BRO starts highway clearance work to restore traffic movement

Tribune News Service

Mandi, April 18

Following heavy snowfall at the Baralacha La on Saturday, the Manali-Leh highway remained closed for traffic on the second consecutive day on Sunday.

Due to the highway closure, a large number of vehicles were stranded at Darcha and Sarchu on both sides of the Baralacha pass in the region.

On Sunday, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) started the snow-clearance operation on the Manali-Leh highway near the Baralacha pass to restore the traffic movement in the region.

Route unfit for travel for a week

The highway won’t be fit for traffic movement near the Baralacha pass for at least a week, so people are advised to avoid taking this route. The movement of tourists from Darcha towards Sarchu is also restricted. — Manav Verma, SP, Lahaul & Spiti

According to the BRO sources, around 5-ft fresh snowfall was reported at the Baralacha pass on Saturday. Strong blizzard and freezing temperature are posing difficulty for the BRO to clear the road.

Travelling on the Manali-Leh highway has become a risky affair because the entire stretch from Darcha to Sarchu is now an avalanche-prone area following the fresh snowfall.

According to Manav Verma, Superintendent of Police, Lahaul Spiti, the top priority of the district administration is to evacuate the stranded vehicles as well as people from Darcha and Sarchu and send them to their native places safely as soon as the BRO restores the highway for the traffic movement via the Baralacha pass.

The SP said the highway would not be fit for normal traffic movement near the Baralacha pass for at least a week, so people have been advised to avoid their journey on this route during this period.

Meanwhile, the stranded people are waiting desperately for the restoration of the highway to head towards their native places. So far, 788 stranded people have been evacuated by the police, BRO and ITBP personnel in Lahaul Spiti two days ago. Still a large number of people are stuck in the region.

Lahaul Spiti DC Pankaj Rai said the district administration was providing free ration to the stranded people and arrangements had been made for their stay.

He said as soon as the highway was restored, all of them would be sent to their native places with immediate effect.

The police detain farm activists after a protest in Kurukshetra on Sunday. tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, April 18

About 70 farmers were detained today for having shown black flags to Kurukshetra MP Nayab Singh Saini at Saini Samaj Bhawan here. He was in the city to attend an event in the honour of BR Ambedkar, whose birth anniversary was on April 14.

Besides Saini, Sports Minister Sandeep Singh, Thanesar MLA Subhash Sudha and other BJP leaders attended the event.

Congress workers protesting

Farmers are our brothers. Those protesting at the Delhi borders are not farmers, but Congress workers.— Nayab Singh Saini, Kurukshetra MP

On getting information about Saini’s visit, around 200 farmers gathered at the venue and raised slogans against the BJP-JJP government and the Kurukshetra MP.

The police tried to disperse farmers, but they did not move. Subsequently, they were detained and taken to the Police Lines. They were let off later.

BKU (Charuni) activist Jasbir Singh Mamumajra said, “Farmers have requested BJP and JJP leaders numerous times to not hold any event till the movement is on, but they seem to be not bothered. The Kurukshetra MP has been holding back-to-back events in his segment. He has been trying to instigate farmers.”

District BKU (Charuni) president Krishan Kumar said farmers were protesting peacefully and showing black flags to BJP leaders, but the police forcibly dispersed them.

“The police and the district administration have been issuing challans to the public for violating Covid guidelines, but BJP leaders have been holding back-to-back programmes here without getting challaned. Farmers will meet the DC on Monday to discuss the matter. If farmers are stopped again from holding peaceful protests, we will block roads,” he said.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ravinder Tomar said, “Initially, farmers said they would protest peacefully and wouldn’t disrupt the event. On their assurance, they were designated a site to protest. But they deviated from the plan and assembled near Saini Samaj Bhawan after having removed police barricades. In spite of repeated requests, they refused to leave.”

Concerned Citizens’ Group, led by Yashwant Sinha, visited Kashmir from March 30 to April 2

Former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha. PTI file

Srinagar, April 16

Kashmir seems to have returned to normalcy, but people refuse to accept the Centre’s 2019 decision of revoking Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, says a report released by the Concerned Citizens’ Group (CCG), led by former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha.

‘No space for dissent’

• No space for dissent against government policies and journalism virtually criminalised, notes Yashwant Sinha-led CCG
• The group talked to rights activists, Kashmiri Pandits, Shia and political leaders besides those released after detention

The Group visited Kashmir from March 30 to April 2. It was its third visit to the Union territory after the Union Government revoked the special status of the erstwhile state and the eighth since violence erupted in the Valley following the gunning down of militant leader Burhan Wani in July 2016.

“The CCG met with a cross-section of representatives of civil society groups, businessmen, politicians, newly elected members of district development councils, human rights activists, representatives of Kashmiri Pandits, Shia leaders and political leaders, especially those who had been released after being jailed in the wake of the developments of August 5, 2019,” the group said in a statement.

The report said Kashmir seemed “more normal” than what the situation was during the group’s earlier visits.

“On the face of it, Srinagar seemed peaceful. People were seen going about their daily chores. Life seemed more ‘normal’ compared to our earlier visits,” it said. The group, however, claimed that people were still not ready to accept the Centre’s decision to revoke J&K’s special status.

The CCG also mentioned that there is no space for any dissent or criticism. “Journalism has been virtually criminalised. No protests by civil society and rallies by political parties are permitted. The police do not hesitate to summon journalists and ordinary citizens and even lock them up under the Public Safety Act,” it said.

The Sinha-led group said it seemed that the “anger, despair and alienation of Kashmiris, that we had witnessed first-hand during our six previous visits to the Valley, persisted”.

Apart from Sinha, other members of the Group are: executive secretary, Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation, Delhi, Sushobha Barve; former chairman of the Minorities Commission Wajahat Habibullah; Vice Marshal (retd) Kapil Kak; and former editor Bharat Bhushan. — PTI

Photo for representation only

Jammu, April 18

An Army personnel allegedly shot himself with his service rifle inside a camp in Ramban district, the police said on Sunday.

Sepoy Hanuman Choudhary, who was on sentry duty, shot himself at his camp in the Ukhral area around midnight, a police official said.

The body has been sent to a local hospital for postmortem. The police have started inquest proceedings.

Meanwhile, a woman who had received a bullet injury in Pulwama district last week died at a hospital here on Sunday. Shakeela Banu (35) of Tral received the bullet injury on Friday. Her family initially did not report the matter to the police. — PTI

Bloodiest counter offensive campaign by PLGA this yr

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 18

At a time when the security forces are preparing to launch counter offensive against Left-Wing Extremists (LWEs) following the ambush in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh early this month that left 22 jawans dead, intelligence sources said the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) was planning to attack security personnel through non-conventional tactics such as placing of invisible electricity wires, unpredictable booby traps and use of improvised rocket launchers.

“The tactical counter offensive campaign of the PLGA this year has been the bloodiest and they have changed their modus operandi for deception of the security forces,” a senior intelligence official said. The official said the Naxals might use high-tension wires located in various areas in Chhattisgarh for the power supply to various cities and villages.

“The Naxals may hook branch lines and place them on likely target grounds in near future as one of their nefarious designs of battle,” he added. The intelligence officials also suspect that the Naxals might as well target low-flying and halted helicopters from their locally improvised rocket launchers. According to them, they might place “booby traps in manners which are never seen before and more and more remote control IEDs may be seen in future”.

“Also, the IEDs may have various initiating systems that may use pull, pressure and pressure release mechanisms such as syringe, use of improvised systems made of local wood and vegetation,” the official said. Two days after the Bijapur encounter-cum-attack, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said the government would intensify its ongoing fight against the Naxal menace.

NEW DELHI: A new biography on former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has stoked a fresh controversy with his claim that he had recommended that Gen. Bipin Rawat supersede two senior officers to become the Army Chief, “convinced that he was a better choice”, with the author describing it as “a bold move”, contrary to claims at the time that the correct procedures had been followed.

“Gen. Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Army Chief prior to that, had a close association with Parrikar when he was Defence Minister. In fact, it was on Parrikar’s watch in the MoD that Gen. Rawat was made the Army Chief by by-passing two generals senior to him.

“It was a bold decision since the civilian leadership is normally loathed for tampering with convention. Parrikar was convinced that Gen. Rawat was a better choice to head the Indian Army at that point. So he signed on the recommendation to supersede two senior most generals and make Gen. Rawat the Army Chief, ” Nitin Gokhale, a media entrepreneur, strategic affairs analyst and author of more than half-a-dozen books on military history, insurgencies and wars, writes about his “very close” friend in “Manohar Parrikar – Brilliant Mind, Simple Life (Bloomsbury)” that records his 28-month tenure in South Block and has been sponsored by the Goa government, that he headed for four terms as Chief Minister over an eight-year period.

“Prime Minister Modi concurred with Parrikar’s recommendation and took what is considered a decision that broke the tradition in appointing an Army Chief on December 31, 2016. I am now at liberty to reveal that Parrikar had confided in me the fact that he was recommending Gen. Rawat as the next Army Chief, at least a month in advance, ” Gokhale writes.

“I was impressed with Gen. Rawat’s decisiveness and bold nature in my meetings with him as Commander of 3 Corps in Dimapur, Nagaland, and later as Southern Army Commander in Pune, ” Gokhale quotes Parrikar as mentioning to him one evening in November 2016. “Perhaps that was the reason why Gen. Rawat was brought to the Army headquarters as Vice Chief of Army Staff from September 2016 onwards, in preparation for his elevation as Army Chief”.

Parrikar’s claim runs contrary to what he himself had stated on January 6, 2017.

“A set procedure was followed. There was no seniority principal or it would’ve merely been a date based computer job, ” Parrikar had stated at the Defence Ministry’s Swachhta Pakhwada (cleanliness campaign that forms a part of the government’s Swachhta Abhiyan initiative) here.

In being elevated, Gen. Rawat, an Infantry officer, superseded Lt. Gen Praveen Bakshi (Armoured Corps), the Eastern Commander, and Lt. Gen. P.M. Hariz (Mechanised Infantry). Southern Army Commander.

Interestingly, six of the eight Army chiefs over the past two decades have been from the Infantry and two from the Artillery.

“Rawat’s supersession of Bakshi and Hariz indicates how difficult it has become for a non-infantry general to become chief, even when he has the seniority and merits. The army’s command hierarchy has demonstrated its ability to bring the government around to their viewpoint, ” noted defence analyst Ajai Shukla wrote at the time.

“The government, however, justifies Rawat’s selection as based on merit. In leaks to chosen journalists on WhatsApp (which this correspondent has reviewed) a defence ministry spokesperson claimed Rawat’s rare combination of skill and experience makes him ‘the best suited among the Lt. Generals, to deal with the emerging challenges’, ” Shukla added.

This was only the second time in 33 years that a supersession has happened after Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha, the Army Vice Chief, was passed over in 1983 by the Indira Gandhi government in favour of Lt. Gen. A.S. Vaidya.

On his part, Gen. Rawat returned the compliment, as it were at the First Manohar Parrikar Memorial Lecture, organised by the Forum for Integrated National Security (FINS) in Mumbai, in December 2019.

“Mr Parrikar, or ‘Honourable RM (Raksha Mantri)’, as we addressed him, was a man of many attributes—politically savvy was of course the key—that explains his very successful career in politics; but there were other qualities that I would like to recall: Outstanding qualities of head and heart, a very curious mind, a military–scientific temper, persistence, doggedness, great clarity of thought and above all, a person of enormous simplicity and pragmatism, ” Gen. Rawat said.

“A voracious reader, he would often quote from military classics like Victory on the Potomac (a book by a Pentagon insider, detailing the grim battles before the Goldwater–Nichols Act got promulgated in the US) and Robert Greene’s 33 Strategies of War. Any concept that he propounded in the military domain was done after careful and in-depth study of global developments and experiences. Above all, it was he who envisioned this uniquely Indian Defence Ecosystem that we are in the midst of creating—a happy amalgam of the strengths of the DRDO, the private sector, MSMEs (Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises), startups and DPSUs (Defence Public Sector Undertakings); these hubs of defence excellence which lie at the intersection of engineering, science, innovation and enterprise, ” Gen. Rawat added.

This is the first such incident that took place along the LoC since the last week of February
Army sources said it is not yet clear if the soldier, identified as Jasvir Singh, who has since been brought to Srinagar’s 92 Base Hospital for specialised treatment, was injured due to the firing from across the LoC by militants attempting to breach the divide line or due to “mistaken firing”
Srinagar: An Indian soldier was injured in a shooting incident in a forward area along the Line of Control in J&K’s Kupwara sector late Tuesday night.
This is the first such incident that took place along the LoC since the last week of February when India and Pakistan had agreed to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the de facto border and other sectors.
However, Army sources said it is not yet clear if the soldier, identified as Jasvir Singh, who has since been brought to Srinagar’s 92 Base Hospital for specialised treatment, was injured due to the firing from across the LoC by militants attempting to breach the divide line or due to “mistaken firing”.
Giving details of the incident, sources said the Indian Army personnel manning the “Anil Post” along the LoC, about 32 km from the district headquarters of Kupwara, observed some suspicious movement close to their post at around 10.30 pm on Tuesday. An alert soldier who was on guard duty at its access fired a few rounds from his service rifle. That was when Singh, 46, sustained a bullet wound, and given his condition was airlifted to Srinagar early Wednesday, the sources said. “It is not, however, clear if the Jawan sustained the injury due to the suspected infiltrators’ fire or in mistaken firing,” the sources said.
India’s director-general of military operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen. Paramjit Singh Sangha and Pakistani DGMO Maj. Gen. Nauman Zakaria had on February 25, after holding a discussion to review the situation along the LoC and all other sectors in a “free, frank and cordial atmosphere” over their established telephone hotline, announced that the two armies had begun observing a ceasefire along the borders in J&K from the midnight of February 24.
The pledge was welcomed by the UN Secretary-General, the United States and several other countries, and brought smiles on the faces of the border residents who had suffered immensely due to unending military tensions and frequent bouts of skirmishes between the troops across the divide line over the years.

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday complimented the Indian Air Force for ensuring a “timely and befitting” response to the “sudden” developments in eastern Ladakh, in a reference to the Sino-India border row in the mountainous region.
During an interaction with top commanders of the IAF, the defence minister also advised them to draw up long term plans and strategies to boost combat capabilities of the force to counter future threats, officials said.
Noting that changing dimensions of war would now include advanced technologies, asymmetric capabilities and information-dominance, the minister, who inaugurated the bi-annual commanders” conference, said it was very important that the IAF”s preparations for the future must include these aspects.
“The defence minister congratulated IAF for ensuring a timely and befitting response to the sudden developments in eastern Ladakh,” the IAF said in a statement without elaborating.
As the situation deteriorated in eastern Ladakh following a fierce clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan valley in June last year, the Indian Air Force deployed almost all its frontline fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft in the key frontier air bases in the region.
In his address, Singh also assured the IAF of “wholehearted support” from the defence ministry in achieving its goal of becoming a potent strategic aerospace force, officials said.
Referring to changing international geopolitics, Singh said the perceptible shift of focus from trans-Atlantic to trans-Pacific has become more obvious in the recent past.
He also expressed confidence that important decisions taken during the conference would enhance the combat potential of the IAF, noting that security and economic development are complementary aspects of national policy.
The defence minister appreciated the “critical focus” of the IAF towards reorienting for the future while stressing on the need to work pro-actively towards integration among the three services.
In the three-day conference at the Air headquarters in Delhi, the commanders are deliberating on finalising strategies to boost the IAF”s combat prowess besides taking stock of overall security challenges facing the nation.
“The defence minister stressed on the need to continue to work pro-actively towards the integration process currently underway, implementation of the joint logistics plan and to enhance synergy in areas of joint planning and operations,” the IAF said.
It said he urged the commanders to take stock and implement all directions issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the combined commanders” conference that had taken place at Kevadia in Gujarat last month.
Asserting that the IAF’s order for Light Combat Aircraft Tejas would result in a substantial boost to the domestic defence industry, he said it will be a game changer from the perspective of defence indigenisation.
In February, the government sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal to procure 83 TEJAS aircraft from state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. It is the biggest ever indigenous defence procurement program.
He urged the commanders to continue their efforts for achieving even greater results in the field of indigenous defence production and aircraft maintenance.
Issues pertaining to systems, reforms and restructuring for ensuring more efficient processes across all domains and optimised operational training are also being discussed at the conference.
The defence minister also expressed happiness that the conference coincided with the birth anniversary of the Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh.
On COVID-19 pandemic, the defence minister appreciated the role played by the IAF in assisting other government agencies in dealing with the situation.

They (Chinese) feel that by doing a little bit of shove-and-push, they will be able to compel nations to give into their demands. But I think India has stood firm on its northern borders and we have proven that we will not get pushed,” said the CDS.
China resorted to “my way or no way” policies but India stood firm in preventing a change in the status quo on its northern borders in eastern Ladakh and garnered international support for it, said chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat on Thursday.
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue, Gen Rawat said China feels “it has arrived” on the world stage because of its “superior” armed forces, equipped with “advanced and disruptive technologies” that can paralyze an adversary’s strategic systems as well as energy, banking, transport and communication grids.
“They (Chinese) feel that by doing a little bit of shove-and-push, they will be able to compel nations to give into their demands. But I think India has stood firm on its northern borders and we have proven that we will not get pushed,” said the CDS.
The international community has come to India’s support by affirming that every country must follow the international rules-based order, without seeking to unilaterally alter the status quo.
“China tried to change the status quo by the use of disruptive technologies without using force…They thought that India, as a nation, will succumb to the pressures that they have been putting on us because of the technological advantage that they have. But that did not happen,” said the CDS.
There has been no overall de-escalation in the year-long military confrontation in eastern Ladakh till now, with China refusing to even complete the stalled troop disengagement at Gogra, Hot Springs and Demchok despite several rounds of diplomatic and military talks.
At the Raisina Dialogue, chief of staff of the Japanese Self Defence Forces General Koji Yamazaki also slammed China’s attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in areas like the Taiwan Strait as well as the East and South China Seas.
China does not recognize the legitimate interests of Japan and other countries in the region and such an approach will heighten tensions and directly affect the stability of not just these areas but the entire Indo-Pacific region, he said.
Australian chief of defence forces General Angus Campbell, in turn, said, “(China’s) Grey zone tactics are a way to nibble away at territory. We see this in the South China Sea. It is very challenging to respond without breaching the line that leads to open conflict.”
On Afghanistan, Gen Rawat said the international community must ensure the withdrawal of the US and other forces from the conflict-ravaged country does not “create space for other disruptors to step in”.
Though he did not name Pakistan or China in this context, the CDS said there were some countries “looking at the opportunity” to step into the vacuum. “Afghanistan is a nation rich in resources. There are some nations who tend to exploit such resources for their own benefit without the benefit going to the community or the nation concerned. This should be prevented…Afghanistan should be for the Afghans,” he added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with top commanders of the Indian Air Force on 15 April 2021| Twitter| Snehesh PhilipText Size: A- A+

New Delhi: Top commanders of the Indian Air Force on Thursday began a comprehensive review of the security challenges facing India, including along the Line of Actual Control, on the opening day of a three-day conference.

The bi-annual commanders’ conference was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Air Headquarters in Delhi.https://54719452ab0c2194abf2d7ae4b7ff99d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

In his remarks, Singh complimented the IAF for its overall efforts to maintain combat readiness and its approach to deal with future challenges, sources said.

The commanders reviewed the overall security challenges facing the nation including the situation in eastern Ladakh, the site of a standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries.

The Indian and Chinese armies have been engaged in negotiating disengagement from the remaining friction points in the region after completing withdrawal of troops and weapons in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in mid-February.

In the course of the conference, the commanders will also discuss strategies and policies relating to further enhancing capabilities of the IAF in view of the future challenges facing the country.

The commanders will also deliberate on various welfare and human resource measures to improve administrative efficiency in the force.

The conference is being attended by the Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief of all commands of the IAF, all principal staff officers and all director generals posted at the Air Headquarters in Delhi.

Also read: Quad navies can come together if needed in almost ‘plug and play’ manner, Navy chief says