an overview of the defence manufacturing industry for the Egyptian side,” the official added.

He said that the exercise will enable the two sides to share their best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures of conducting tactical operations.

–IANS

Temporary disability has to be considered as permanent because an invalided-out person cannot rejoin service even if the level of disability reduces later, the Armed Forces Tribunal rules

Fifty years after being invalidated out of the Army on medical grounds for psychiatric disorders, a soldier has been granted disability benefits after the Armed Forces Tribunal held that a disability —  even if initially assessed as temporary — must be considered permanent because the individual would never be able to re-join service even if their level of disability reduces later.

The soldier, Sali Ram Arya, was enrolled in the Corps of Signals in July 1965 and in 1975, he was found to be suffering from ‘manic depressive psychosis’. Thereafter, he was brought before an invaliding medical board in October 1975, which assessed the disability to be 40 per cent for two years, but held it to be neither attributable to nor aggravated by military service.

Accordingly, he was invalided from service after having rendered 10 years and three months of service. While he was granted service element of pension only, his claim for the disability element was rejected by the authorities in July 1977.

In his petition before the AFT, he submitted that a perusal of the Invaliding Medical Board showed that he was enrolled in a fit medical condition and his disablement took place after 10 years of service. He contended that holding his disability as not attributable to military service conflicted with the law laid down by the Supreme Court and he was entitled to disability pension for life.

“It cannot be disputed that the soldier has been invalided from service on account of his medical condition. He will never be brought back into service. Even if the extent of disability reduces, the applicant would not be re-enrolled. Thus, the disability is effectively permanent in nature,” the Tribunal’s Chandigarh Bench comprising Justice Sudhir Mittal and Lt Gen Ranbir Singh observed in their order of October 23.

It has been conclusively held by the Supreme Court that any disability arising during the course of service must be held to be attributable to or aggravated by military service. In the instant case, the Invaliding Medical Board shows that the applicant was fit for enrolment in service and the disability occurred sometime in August 1975. Therefore, the finding by the Invaliding Medical Board that the disability was neither attributable to nor aggravated by military service was illegal,” the Bench ruled.

The Bench directed the authorities to issue a fresh pension payment order within three months granting the soldier disability element of pension at the rate of 40 per cent, rounded off to 50 per cent, for life with effect from November 1975. The arrears of pension, however, would be restricted to three before the date of moving the AFT in accordance with directives issued on the subject by the Supreme Court.

For the first time, Ekta Diwas, observed on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, will witness a moving parade instead of a static one, featuring contingents from paramilitary and police forces at Kevadia in Gujarat. The event will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) Daljit Singh Chawdhary said on Friday.

He added that the guard of honour would be presented by women police personnel.

This year’s parade will include five Shaurya Chakra awardees from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 16 gallantry medal recipients from the BSF.

“The CRPF personnel participated in anti-Naxal operations in Jharkhand and counter-terror operations in Jammu & Kashmir, while the BSF personnel who will join the parade took part in Operation Sindoor on the western border,” Chawdhary said.

A cultural programme organised by the Union Ministry of Culture will also be held, featuring 900 artistes performing classical dances to showcase India’s cultural diversity.

In a historic first, the BSF will present an exclusive marching contingent of indigenous Indian dog breeds during the parade, the BSF DG added.

“This year’s parade will also feature a marching contingent comprising exclusively Indian breed dogs of the BSF. These breeds have made contributions as force multipliers during BSF operations, with around 150 dogs currently deployed for patrolling along the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders.

The winter schedule of Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport here will become operational from October 26 and remain in force till March 28 with no major new destinations added to it. However, three additional flights, one each to Kullu, Leh and North Goa, have been added to the winter schedule.

The schedule lists 55 flights. The international flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be available from October 7 onwards only.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday announced a seven-hour window for running flight service from October 26 to November 6 to facilitate the movement of passengers during the festival season. Civilian aircrafts will now be able to operate from 5 am to 12 noon daily during that period.

The IAF had earlier announced the complete closure of the single-strip runway for civilian flight operations for two-week period to carry out polymer modified emulsion work.

Heavy rains between late August and mid-September had flooded around 100 km of border areas along Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir

Over 90 days after torrential rains ravaged northern India and washed away stretches of border fencing in the Jammu and Punjab sectors, the Border Security Force (BSF) has almost completed restoration work along the frontier.

Top BSF officials told The Tribune that fencing work in Jammu has been fully restored, while in Punjab it is about 95 per cent complete.

“As of now, fencing along the Pakistan border has been put back in place. Permanent civil repair work on border outposts will be completed gradually,” a senior BSF official said, adding that the restored fencing is “up to the mark” to prevent infiltration.

Heavy rains between late August and mid-September had flooded around 100 km of border areas along Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir — 30 km in Jammu and 70 km in Gurdaspur and Ferozepur sectors of Punjab — where fences were either washed away or bent.

While restoration in higher reaches of Jammu and around RS Pura was completed a month ago, progress in Punjab was delayed as floodwaters persisted until the end of September, despite the rains stopping earlier in the month.

Interestingly, officials said the floods had an unintended benefit — several underground tunnels used for infiltration were flooded, leading to a sharp decline in cross-border intrusion attempts.

However, smuggling incidents continued despite the flooding.

On September 11, the BSF arrested two arms smugglers near Fazilka and seized 27 pistols, 54 magazines and 470 live rounds. On September 12, a joint BSF-Fazilka CIA operation led to the recovery of 16 pistols, 38 magazines, 1,847 rounds and a motorcycle.

On September 21, the BSF and Punjab Police nabbed four smugglers near Gurdaspur with 10 kg of heroin. All these incidents occurred even as large parts of the India-Pakistan border remained submerged under floodwaters.

Rajnath reviews Army readiness, meets Laungewala battle veterans

9th Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh from Nov 7–9; Bravehearts Ride on Oct 26 to kick off events

9th Military Literature Festival, Chandigarh: 665 bike riders to participate in Bravehearts Mobike Ride

Military Literature Festiva: REACH OUT

TAWANG (22 – 24 Oct 1962)(Maj Gen Harvijay Singh, SM)

Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan To Restrict River Water Flow To Pakistan After India’s Move

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Lt Gen Rajan Sharawat Reviews Operational Readiness,

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Jaisalmer: ‘Capability Demonstration Exercise’ #Gallery

Jaisalmer: Rajnath Singh Addresses Army Commanders’ Conference #Gallery

Defence Minister meets veterans of the Battle of Laungewala at Jaisalmer on Friday. Photo: MoD

Minister inaugurates Chandpuri Hall

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday reviewed the Army’s operational readiness in the Rajasthan sector along the India-Pakistan border. In a nostalgic moment, he met two veterans of the Battle of Laungewala, fought during the 1971 war with Pakistan.

The minister laid a wreath at the Laungewala Yudh Sthal and inaugurated the ‘Chandpuri Hall’, named after Major (later Brigadier) Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, who, with just 120 men, held back a Pakistani brigade, including tanks, during the battle. Brig Chandpuri, who passed away in 2018 in Chandigarh, was awarded the Mahavir Chakra, and his valour was immortalised in the Hindi film Border.Advertisement

Singh, along with Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, met veterans Havildar Mukhtiyar Singh (Retd) and Naik Jagdev Singh (Retd), both of whom were part of the Alpha Company of the 23rd Battalion of the Punjab Regiment. Brig Chandpuri, then a Major, commanded the Alpha Company in December 1971.

Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry said the minister also reviewed the security situation and the Army’s operational preparedness during the Army Commanders’ Conference in Jaisalmer. Earlier, he had visited forward areas in Tanot and Laungewala.

During the conference, the roadmap for jointness among the services was discussed. Singh said Operation Sindoor was “not over”, adding, “Our mission for peace will continue as long as even a single terrorist mindset remains alive.” He noted that Operation Sindoor has shaped a new strategic approach, allowing India to respond to terrorist activity on its own terms, while advising the Army not to underestimate adversaries and to remain alert and prepared.

As part of the conference, Singh also virtually inaugurated the ‘data centres’ of the 12 Corps (headquartered at Jodhpur) and the 14 Corps (headquartered at Leh). He witnessed a capability demonstration exercise showcasing the integrated use of new formations such as the Bhairav Battalion and the Ashni drone platoon, alongside the latest technological assets inducted into the Army for operational readiness.

Commenting on the situation along the northern border with China, the minister said ongoing talks and steps towards de-escalation reflect India’s balanced and firm foreign policy. “Our policy is clear: there will be dialogue, but our readiness on the border will remain intact,” he said.

Chandigarh, October 23, 2025:

Lt Gen T. S. Shergill, PVSM, announced that the 9th Military Literature Festival (MLF), Chandigarh, will be held at the Lake Club from November 7 to 9 under the aegis of the Military Literature Festival Association in partnership with the Punjab Government, the Chandigarh Administration, and the Indian Army’s Western Command.

The festival curtain-raiser is slated for Sunday, October 26, with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Chandigarh War Memorial by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, followed by the Bravehearts Mobike Ride dedicated to the heroes of the 1965 Indo-Pak War. The iconic ride—flagged off by Governor Kataria—will see about 665 bikers from 23 riding groups, including three all-women groups for the first time, traverse Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula before culminating at Raina Stadium in Chandimandir Military Station, where participants will be hosted by Western Command.

Shergill said the Bravehearts Ride, led and organized by veteran biking enthusiast Col Raminder Brar, has become a signature MLF event that brings together veterans from the three services and young riders from across Punjab and Haryana on Enfields, Triumphs, BMWs, and Harley-Davidsons to pay collective homage to the fallen. Riders will don MLF badges and blue-yellow jackets to showcase solidarity with the armed forces while promoting disciplined, safe riding.

This year’s inter-related themes—Heartland, Rimland and India, and Multi-Domain Warfare—will anchor multiple panel discussions. The military-history focus centers on the 1965 Indo-Pak War, whose 60th anniversary was commemorated earlier this year. Highlights include an interaction with a United Kingdom military delegation on the shared heritage of the Indian and British Armies and an exposition by Sikh scholar Amardeep Singh.

Governor Gulab Chand Kataria will inaugurate the festival on November 7, while Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann will preside over the closing ceremony on November 9. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan will deliver the keynote address on November 9.

The popular Clarion Call theatre returns to screen war films showcasing the bravery of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Two value additions this year include features on the 1965 war and on non-contact warfare—long-distance air and missile strikes—set against scenarios such as Operation Sindoor and recent conflicts in Gaza and Iran. The theatre is named after 1965 Param Vir Chakra awardee Lt Col A. B. Tarapore of Poona Horse.

Veterans will deliver motivational talks in the Samvad section, while the Army mounts daily weapons and equipment displays alongside dog and horse shows at the venue. As part of expanded outreach, an MLF team has organized a seminar on the 1965 war at Panjab University, Chandigarh, with another scheduled at Punjabi University, Patiala, to engage youth and academia.

Expressing gratitude to partners and volunteers, Shergill said the festival’s growth over nine editions has been possible due to sustained support from the Punjab Government, the Chandigarh Administration, and Western Command, and the tireless commitment of volunteers who have helped embed the MLF in the region’s cultural calendar.