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

Synergy between navies will bolster maritime security

The prolonged standoff between Indian and Chinese troops was confined to the Line of Actual Control, but there is another expanse where things are not looking hunky-dory. In his address at the Raisina Dialogue on Wednesday, the Navy Chief, Admiral Karambir Singh, said it was not surprising that China was trying to expand its presence in the Indian Ocean region as ‘its energy sources, markets and resources are located to the west’. He acknowledged that most threats in the maritime domain were transnational and it was not possible for any nation to go solo. The Admiral stated that the navies of the Quad countries — India, Australia, Japan and the US — had the capability and capacity to come together almost in a ‘plug and play’ manner. This assertion reaffirms the growing clout of the Quad, which held its first summit-level talks last month. The four-nation alliance is perceived to be a countervailing force against China’s rampant muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific region, though its members insist that there are several areas of convergence — right from vaccine collaboration, climate action, maritime security and emerging technologies to counter-terrorism.

In an impressive show of strength and synergy, the Quad navies had carried out the Malabar exercise in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea in November last year. The four nations have repeatedly pledged to ensure an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order. While China has every reason to be wary of the grouping, India’s old ally Russia is far from enthused by it, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov referring to it as an ‘Asian NATO’ with apparently militaristic designs.

Despite the time-tested ties with Moscow, New Delhi has been quick to counter criticism of the Quad. During the India-Australia-France trilateral dialogue on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made it clear that the purpose of coming together was to find ways of working for national, regional and global benefit. India is rightly banking on the Quad to safeguard its strategic and economic interests. As long as the arrangement is mutually beneficial, it seems to be a win-win situation for all members.

Said he was firm on his decision even though the CM had tried to convince him to remain in service

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 15

After meeting Governor VP Singh Badnore, IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh on Friday indicated that he was firm on resigning and had convinced Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of the same. 

The meeting with the Governor started at 11:32 am, confirmed an official of the Governor’s office.

The IG had recently resigned from the police service after an adverse order by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the Kotkapura police firing case. His resignation was, however, rejected by the Punjab Chief Minister.

Also read: Bargari sacrilege cases: Navjot Sidhu wants SIT findings made public

The IG was the key investigator in the case that was probed by a five-member SIT.

After the meeting with the Governor, Partap said the meeting was “routine and in his private capacity.” 

On the status of his premature retirement application to the Chief Minister, he said he was firm on his decision even though the CM had tried to convince him to remain in service. Pratap added that he had assured the CM that he would continue to assist the SIT from outside, whenever the government takes any concrete step in the direction. 

The IG’s resolution has started creating a crisis for the Congress government. Congress leaders fear that the IG’s retirement over the SIT probe would work towards the party’s disadvantage in the upcoming 2022 elections.

Photo for representation only. Tribune file

Jammu, April 15

A man, who had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control into India, was on Thursday sent back to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on humanitarian grounds, officials said.

The Indian Army handed over Ghulam Qadir to authorities in PoK at the Poonch-Rawalakote crossing point in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, they said.

The officials said the handover of Qadir, a resident of Ghim village in PoK’s Nikial area, took place around 11.55 am on Thursday at the crossing point on the Line of Control.

Qadir, who inadvertently entered India on April 11, was sent back on humanitarian grounds, they said. PTI

Opening of Atal Tunnel facilitates tourists’easy access to other snow-laden high passes

Patseu, Zingzingbar and Bharatpur City are attractive tourist attractions on the way to Baralacha

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, APRIL 15

If the tourists visiting Kullu-Manali are unable to visit the 13,058-feet high Rohtang Pass when it is out of bounds due to heavy snow, they now have the option of visiting the Baralacha Pass (16,040 feet) or Shinku La (16,600 feet) in the Lahaul valley through Atal Tunnel in one day from Manali.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) set a record this year by restoring the Manali-Leh route much ahead of the normal time in March. As a result, tourists will be able to enjoy pleasant journey of the Manali-Leh road.

Darcha is 101 km from Manali and the Baralacha Pass is 45 km from Darcha. Tourist places like Patseu, Zingzingbar and Bharatpur City are also attractive tourist attractions on the way to Baralacha. Shinku La is 40 km from Darcha on the Zanskar-Padum route and it connects border areas of Ladakh to Himachal. As these passes remain covered with snow throughout the year, tourists can enjoy snow even in summers.

The snow from the Rohtang Pass is expected to melt early this year as the region witnessed lesser snowfall in the winter but the visitors will be able to witness the snow at the Baralacha and Shinku La passes during the summers.

The travel from Manali to Baralacha or Shinku La will be less cumbersome as the BRO, working relentlessly, has improved the condition of the road. A resident of Manali said tourists would be able to undertake the journey to these passes within one day from Manali. He said new tourist destinations were likely to emerge as tourist footfall in the Lahaul valley was increasing in the wake of the opening of Atal Tunnel.

There are arrangements for stay of tourists in Darcha, Jispa, Gemur, Keylong and Sissu in Lahaul. The government has also registered more than 400 homestays in the Lahaul valley and tourists can also stay in these units.

At present the tourists are rushing to the Lahaul valley to witness snow as the Rohtang Pass has not been thrown open yet. The BRO is yet to undertake the snow-clearance operation on the Manali-Rohtang road as Atal Tunnel has already been thrown open. Commander Colonel, 38 Border Road Task Force Uma Shankar, said there was forecast of snowfall in the coming days and road clearance to Rohtang Pass will be done after that.