In Nandigarm, farmer leader appeals to voters to vote for anyone but BJP

Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav (L), farmers leader Bilbar Singh Rajewal (C) and others during a protest rally against the farm laws, in Kolkata, Friday. PTI

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 13

The farmers’ agitation that began with an apolitical agenda, one to get the three farm laws repealed, has turned “political” with senior most leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Balbir Singh Rajewal targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rajewal, the most respected face of the SKM, the umbrella unit of over 40 Kisan Unions, has kicked off a political storm after saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a bigger threat to India than Pakistan.

Rajewal, who was addressing a gathering at Nandigram, which will see a pitched battle between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and former TMC MLA and now BJP’s firebrand leader Suvendu Mukherjee, also asked the voters to vote for anyone but the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“BJP only knows vote ki Rajniti. You possess a great weapon called a vote. Please don’t give that vote to Modi. Give your vote to anyone, rather give it to a winning candidate but please don’t vote for Modi,” 77-year-old said addressing the Kisan Mahapanchayat in Nandigram on Saturday.

“Modi is the biggest threat to our country. We are not threatened by Pakistan or any other country. But Modi is our biggest threat,” he added.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait had also requested the voters to not vote for the BJP ahead of the SKM’s three-day campaign in West Bengal. Ironically, Tikait’s faction is called BKU (Arajnaitik).

Rajewal also touched the topic of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) from the same stage. “There is another issue of the EVM. We are thinking of doing something about it once the Kisan Andolan gets over,” he added.https://676e0fff2ee4ec5904c42c5b851706ce.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

Rajewal’s outburst is part of the anti-BJP campaign currently being undertaken by the SKM in poll-bound states. On Friday, the SKM had issued an open letter to the farmers and citizens of West Bengal asking them to teach ‘arrogant government’ a lesson.

Yogendra Yadav read the open letter that would be circulated in all of the 294 constituencies in West Bengal.

“…The BJP government without consulting the farmers brought the three laws which will not only destroy our produce but also our next generations. They called us brokers, anti-nationals and even terrorists. We were peppered with water cannons, we were lathicharged and were framed in false cases. Because of all these atrocities I want your help. Elections are being held in Bengal. BJP does not bother about good or bad, constitutional or unconstitutional acts. It only understands one language that is of vote, seat and power,” the letter stated.

“Shaheed Bhagat Singh had once said we need a bomb to shake up the British. Similarly, to wake the BJP out of its slumber we need to hurt them with votes. Please do this job for me. BJP is desperate to win in Bengal. If farmers of Bengal punish them in these elections, it will teach them a lesson. If BJP loses in Bengal then it will bring down their arrogance and Modiji will be forced to hear farmers. I am hopeful that you will keep my request in mind when you go to vote,” the letter added.

Women protesters make chapatis at the Tikri border on Saturday. Tribune photo

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Mansa, March 13

Buoyed by being featured on the cover page of US-based ‘Time’ magazine recently, the spirits of women protesters at the Tikri border are quite high who have now vowed to “fight the battle with renewed vigour and take it to its logical end”.

Protesters from Talwandi Aklia village in Mansa said: “It’s not only an honour to feature on the cover page of one of the top magazines in the world, but it also a morale booster to continue our fight against the farm laws with renewed vigour.”

Kiranjit Kaur, who is taking part in the agitation along with her two daughters (five years and five months old), said: “Sadly, our own government has failed to see what an international magazine could see from thousands of miles away. They interviewed us regarding our understanding of the farm stir and our contribution to it.”https://28384feb16b62b15b3872cd9f1098961.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

Mahinder Kaur, another protester, said: “They wanted to know if we are aware about the matter or just protesting by following our men folk. But after interviews running for hours, I am confident that they would be certain about our genuine resolve to fight this battle out of our own will. We also urge other women to visit protest venues and take part in the agitation.”

Kuldeep Singh, a farmer leader and resident of Talwandi Aklia village, said, “As many as 13 women from our village alone have been photographed and given space in the ‘Time’ for their invaluable contribution to the farmers’ stir. Khalsa Aid, a social service organisation, has also made announcement of helping farmers of our village.”

Seminar on farm laws organised

Chandigarh: The Kirti Kisan Forum, a platform represented by former civil servants, Armymen and other officers, on Saturday organised a seminar, ‘Kisan Andolan: Challenges and Possibilities’. The seminar was attended by scholars and legal luminaries. TNS

Farmer takes poison

Sangrur: A young farmer allegedly attempted suicide over the central farm laws at Sunam by consuming poison. Avtar Singh was referred to PGI, Chandigarh, in a serious condition. TNS

Photo for representation.

Chandigarh, March 14

A Pakistani drone entered the Indian territory on Sunday but was forced to return as BSF jawans spotted it and opened fire in its direction in Pathankot district, a police official said.

“The drone which came from the Pakistani side was sighted at Dinda post close to Bamial along the Indo-Pak international border,” Pathankot Senior Superintendent of Police Gulneet Singh Khurana told PTI over phone.

He said the BSF opened fire in its direction after which it returned to the neighbouring country.https://5689023431c42998f02578c5d12ca295.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

Asked if the drone dropped anything inside the Indian territory before flying back, Khurana said, “A thorough search operation was carried out at the site, but nothing was found.”  

In December 2020, 11 hand grenades dropped by a drone flying in from Pakistan were recovered from a field near the International Border in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.

The consignment was found in Salach village, located about one km from the border.

The box of hand grenades had been attached to a wooden frame which was lowered from the drone onto the ground with a nylon rope, police had then said.

The first incident of dropping of arms and weapons through drones from Pakistan came to light in Punjab in September 2019 when police recovered AK-47 rifles, magazines and rounds of ammunition, hand grenades, fake currency and other items in Tarn Taran district. —PTI

BKU spokesperson claims three central laws will lead to closure of all small-time neighbourhood shops

Spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union Rakesh Tikait garlands the statue of late farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait in Prayagraj, on Sunday, March 14, 2021. PTI

Allahabad, March 14

The Bhartiya Kisan Union-led farmer agitation against the three central farm laws may continue till December this year, the outfit national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said here on Sunday.

Tikait made the statement while talking to reporters here after his recent visit to the poll-bund West Bengal.

“This agitation possibly will stretch up to November or December this year,” he said.

Talking about his West Bengal visit, Tikait said during their poll campaigning there, the central government people have been asking farmers to give them one fistful of rice.

“I have advised Bengal farmers to ask grain seekers to fix an MSP of Rs 1850 per quintal for paddy before giving them a single grain of rice,” Tikait told reporters here.

He said after Bengal, he was planning to visit other parts of the country to press for the enactment of a law guaranteeing an MSP for various crops.

“In Bihar, the paddy is currently being bought by traders at an abysmally low rate of Rs 750 to Rs 800 per quintal. I want a law guaranteeing the minimum support price for various crops,” said Tikait.

He said he was not going to sit in Delhi alone but was planning to visit all over the country, including Madhya Pradesh on March 14 and 15, Ganga Nagar in Rajasthan on March 17, Ghazipur’s UP Gate border in Delhi on March 18, Odisha on March 19 and Karnataka on March 21 and 22.

During his visit here, Tikait also garlanded a statue of his late father and farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait at Tikait Park in Jhalwa near here.

The BKU spokesperson claimed the three central laws will lead to the closure of all small-time neighbourhood shops, leaving only big commercial malls to survive.

“These farm laws will ruin traders and lead to the closure of small business utilities and the collapse of small industries. These laws will bring in big multinational firms like Wallmart,” claimed Tikait.

“Had this government belonged to a political party, it would have talked to farmers and resolved the matter,” Tikait said.

“But this government is being run by big business houses. It is bent upon selling the entire country,” he alleged. PTI

Representational image | Cyber crime | PexelsText Size: A- A+

New Delhi: India is mulling a new national strategy to strengthen the country’s cybersecurity amid allegations that Chinese intrusions may have affected operations at a key stock exchange and supply of electricity in the country’s commercial capital.

The plan will coordinate responses across ministries including Home Affairs, Information Technology, Defense and the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre in case of an attack and set audit procedures, former Lieutenant General Rajesh Pant, India’s National Cyber Security Coordinator said in an interview. It will be approved by the cabinet committee on security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Authorities are investigating a series of recent suspected cyber intrusions which could have led to a power outage in Mumbai, crippled systems at banks and caused a glitch at the country’s premier National Stock Exchange, he said. A report is expected in about a fortnight.

“We also want to know what happened,” said Pant, who served in the Indian army and now coordinates India’s cyber intelligence and reports to the Prime Minister’s Office. He said the breaches were likely malware and couldn’t be classified as attacks without a proper investigation.

At least one connection opened by Chinese state-sponsored hackers into the network system of an Indian port was still active, as authorities blocked attempts to penetrate the South Asian nation’s electrical sector, the U.S.-based research firm Recorded Future said last week. The attempts by the Red Echo group have been occurring since at least the middle of last year, around the time a bloody skirmish between Indian and Chinese soldiers started in the remote Himalayan region, the firm said.

“India will have to work at breakneck speed to put in place stringent security for critical infrastructure,” said Sandeep Shukla, who runs a state-funded cybersecurity project at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and has advised the federal government in the past. “There may also be a need for state financial backing to help smaller companies that are part of the grid. Because if one is hacked, entire systems can be compromised.”

The new strategy will lay down protocols for prevention and audit to secure the government’s digitally connected water, health and education systems that are all being treated as critical infrastructure, he said. Infrastructure like nuclear, power and aviation will be considered supercritical.

“In my view, if internet-connected computers are infected by malware, I won’t say it’s an attack but an infection unless it jumps from IT systems to other operation systems,” Pant said. “It’s like a crank caller. Can you stop someone from dialing your number?”-Bloomberg

Also read: Chinese spies in Afghanistan tells a lot about Beijing’s counterterrorism approach

A screengrab showing the Dhruv helicopter at the site of its emergency landing in Gujarat Saturday | Twitter | @ANIText Size: A- A+

New Delhi: An emergency landing of a Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter with two three-star officers on board, in Gujarat’s Kheda district Saturday, has brought back memories of a tragic 1963 crash that claimed the lives of five top Indian military commanders.

The Dhruv helicopter that made an emergency landing had on board Army Training Command head Lt Gen. Raj Shukla and Indian Air Force South Western Air Command Chief Air Marshal S.K. Ghotia, who were on their back from a Combined Commanders Conference in Kevadia, Gujarat. There were four other officers in the helicopter too.

The aircraft had to make a precautionary landing 30 km short of Ahmedabad. Local police subsequently helped the six officers reach a circuit house in Nadiad, from where they traveled by road to Ahmedabad Saturday evening.

As the incident came to light, many on social media questioned why two top officers were in the same

Following the 1963 crash, new protocols were set regarding top officers flying in the same chopper. However, official sources in the Army said Saturday’s incident involved no protocol violation since the helicopter in question is a twin-engine aircraft. “The protocol (barring more than one top officer in a chopper at a time) is with regard to flying single-engine helicopters,” a source said.

Asked about the emergency landing, sources in the Army said it was a precautionary landing as the nearest helipad was 15 minutes away. “The pilot noticed some warning switches on and thought best to carry out a precautionary landing,” a source added.

Sources in the Army said “maximum number of choppers were deployed” because of the Combined Commanders Conference.

“There were about 24 top officers at the conference besides other dignitaries. The choppers also cannot fly after sunset as per the protocol. Hence, some officers flew together to Ahmedabad,” a second source said.

Also Read: 10 crashes, 11 aircraft lost, 22 killed — the year of Balakot has been a bloody one for IAF

The 1963 crash

The 1963 crash happened on 22 November — the same day US President John  F. Kennedy was assassinated in Texas. The ill-fated helicopter, Alouette, called HAL Chetak, crashed in Poonch while on a reconnaissance mission.

The officers on board the aircraft were Lieutenant General Daulat Singh, the general officer commanding-in-chief, western command, Air Vice-Marshal E.W. Pinto, air officer commanding, western command, Lieutenant General Bikram Singh, general officer commanding, 15 Corps, Major General K.N.D. Nanavati, Military Cross, general officer commanding, 25 Infantry Division, Brigadier S.R. Oberoi, Military Cross, Commander, 93 Infantry Brigade, and Flight Lieutenant S.S. Sodhi.

A monument has been built at the site of the air crash.

An earlier version of the report referred to HAL Chetak, the aircraft involved in the 1963 crash, as HAL Cheetah. The error is regretted.

Also Read: The alarming number of crashes Indian Air Force has seen in last 9 months

Q-9 Reaper or Predator B | www.ga-asi.com

New Delhi: Impressed with the performance of the two leased Sea Guardian drones, the Navy, Army and the Air Force will finally jointly procure 30 armed versions of the American unmanned aerial system in what could be a $3 billion deal, ThePrint has learnt.

The decision comes just before US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s visit to India later this month. Austin’s visit could be a precursor to the impending meet of the ‘Quad’ leaders — US, India, Australia and Japan — which is likely to be held soon.

According to sources in the defence and security establishment, initially one of the three services were not on board about procuring the armed predator drones but now all three are finally on the same page.

They added that the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) could take a final decision on this “soon”.

If approved, this would be the first tri-service procurement since Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was appointed to steer the Indian armed forces into a more united force, both in terms of operational doctrine and procurement.

The erstwhile Trump administration had expected the deal for 30 armed drones to be announced at the two-plus-two ministerial dialogue in New Delhi on 27 October 2020. However, India did not succumb to the hard American push to seal the deal then.

Also read: Break down civil-military silos, indigenise customs & doctrines, Modi tells armed forces

India to procure armed version of Sea Guardian drones

In 2018, the US had offered India the armed version of the Guardian drones, which were originally authorised for sale as unarmed and for surveillance purposed.

India was earlier eyeing both the unarmed Sea Guardian drones for the Navy and the armed Predator B for attack options, but there was a growing feeling that both surveillance and attack could be done by the same drone.

This was because of the prohibitive price involving American drones. The Navy had initially planned for 22 Sea Guardians which were priced at over $2 billion, but then brought down the number to just 12.

However, since all the three services wanted weaponised drones, a decision was taken to jointly pursue the deal.

According to the deal, India will be acquiring 30 MQ-9 Reaper or Predator B, 10 each for the three services.

The MQ-9B has an endurance of 48 hours and a range of over 6,000 nautical miles. It comes with nine hard-points, capable of carrying sensors and laser-guided bombs besides air-to-ground missiles, with a maximum payload of two tonnes.

The Navy, which is the lead agency for procurement of HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs, will seek the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) from the DAC.

In November last year, ThePrint had reported that the Navy had inducted two Sea Guardian drones on lease under emergency procurement.

According to sources, the Navy is really impressed with the two UAVs it took on lease from the US firm General Atomics.

Also read: India’s resolute response on borders has helped in resolution of key issues — Rajnath Singh

Representational image) Trials are to be held for nearly 41,000 LMG | Source: IWI websiteText Size: A- A+

New Delhi: The much-awaited Army trials for nearly 41,000 light machine guns (LMGs), under the Make in India initiative, has been delayed again as Reliance Armament of Anil Ambani has sought more time to showcase its weapon, ThePrint has learnt.

While trials for the 7.62X51 mm belt-fed LMGs were to begin from 22 February, they have now been postponed to April due to Reliance Armament. The new LMGs are to replace the 5.56x45mm INSAS LMG, which is a derivative of the INSAS assault rifle.

Sources in the defence and security establishment said this is not the first time that Reliance has sought an extension. Sources said Reliance Armament wrote to the Army in February seeking more time to showcase the weapon, which the company says is an indigenous one.

A questionnaire sent to Reliance Defence remained unanswered at the time of filing this report. 

The Anil Ambani group is one of the contenders for the project along with Bharat Forge of the Kalyani Group, Adani Group’s PLR systems and the state-run Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

The Bengaluru-based SSS Defence, which was one of the original contenders, is understood to have pulled out of the trials as it wants to focus on sniper and the carbines contract.

Also read: Navy, Army and IAF finally agree to procure armed drones from US in $3 bn deal

Reliance also tight-lipped about partner 

While Reliance has been tight-lipped about who it has tied up with for the contract, it is learnt that a South Korean firm could be in the picture. 

Reliance is also said to be working on multiple vendor options, including American and European manufacturers.

Reliance Infrastructure’s annual report for 2019-20 stated that the group has established multiple companies such as Reliance Armaments Ltd, Reliance Ammunition Ltd and Reliance SED to cater to the specific requirements of small arms, ammunition and defence electronics.

It had also said that Reliance Armament has received RFPs (Requests for Proposal) for LMGs, sniper rifles and other small programmes with the Ministry of Home Affairs valued at over Rs 6,000 crore over many years.

Of the other contenders for the LMG project, Bharat Forge has tied up with Bulgarian firm Arsenal, while the OFB has come out with an indigenous product. 

Adani Group’s PLR systems is a joint venture with the Israel Weapons Industry (IWI) and they are fielding the Negev NG-7.

The IWI already has a fast-tracked procurement contract from the Army for about 16,000 of these Negev NG-7 and the first tranche has already reached soldiers in the Northern Command.

The Army contract, however, is directly with IWI and not with the Indian joint venture, which now manufactures various Israeli weapons at its Gwalior plant.

Also read: Army denies ‘protocol violation’ as helicopter with two 3-star officers makes emergency landing

Representational image | Recruits to the J&K Light Infantry celebrate the end of their training |

New Delhi: The Integrated Defence Staff headquarters is giving final touches to its planned Joint Services Training Institutes (JSTIs), which will offer joint training to Army, Navy and Air Force officers in select subjects, ThePrint has learnt.

Intelligence, military law, nuclear biological chemical warfare (CBRN), music and catering are among the subjects in which the officers will be trained jointly, said sources.

The JSTIs will operate from existing institutes where the services currently train. Each JSTI will have one of the three services leading the institute. For instance, the Army will be the lead service for the JSTIs for CBRN and intelligence, said sources.

According to a senior government official, the JSTIs for CBRN, music, catering, military law and intelligence have been established. However, the services are finalising their draft government sanction letter.

“Additionally, the School of Foreign Languages will also function as a JSTI. The institute, which sees officers of the armed forces from other countries, plays a key role in defence cooperation that is an important facet of military diplomacy where expertise in foreign languages such as Mandarin or Russian is critical,” the official said on condition of anonymit

Set up in 1948, the School of Foreign Languages was brought under the administrative control of the Integrated Defence Staff headquarters in 2017.

A joint training command for the three services planned earlier, however, may be delayed, and is likely to be taken up in the next phase amid greater focus on first implementing the major theatre commands, like the Air Defence Command.

ThePrint reported last year the plans to set up a joint training command to meet the training requirements of all the three services.

But now, the focus is on reaching low hanging fruits by merging certain disciplines for joint training of the services to begin with, senior government officials told ThePrint.

Also read: Navy, Army and IAF finally agree to procure armed drones from US in $3 bn deal