Farmers protest at the Singhu border near Delhi. Mukesh Aggarwal
Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, March 4
It’s been nearly 100 days since farmers began their agitation on the Delhi borders. The families of young farmers who lost their lives during the stir are yet to come to terms with the loss.
Farmer Jatinder Singh (22) of Fatta Maluka village in Mansa district died in a road mishap on way to Delhi.
In order to show solidarity with the protesting farmers, he took his tractor-trailer and headed towards Delhi in December along with a few villagers but on the way, a Canter hit his tractor and killed him near Hisar.
Sukhpal Singh, Jatinder’s father, said, “I had to go to the Delhi protest, but Jatinder told me that his friends from the village were going there so he will join them. So I dropped my plan.”
He says if he had gone to Delhi that day instead of his son, the latter would have been alive.
Gursewak Singh, village sarpanch, said the family was inconsolable. Jatinder had got married just a month and a half ago. “This is the worst that can happen to a newlywed couple,” he added.
Jaspreet Singh (18), a resident of Chauke village, in the Maur tehsil in Bathinda, is probably one of the youngest of the casualties that took place during the farmers’ protest at the Singhu and Tikri borders.https://dda17a3291c7d0966b5737f3c70a6a01.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
Around two months have passed since his demise but his parents are in a state of mourning and still can’t believe their son is no more.
Gurmail Singh, father of Jaspreet, said, “We still don’t believe that our only son is no more. He was preparing for Army recruitment as he wanted to serve the nation. He was of the view that one member of every farmer family should participate in the protest as the laws were against the farmers.”
Gurmail says they never thought that the farmer agitation would change their life forever, and now, they were left with nothing
An Army jawan was found dead here on Thursday in a suspected case of suicide, officials said.
Rifleman Anup Kumar (28), who was posted on sentry duty at the Badamibagh cantonment in Jammu and Kashmir, was found hanging from the ceiling of the sentry post at the main gate at Batwara here with a light machine gun’s loop.
Kumar hailed from Haryana’s Bhiwani, the officials said, adding that the reason behind his taking the extreme step was not immediately known. – PTI
The community radio station is being run by local radio jockeys from north Kashmir
Will serve as a platform for people of all age groups to share experiences
Will also spread awareness about drug abuse and other social causes
Srinagar, March 4
The Army on Thursday launched the first-of-its-kind community radio station in north Kashmir’s Sopore town, an official said.
With the tagline “Radio Chinar 90.4, Har Dil Ki Dhadkan”, the radio station was inaugurated by General Officer Commanding (GoC) Chinar Corps Lt Gen BS Rana. The reach of the station will be Sopore, Bandipora and Baramulla districts, the Army official said.
The official said the aim was to revitalise the connect within different segments of the community. “This will provide a good platform for a community dialogue, sharing of information, art and culture. It will build a community environment, which is better connected with issues which are local and important to the community,” he said.
This community radio station will be highlighting and showcasing the hidden talent of north Kashmir, especially local entrepreneurs, musicians, sportsmen and artistes, to the people of Kashmir and the rest of the world.
The station will also be available on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Internet radio so as to provide uninterrupted service to a wider audience, the official added. PT
JCOs, jawans to participate in conference for first time
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. File photo
New Delhi, March 4
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a conference of the country’s top military leadership in Gujarat’s Kevadia on Saturday.
The conference will witness the participation of jawans and junior commissioned officers (JCOs) for the first time, senior officials said.
They said the jawans and JCOs would be attending specific sessions related to human resource issues during the three-day Combined Commanders’ Conference that started on Thursday. — PTI
CDS General Bipin Rawat has warned against a belligerent China saying the neighbour seeks to establish a dominance in the Indian Ocean Region and the countries surrounding India. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad. He set the tone for the Combined Commanders’ Conference that began on Thursday. — TNS
Despite the death of 300 farmers since they shifted their agitation to the Delhi border on November 26 last year, protests have not lost steam. Besides the permanent camps at the Delhi border, Punjab is also witnessing massive gatherings all over the state.
The next major step will be the “dharnas” at various protest sites on the Delhi border, particularly Singhu and Tikri, on March 8.
An elaborate plan is being made to observe International Women’s Day as an occasion to force the withdrawal of “draconian anti-farmer laws”.
President of the Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal) Balbir Singh Rajewal put the figure of the dead at over 300. BKU (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said about 250 persons had died due to different reasons, including cold, heart attacks and road accidents, during this period. “We got busy with other activities during our ongoing struggle, so we were not able to maintain a proper record of the deaths. We will surely do that,” he added.
Collective decision
All unions have decided to hold protests on International Women’s Day to show that even women stood with us against anti-farmer laws. —Balbir Singh Rajewal, BKU (Rajewal) chief
Following massive gatherings at Jagraon and Barnala “kisan mahapanchatays” recently, farmer unions have chalked out elaborate programmes to carry forward their protests at other places. Confirming the March 8 programme, Rajewal said, “All unions have decided to hold protests on International Women’s Day to show that even women stood with us against the anti-farmer laws. This will be preceded by blocking the KMP Highway on March 6 for five hours (11 am to 4 pm).”
BKU district president Shingara Singh Mann said, “The government was trying its best to show that the farmers’ struggle was losing steam. It has, however, failed miserably in its propaganda. They are threatening our volunteers in various ways, including arrests. Even the celebrities supporting us have not been spared.”
Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “We may be seen as a separate group during the agitation. However, we are fighting for the same cause. Our eighth ‘jatha’ is leaving for the Delhi border. We will participate in the programme on March
Pandher said, “We will hold a rally at Shahkot Mandi in Jalandhar, another one at Kapurthala on March 14 and at Ferozepur on March 15. The government has underestimated our dedication to the cause. We will fight till the end.”
Bengaluru, Shimla ranked ‘most livable’ cities in govt’s Ease of Living Index 2020
Bengaluru topped the list of 111 cities in the government’s ‘Ease of Living Index’ on Thursday, followed by Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Surat, Navi Mumbai, Coimbatore and Vadodra.
According to the index released by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Shimla was ranked top in the category of cities with ‘population less than million’.
New Delhi Municipal Council topped the ‘Municipal Performance Index’ list in the ‘less than million population’ category.
Jaishankar discusses ways to boost bilateral relations with Bangladeshi counterpart
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen and held wide-ranging discussions on ways to take forward the bilateral relations.
As part of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, Jaishankar arrived here on a day-long visit to prepare the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Bangladesh.
China realised its habit of creeping forward will not work with India, Army chief says General M.M. Naravane noted that the disengagement process at Pangong Tso was a ‘win-win’ for both India and China.
New Delhi: China has realised that its habit of creeping forward and achieving its aim without firing a shot or suffering casualties will not work with India, said Army chief General M.M. Naravane Wednesday.
“China has been in the habit of creeping forward, making small incremental changes…and because of these small incremental moves, which has never been contested, it has been able to achieve its aim without firing a shot or suffering casualties. We have shown that this strategy will not work with us and every move will be met resolutely,” said Gen Naravane, while addressing a webinar.
Speaking for the first time on the issue since India and China completed the disengagement process at the Pangong Tso in Ladakh last week, Naravane said that whatever has been achieved so far was “very good”.
He credited the disengagement to the approach taken by entire government machinery —political, diplomatic and economic besides the military — and advice by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
“We (government machinery) were all in it together. We had our plan chalked out which we had discussed what should be the way forward. Whatever has panned out has happened as a result of that,” said Naravane at a webinar organised by Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), a New Delhi-based think tank.
He added: “What we have achieved so far is very good. Having a number of meetings…the advice given by the NSA came handy and his insight into strategic matters, helped us.”
He further noted that the disengagement was a “win-win” situation for both India and China, and for any agreements to last both sides should feel that they have achieved something.
“To that end, this is a good outcome of the 10 rounds of talks,” the Army chief said, referring to the 10 rounds of Corps Commander level talks that were held between India and China.
During his address, Gen Naravane also noted that while the disengagement process has been completed, the Army continues to be cautious and wary.
“There is a trust deficit and unless it is removed, we will continue to be wary and watchful of all kinds of movements. At end of the day, we have achieved a lot.”
He said the disengagement agreement signed with China is premised on the fact that it will be observed in letter and spirit, as is the case with any agreement signed with another country.
“We will trust but we will verify. We have put our systems in place to ensure there is no re-occupation of the heights (southern and northern banks). It is part of the agreement and we can only hope that PLA will adhere to it in toto,” said Naravane.
He further highlighted that certain issues remain pending between the two countries, and the Army had strategies in place for them.
“We have our strategies in place for that. Do we have anything to negotiate? Yes, we definitely have, but I can’t say what those strategies will be, to again come out with a favourable outcome.”
The Army chief also spoke about China’s tactics of creeping with small incremental changes without any casualty or firing a shot. He noted that China has been similarly creeping forward in the South China Sea.
This tactic by China is known as ‘salami slicing’ in the strategic community and refers to the Chinese taking over territory inch by inch over years.
In September 2017, then Army chief and present Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat had cautioned against this.
“Salami slicing, taking over territory in a very gradual manner, testing our limits of threshold is something we have to be wary about and remain prepared for situations emerging, which could gradually emerge into conflict…,” Rawat had said.
According to Naravane, even after disengagement the military is prepared for a two-and-a-half front war.
“These are threats in being. Whether they manifest or not…We should prepare for the worst but hope for the best,” he said, adding that plans are in place to defend the primary and secondary front.
The Army chief also said that over the years, India has focused primarily on the western front than the northern front but this will change now.
Naravane further noted that there was “no overt sign” of any collusion between Pakistan and China during the Ladakh stand-off and whatever they were doing, they continued to do.
“There was no large mobilisation that would say any help is being given,” he said.
He added that the Ladakh stand-off showed India’s resolve in maintaining its interest foremost.
On India’s relationship with China going forward, the Army chief said, “Our relationship with China would develop along the road that we wish to develop. We will like to have peace and tranquility on the border and all other engagement will continue… nobody wants an unsettled border.”
Naravane also highlighted that India wants peaceful ties with all neighbours and stressed on the need to have settled borders.
