Current Events :
Army officers pay homage to Capt Navpal Sidhu on his 18th Balidan Diwas in Abohar. Capt Sidhu was martyred in 2002 after he gunned down three Pak-trained terrorists in the Poonch region of Jammu and Kashmir. He was given the Shaurya Chakra posthumously. OC
Farmers shout slogans during their protest against the new farm laws, at Ghazipur border in New Delhi. — PTI
New Delhi, December 31
Thousands of farmers stayed put at their protest venues near Delhi’s border on Thursday as their talks with the government remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP.
The government and farm unions had reached some common ground on Wednesday to resolve protesting farmers’ concerns over the rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning.
After the sixth round of negotiations between three union ministers and a 41-member representative group of thousands of farmers protesting on Delhi borders, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said at least 50 per cent resolution has been reached with mutual agreement on two out of four items on the agenda and discussions would continue on the remaining two on January …
Braving the winter chill, farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting at various borders of the national capital for more than a month against these three new laws.
Security remained tight at the Delhi borders with hundreds of personnel deployed at Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri border points where the farmers have been camping.
The protests have also led to traffic congestion forcing police to divert vehicular movement.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, the Delhi Traffic Police alerted commuters about the routes that remained closed owing to the agitation and suggested them to take alternative roads.
“Tikri, Dhansa Borders are closed for any Traffic Movement. Jhatikara Borders is open only for LMV (Cars/ Light Motor Vehicles), two-wheelers and pedestrian movement,” it tweeted.
“The Chilla and Ghazipur Borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida & Ghaziabad to Delhi because of farmer protests. Please take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Apsara, Bhopra & Loni Borders.
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“Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli & Mangesh borders closed. Please take alternate route via Lampur Safiabad, Palla & Singhu school toll tax borders. Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba and GTK road. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road & NH-44,” they tweeted.
Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middleman and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.
However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of MSP and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
The government has repeatedly asserted that the MSP and mandi systems will stay and has accused the Opposition of misleading the farmers. — PTI
Photo for representation only. File photo
Srinagar/Jammu, December 31
Pakistani troops opened fire and shelled mortars in unprovoked violations of a ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Thursday.
In the Tangdhar sector of Kupwara, Pakistani troops specifically targeted mosques and houses in border villages, an Army official said in Srinagar.
“Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation along LoC in the Tangdhar Sector, Kupwara by firing mortars and other weapons on Wednesday evening,” the official said. In the Nowshera sector of Rajouri, Pakistan army personnel engaged in heavy firing and mortar shelling on forward posts.
“Today, the Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along the LoC in the Nowshera sector in Rajouri district,” a defence spokesman said in Jammu.
The Army retaliated befittingly to the unprovoked ceasefire violations, officials said. — PTI
New Delhi: Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane held extensive talks with his South Korean counterpart Gen Nam Yeong Shin on ways to boost bilateral military ties, and visited several key installations, including the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), during his tour of the East Asian nation, officials said on Thursday.
The Chief of Army Staff also visited the headquarters of the South Korean Army at Gyeryong city where he was given a guard of honour, they said.
Admiral Karambir Singh, the Chief of the Naval Staff, during his visit to Indian Navy’s forward operating base at Okha, Gujarat, on New Year’s eve, on Thursday, December 31, 2020. PTI
New Delhi, December 31
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh on Thursday took stock of Indian Navy’s operational preparedness in the Arabian Sea during a visit to a key naval installation in Gujarat, officials said.
Admiral Singh visited INS Dwarka which is a forward naval base at Okha in Gujarat.
The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) was briefed about key operational matters by senior officials on overall maritime operations and security aspects relevant to Gujarat, Daman and Diu (GD&D) naval areas.
He also took stock of coastal surveillance initiatives in the areas and interacted with personnel from the Okha naval station and other units, the Indian Navy said in a statement.
“Appreciating the quality work put in by the station, he encouraged the personnel to keep up the good work as INS Dwarka enters its Golden Jubilee year. The CNS also wished all personnel and families at GD&D area the very best for the New Year,” the Navy said. PTI
New Delhi: Days after the grave of 1947-48 War hero Brigadier Mohammad Usman was vandalised by unknown miscreants, the Army has finished restoration work.
While the Army is yet to give a formal confirmation, sources said the restoration work on the grave, which began yesterday, has been completed.
Brigadier Usman was the highest ranking officer to die in action during the first India-Pakistan war in 1947-48. On 26 December, his grave, located in south Delhi’s Batla House Qabristan near Jamia Millia Islamia, was found damaged.
The Army has now repaired the marble work around the grave and Brigadier Usman’s name, which was damaged, has also been written again. The grave was also decorated with flowers and a wreath was laid on it.
It is still not known when the act of vandalism took place and who was responsible for it.
Speaking to ThePrint, Professor Iqtidar Khan of the Department of Islamic Studies, who also oversees the maintenance of the graveyard, confirmed that some people from Brigadier Usman’s regiment came on 29 December to seek permission from the registrar to restore the grave.
He also said the university was not responsible for maintaining the graves but only the graveyard, which also contains the graves of many other prominent personalities including author Mujeeb Rizvi and Qurratulain Hyder.
Also read: It took Pakistan three defeats to understand the flaw in its war strategy against India
After the alleged vandalism was reported, the Army had written to Jamia Millia Islamia on 29 December seeking permission to carry out repairs on the grave.
“The university wanted a letter from the Army for the record and it has been sent. We will carry out the repairs,” a senior officer had told ThePrint.
Army sources had also said the matter, which is a “protocol and emotional issue” for the force, was being looked into at the highest level.
Brigadier Usman, who is remembered as ‘Naushera Ka Sher’, took over command of the 50 (Independent) Parachute Brigade at Naushera in December 1947, which halted the advance of Pakistani tribals in the area and recaptured it from Pakistan.
He died when an enemy army shell exploded near him in Naushera on 3 July 1948.
Also read: 49 years later, lessons that remain to be learnt from 1971 India-Pakistan War
Women farmers during their protest against the new farm laws, at Tikri border in New Delhi. — PTI
New Delhi, December 31
The lunch diplomacy of Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has played an instrumental role in shaping up a positive development following the sixth round of talks between the government and the representatives of farmers’ organisations.
Unlike the previous five meetings that ended on an inconclusive note, the sixth round of talks held here at Vigyan Bhawan on Wednesday saw the government and farmers coming on the same page on two key issues out of four.
The way the Wednesday meeting between the farmers and the government happened, the possibilities of solving the farmers’ movement have increased.
Farmer leaders are also hopeful that the way the government on Wednesday agreed to the demands like keeping farmers out of the purview of stubble burning and continuation of electricity subsidy, in the same way, the meeting on January 4 will also be positive.
The agenda for the January 4 meeting has been set.
This meeting is to be held on two issues like the three agricultural laws and the guarantee of MSP.
Also read: CM Pinarayi Vijayan moves resolution against central farm laws in Kerala Assembly
Several Delhi border points remain closed due to farmers’ protest
Undeterred by bitter cold, more farmers leave for Delhi
During the lunch break at Vigyan Bhawan on Wednesday at 2.30 pm, two hours after the sixth round meeting, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of State Som Prakash reached out to the farm leaders when they were getting ready to eat the ‘langar’ meal.
Many BJP activists today quit the party to join Congress in a village near Abohar. Tribune Photo
Abohar, December 31
Led by former sarpanch Lal Chand, who had actively supported the BJP-SAD alliance in the 2017 Vidhan Sabha election, a group of BJP workers in Daulatpura village today announced to join the Congress.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Bhup Ram Godara said they had quit the BJP over the farm laws. “Some BJP activists requested us not to quit the party. But we said as the party had betrayed farmers, there was no point in staying with it,” said Jatinder Singh, a farmer.
Another farmer, Krishan Singh, said residents of the tail-end villages had been crying for canal renovation for many years, the demand was fulfilled by the Congress government. — OC
Sportspersons have been camping at Singhu in solidarity with farmers. Tribune Photo
Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, December 31
International kabaddi players, wrestlers, footballers and basketball players, some of whom returned from abroad, havebeen taking turns to serve the farmers from day one at the Singhu border.
An accommodation to house 1,500 people, a langar feeding people three times a day along with snacks all through the day include the facilities the state’s sportspersons have been offering.
From November 27 when the initial ‘jathas’ of farmers were just heading to Singhu, three sportspersons from Punjab were busy setting up langar and a place to stay for the congregation at the border. While Tony Sandhu, former footballer; Mangi Bagga, former Captain of Indian kabaddi team; and Manjinder Singh, international kabaddi player, were the first to set things up, a bustling stream of international and Indian sports luminaries from the US, UK, Seechewal, Ludhiana and Tarn Taran also lined up to offer sewa. They wash clothes and cook food for the ‘sangat’.
Sandeep Singh from Nangal Ambian, an international kabaddi player, returned from England to come to Singhu. Satnam Singh Bhamra, NBA player, postponed his trip to the US to serve the farmers. Other players who have offered sewa at the langar as well as laundry and accommodation include former Indian kabaddi team members Sukha Bhandal and Nanni Gopalpur, international kabaddi players Khushi Duggal, Manjot Machiwara, Sultan and Jagga Chitti, international wrestler Jassa Patti, Asian silver medallist Amandeep Hothi, Nek Mullapur, among others.
Earning respect among farmers, Tony was even a part of farmers’ deliberations at Singhu on the future course of the agitation. For the New Year, a langar and an evening of music from singer Jazzy B is what the players have in store.
Col (retd) Narendra Kumar
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 31
Indian Army’s explorer and surveyor of the Siachen Glacier, Col Narendra “Bull” Kumar (retd), died following a brief illness in New Delhi on Thursday. He was 87 years of age and one of the most respected mountaineers, who was awarded the Kirti Chakra, the second highest peace time gallantry award.
It was in 1981 that Col Kumar surveyed each mountain pass atop the glacier and hoisted Indian flags. Three years after his report, the Indian Army captured the strategic icy frontier. It was he who, following a secret expedition, had made a report on strategic importance of Siachen which had prompted then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to okay operation Meghdoot on April 13, 1984. The glacier was captured as Indian troops raced to hold the ridgeline beating Pakistan Army to the top.
The 109-km actual ground position line (AGPL) that separates India and Pakistan on the glacier is the result of Col Kumar’s mountaineering expedition.
Born in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, Col Kumar was commissioned into the Kumoan regiment. The Army had named the launch base of the expedition as “Kumar base”, a rare honour for serving officer. The base is still called “Kumar”.
