Wing Commander Swaroop Krishna ‘Suppi’ Kaul, MVC: Leading Black Panthers into battle

Arjun Subramaniam & Harish Masand

Soon after he took over command of No. 37 Squadron (Black Panthers) at Hasimara (an airbase in North Bengal) in April 1971, Wing Commander Swaroop Krishna ‘Suppi’ Kaul (later the Chief of Air Staff) was asked by the Senior Air Staff Officer in Eastern Air Command, Air Vice Marshal Devasher, to explore the possibility of modifying the Hunter Mk 56s to carry photo-recce pods. This was considered a key operational requirement to create a mosaic of ground deployments of the Pakistan army in East Pakistan. Soon after, the Black Panthers were chosen for this additional role since Suppi had a lot of experience in Fighter Reconnaissance (FR) with cameras on Vampires.

Accordingly, from May-June 1971, around six fighter aircraft and a trainer of the squadron were modified with Vinten cameras, two side-looking F-95 cameras and a forward-looking one, the F-135, in the nose. As soon as the trainer was ready, Suppi trained a few pilots in this role. Harish Masand, a young Flying Officer, was among these pilots and emerged as Suppi’s near-permanent wingman from then on till the end of the war, collecting a Vir Chakra for his own individual exploit of shooting down a Sabre on the first day of the war on December 4 in a chaotic dogfight and melee over Dacca.

By October 1971, Suppi and Harish were doing FR missions inside East Pakistan photographing areas/targets of interest. That is when Harish gathered how good Suppi was in low-level navigation. As his wingman, Harish’s job was to keep abreast of him around 2,000 yards and keep the tail of the formation clear while they navigated to the target, and then let the cameras roll from both aircraft when he called. Almost from the first such mission over hostile territory, Harish realised that he didn’t ever have to look at the map: if a check point was to be crossed at 7 minutes and 50 seconds, he just had to glance at the ground at that time and the check point would be right there where it was supposed to be. Due to Suppi’s accurate navigation and gentle corrections in course/speed in total radio silence, Harish could devote a major portion of his attention to scanning the skies around and behind for any enemy threat. That is how he spotted two Sabres well in time on the very first mission on December 4, 1971, and that is a story that Harish has narrated earlier.

Suppi and Harish did some nine FR missions before the war, the last one being as late as December 2 over Comilla and Lalmai Hills for 4 Corps. Taking off from Gauhati, they landed in Kumbhigram around noon because they did not have the gas to get back. The photo section in Kumbhigram developed the films, 6,000 frames between the two of them, after which Suppi and Harish stayed up till two in the morning, looking at the photos and marking out gun positions, troop concentration and the defensive works on each frame with a Chinagraph pencil, since there was no photo interpreter available there and the intelligence was required urgently by the Army. The films were sent off to the 4 Corps headquarters in Teliamura the following morning (December 3) before they flew back to Hasimara to get into the war the very next day.

Suppi flew several strike missions during the war, including the mission that struck the Governor’s House in Dacca on December 14, but his risk-taking and leadership qualities emerged on Day One itself. Harish recounts that mission with clarity. “We were to launch the first raid of four Hunters on Tezgaon airfield on December 4, call sign Mission 501, Time Over Target of 0705 IST/0735 East Pakistan Time. The formation comprised Suppi in the lead, Billoo Sengar as his wingman, Mascarenhas as number 3 and me as number 4. Suppi’s aircraft did not start so he jumped into the standby aircraft. Mascy’s aircraft went unserviceable so we took off as three aircraft. After take-off, my landing gear refused to go up and I started trailing the lead section of Suppi and Billoo for quite some time till I finally decided to use the emergency override switch and get the gear up and catch up. While I was having this problem, Suppi could have easily aborted the mission since two of the four aircraft had fallen out, but he continued, displaying his courage and dedication to the task given to him. Fortunately, we finally went in as three aircraft since we were bounced by two F-86 Sabres about two minutes short of target and had to engage them in combat.”

Harish continued, “Throughout the war and the many missions we did together, Suppi was cool and did not ever flinch from facing the heavy anti-aircraft fire over Dacca or the threat of enemy Sabres during the initial days of the conflict. He was also open to suggestions from youngsters like me on the planning of missions and attacks, which resulted in great team effort for more effective attacks with minimum losses. Due to adaptation of different attack patterns through such open discussions between us, we survived the war without a scratch at least when we were together, even in the attacks on Governor’s House in Dacca on December 14 and the university area on the 15th wherein the anti-aircraft fire was dense.

“Suppi was also a compassionate human being during the war and cared about his subordinates, officers or men. I personally experienced how he handled the loss of my younger brother, a paratrooper, during the war when the unfortunate news came to him on December 10. Slowly, and very gently, he broke the bad news to me and told me to get drunk that night and take the next day off, an offer that I firmly declined.

Wing Commander Kaul was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for leading his squadron into battle and as per the citation, “His reconnaissance flights over Tezgaon and Kurmitola airfields, in the face of the most sustained and heavy enemy ground fire, stand out as acts of heroism, extreme gallantry and devotion to duty.”

Modest and gracious as ever, Air Chief Marshal Swaroop Krishna Kaul attributes the performance of the squadron to exemplary teamwork and esprit-de-corps.

Arjun Subramaniam is a retired Air Vice Marshal and a military historian. Harish Masand is a retired Air Marshal and Vir Chakra awardee

Curtains might have been drawn on Military Farms, but not before their having played a crucial role for the Army and country

Photo for representational purpose only

Maj Gen Partap Narwal (Retd)

The news was disconcerting: “Curtains drawn on Military Farms”; alongside was a photograph of an officer presenting a properly folded green flag of his Corps in a military drill. The recipient of the flag was a senior officer, presumably the Colonel Commandant of his Corps. The ceremony was held at Delhi Cantonment. I posted the news item on the social chat group of veterans from my Remount Veterinary Corps. One of the senior veterans promptly responded: “Very sad day.” It was indeed.Advertisementhttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.448.1_en.html#goog_1628588824Buy NowPowered By The Tribune x eReleGo

My thoughts went back to 1987-89 when I was posted as a veterinary officer at Military Farm, Deolali. I recalled how triumphant we had felt when the higher fertility at our farm had led to the number of gravid heifers being far more than needed locally, and so those heifers were shifted to Port Blair to open a new farm there. That was the period when new farms were being inaugurated near the frontiers. And now, it is all over!

The Corps of Military Farms came into being on February 1, 1889, with the opening of the first such facility at Allahabad. This was the time when the country had neither adequate milk supply, nor was there any technology to increase the shelf life of milk. The organisation soon expanded to meet the requirements of fresh, hygienic milk and butter for the British army. They pioneered the artificial cattle breeding programme in 1925 in the country. And, with the pivotal support from Army veterinarians, the Corps spread out into large-scale, organised cattle farms, introducing precious and precarious exotic breeds to the inhospitable climate of the hinterland. It wasn’t an easy task, but a daunting duty requiring meticulous and rigorous care and management of the stock. This challenge was met through a mix of modern practices and innovative protocols, which not just made the exotic stock thrive but also scaled up the milk production to unprecedented levels. At the time of Partition, there were 130 farms, each holding a large number of cattle heads.

The demonstration of successful management and upkeep of the so-called “difficult breeds” gave confidence to the civil side, resulting in the gradual expansion of the cross-breeding programme. The Military Farms catalysed the growth of organised cattle farms and dairy development in the country. Subsequently, the Corps collaborated with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 1991 to develop a high-yielding cross-bred cattle breed in an ambitious project called ‘Frieswal’. It is among the largest contemporary cross-bred cattle breeding programmes.

In the meantime, India became the world’s highest milk producer thanks to ‘Operation Flood’ and related programmes. The soldiers’ accessibility to fresh milk, even in remote corners and difficult borders of the country, became easier than before. The necessity, thus, of having a separate setup just to meet the dairy needs of the Army gradually became redundant. Among other reasons, the dire needs of rebalancing defence expenditure and enhancing combat capability stirred the impending decision of Military Farm closure in 2017.

The flag ceremony for disbanding a Corps certainly is a sad moment, not only for its personnel but also those associated with it. Analysing it, however, with the head and not the heart and recalling the tenets of strategic management taught at the College of Defence Management that “organisations exist in an environment as per needs, which are dynamic, ever-changing” makes one sombre. The curtains might have been drawn on Military Farms, but not before their having played a crucial role for the Army and the country.

Lt Gen RP Singh, Army Commander, Western Command visits Jalandhar Military Station on Wednesday. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 31

Lieut-Gen RP Singh, Commander, Western Command, visited Jalandhar Military Station on Wednesday. He was briefed on operational matters at Vajra Corps Headquarters by Lieut-Gen C Bansi Ponnappa, GOC Vajra Corps, and also witnessed display of innovations and equipment aimed towards enhancing operational efficiency of the formation.

The Army Commander also visited the Covid-19 vaccination centre, assisted reproductive technologies (ART) centre and ECHS polyclinic at Military Hospital Jalandhar. He complimented all ranks of the Military Hospital for their dedication in providing healthcare facilities to serving personnel, families and veterans during the pandemic. He briefly interacted with the Western Command and Army Red Hockey teams at the newly-constructed astro turf hockey node and motivated them to excel.

Alka Singh, regional president AWWA, Western Command, accompanied the Army Commander during the visit and interacted with the families of soldiers in the station and also Veer Naris. She appreciated the various welfare measures being instituted and station facilities upgraded.

The Army Commander expressed his satisfaction on high level operational preparedness and excellent training standards of the formation. He commended all ranks of Vajra Corps for their high morale and exhorted them to continue working with same zeal and enthusiasm for the safety and security of the nation.

The city police have booked 13 accused, including the owner and manager of a finance company for conning ex-serviceman of Rs40 lakh on pretext of doubling the money in six years. Photo for representation only

Hoshiarpur, March 31

The city police have booked 13 accused, including the owner and manager of a finance company for conning ex-serviceman of Rs40 lakh on pretext of doubling the money in six years. The FIR was lodged on orders of the SSP on the direction of the High Court in the writ filed by the complainant.

According to the information, Gurpal Singh, a resident of Lodhi Chak village under police station Tanda, had filed a petition in the High Court. He had complained that the Kim Infrastructures and Nector Commercial Assets Company’s owner Ravinder Singh, MD Sanjeev Sikander, the directors of the company – Jagmohan Singh, Palvinder Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Mukhtiar Singh, Khajan Singh, Gurdeep Singh, resident Amritsar, Umeshwar Singh, Lekhraj, Arun Kumar, residents of New Delhi and The KJS Bal, hoaxed him that amount will be doubled and returned to him in six years and got his Rs40 lakh invested in their company. The accused did not return his money after the maturity. — OC

Photo for representation only. – File photo

Jammu, April 3

The ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ ‘mashaal’, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war, reached Basoli military station near Lakhanpur — the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir — on Saturday, a defence spokesman said.

The ‘mashaal’ was received by Brigadier Manoj Kharkwal in the presence of other dignitaries at Basoli, where major decisive battles were fought and won by India during the 1971 operations, the spokesman said.

Last year, PM Narendra Modi lit the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh Mashaal’ (golden victory year torch) from the eternal flame of the national war memorial in Delhi on December 16 — the day India celebrates as Vijay Diwas to commemorate its victory over Pakistan during the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh.

The spokesman said the ‘mashaal’ would remain in the folds of the Arsenals Brigade till Apr 7 during which a number of events would be held at various venues to mark the occasion.

He said some of these include felicitation of war heroes and ‘veer naries’, cultural programmes by students of KV Lakhanpur and APS Janglot, various school- level competitions and participation by NCC cadets. — PTI

Photo for representation only. Source: iStock

Jammu, April 3

Army soldier Naik Velu P is all set to make his 30th birthday memorable as he left for a mission to enter his name in the Guinness Book of World Records by running from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, a distance of about 4,300 km, under 50 days.

Last year in June, Velu P became the first Indian ultra-runner to complete 1,600 km in just 17 days, a feat which is in the process of being entered as an Asian record.

“Naik Velu, serving as a Nursing Assistant in the 60 Para Field Hospital, is an ultra marathoner who is attempting a Guinness world record by running from Kashmir to Kanyakumari for a distance of about 4,300 km under 50 days,” Udhampur-based Army Public Relations Officer (PRO) Lt Col Abhinav Navneet said.

To start this epic feat, he said Naik Velu, who is celebrating his 30th birthday on April 21, was flagged off from 92 base hospital at Srinagar on Friday with a heartwarming gathering of enthusiasts who accompanied him in his solo run for the initial five km carrying the national flag and boosting his morale.

“To cover this mammoth distance from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 50 days, Velu would be running 70-100 km per day, crossing major towns, cities and states,” Lt Col Navneet said. The PRO said Naik Velu has already won many ultra-marathons, Tuffman runs and Stadium runs across India. After covering 200 km distance from his starting point, Naik left Udhampur headquarters at 7 am Saturday and is on way to Jammu, running 10 km per hour, he said.

Born on April 21, 1991 at Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu) and having represented his state in athletics at the age of 13, Naik Velu joined the Army in December 2011 and his first achievement in the Army was a gold medal in cross-country 12.5 km in 2012.

He represents the India team of Athletic Federation of India since 2016 and in coming September he would be representing India for Stadium run at the world championship at Romania, for which he had won a trial run of 24 hour stadium running held at Bengaluru, Lt Col Navneet said. — PTI

Sprinting to glory in 50 days

Last year in June, Naik Velu P became the first Indian ultra-runner to complete 1,600 km in just 17 days. He has now set for a run from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, a distance of about 4,300 km, and aims to finish it in 50 days.

Register crop on ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ portal, says DC

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, April 3

The district administration also allowed the procurement of wheat crop without the schedule in grain markets after the daylong protest by farmers at the office of the Karnal Market Committee on Saturday. The farmers alleged that were not being allowed to enter grain markets without the schedule.

However, the farmers called off the protest after Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav assured them that gate passes would be issued even to those who come without the schedule. But he made it clear to the farmers that the gate passes would be issued only to those who get their crops registered on the ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ portal. Those who were yet to register on the portal could do so on April 5 and 6. He added that the state government had made the registration of crop on the portal mandatory, and accordingly SMSes were being sent to the farmers about the schedule.

“We apprised the government about the issue of the farmers and it allowed the procurement of wheat without the schedule. Gate passes will be issued manually to those whose crop has been registered on the portal,” said Yadav. He appealed to the farmers to bring their crop after cleaning and drying it. After pacifying the farmers, the Deputy Commissioner along with SP Ganga Ram Punia and SDM Ayush Sinha got the auction of the wheat crop conducted. He also assured the farmers that their payments would be transferred to their bank accounts within 48 hours and the commission of the arhtiyas would be delivered to them.

Earlier in the morning, on the call of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, hundreds of farmers and arhtiyas gathered at the office of the market committee. The SDM tried to pacify them but they remained adamant on their demand. “We have been opposing the scheduling system since the first day, as it is not feasible,” said Rajnish Chaudhary, president of the Karnal Arhtiyas’ Association.

Jagdeep Singh Aulakh, a member of the state core committee of the BKU (Charuni), said that farmers could not wait for the schedule to be issued to them as the crop was ripening and the threat of fire looms large.

Arhtiyas service providers, not middlemen: CM

Asserting that the arhtiyas were not middlemen but service providers, he urged the PM to ensure that the livelihood of farmers and others involved in the procurement of grain was not jeorpardised. file photo

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 3

Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking continuance of the existing system of payment to farmers till a consensus was evolved on the issue of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Asserting that the arhtiyas were not middlemen but service providers, he urged the PM to ensure that the livelihood of farmers and others involved in the procurement of grain was not jeorpardised. He sought a meeting with the PM to apprise him of the concerns raised by various stakeholders “before the situation gets out of hand,” assuring his complete support to evolving a consensus for long-term reforms.

Expressing concern over the efforts to “rock” the well-established institutional and social arrangements, the CM said he could see a pattern in some of the one-sided decisions and steps taken by the Centre.

Threaten to gherao FCI offices across nation tomorrow

File photo

Ludhiana, April 3

Members of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) today criticised the central government for levelling “false” allegations on the Punjab farmers to defame them.

Demanding that the government should revoke its letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary, they said the Centre wanted to divide them but its “conspiracy” would not succeed.

The SKM leaders conducted a meeting with trade unions, employees and students organisations at Punjab Agricultural University here today to plan the next strategy to strengthen the “kisan andolan”

SKM leader Dr Darshan Pal said: “The central government is making various attempts to defame the farmers of Punjab. We have unions in border areas and they never received any complaint regarding bonded labourers or drugs being given to them. The allegations levelled by the central government are false. It should revoke its false letter.”

Another SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said: “It is a conspiracy of the central government to defame farmers. There are no bonded labourers here and there will never be.”

SMK leaders said they would gherao the Food Corporation of India offices on April 5 across the country against the “wrong” policies of the central government.

Balbir Singh Rajewal said the Centre wanted to disband the FCI but they would not tolerate it. — TNS

Investigation being conducted to ascertain the BSF claim, says SPS Parmar, IG (Border Range), Amritsar

A BSF official, pleading anonymity, claimed it was a known fact that labourers from UP, Bihar, MP and Jharkhand, mostly in the age group of 30-50, were allured with handsome packages and perks.

GS Paul & Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Amritsar/Gurdaspur, April 3

The term “bonded labour” was never mentioned in any of the cases lodged with the police on those apprehended by the BSF at the International Border, say the Punjab Police. SPS Parmar, IG (Border Range), Amritsar, says an investigation is being conducted to ascertain the BSF claim, cited by the MHA in its letter to Punjab, on having apprehended and handed over to the Punjab cops 58 Indian nationals from the border areas of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur and Abohar during 2019-20.

Gurpartap Sahota, Attari DSP, said: “We are scrutinising the cases of those handed over to us by the BSF in the past two years.” A BSF official, pleading anonymity, claimed it was a known fact that labourers from UP, Bihar, MP and Jharkhand, mostly in the age group of 30-50, were allured with handsome packages and perks. “In some cases, they end up being exploited and hooked on drugs,” he said.

Backing his claim, Amarjit Shastri, a trade unionist, asserted that providing drugs to the labour was a common practice in rural Punjab. But Rattan Singh Randhawa, vice-president, Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, called the MHA report a “complete lie,” arguing that farmers who offered “langar” amid humanitarian crisis could never indulge in such practices. “Also, agriculture being more technical these days, a person with a low IQ would be unfit for the job,” he argued.

Senior police officers of Punjab’s three border police districts — Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Batala — strongly refuted the BSF claim. Pathankot SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana emphasised: “No such activity is taking place in the border villages of Pathankot.”

Ramesh Rana, senior vice-president of the Punjab unit of the Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), said: “In 2019, we received information that a landlord had paid Rs 25,000 as advance to a farmhand in Pahra village of Gurdaspur, who died days later. The landlord then asked the son of the deceased to complete the task for which his father was hired. We sent a team to the village and rescued the youth. After that, we did not receive a single case of bonded labour.”

Batala SSP Rachhpal Singh said about a decade ago, brick-kilns indulged in the illegal practice. “However, we cannot recall a single instance of a migrant having been forced to work in a factory or fields.”