A civilian driving a private car was shot dead by the CRPF after he allegedly jumped two security checkpoints on the Srinagar-Gulmarg highway in Budgam district.

The killing sparked fresh tension in central Kashmir and the authorities snapped the mobile Internet in Budgam to prevent protests.

The incident took place at around 10.20 am in Narbal Kawoosa, when Mehraj-ud-Din, 25, a resident of Beerwah Budgam, was going to drop his uncle, a police officer, to his workplace in a car.

A CRPF spokesman, Pankaj Singh, said the car (Wagon R) jumped two security checkpoints. “A convoy of the Army, at that point of time, was passing through the adjacent road and fearing sabotage, the CRPF jawan, manning the naka, fired warning shots. The private car was being driven on the wrong side of the road and that was even more alarming. When the car didn’t stop, despite warning shots, the jawan fired at the car and in turn, the driver was hit,” CRPF spokesman Pankaj Singh said. “Subsequently, he was shifted to SHMS Hospital, Srinagar, where, he was declared as brought dead by doctors,” he said.

The SMHS Hospital authorities said the youth was hit by the bullet in his chest. As the news about the death of the youth reached his native village, protests erupted in the area.

Former CM and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah demanded an impartial investigation in the killing. “…The circumstances surrounding this shooting need to be impartially investigated & findings made known..” Omar tweeted.

Ghulam Hassan, an ASI in the J&K Police, who was inside the car, contested the CRPF and police version and said his nephew was killed in cold blood.

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 12

The Amritsar Hotel and Restaurants’ Association (AHARA) has managed to arrange more than 3,000 rooms all over Punjab to quarantine non-resident Punjabis, who are expected to start landing from different countries at international airports in Mohali and Amritsar from Wednesday onwards.

APS Chatha, president of AHARA, said despite the lockdown, the association managed to arrange over 3,000 rooms for quarantine. About 9,000 persons would arrive in the next few days. These people are residents of different parts of Punjab.

AHARA opened these rooms on the request of the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB). Occupants will pay for the rooms.

Of these, over 600 rooms will be available in 40 hotels of Amritsar. These hotels will be of all categories, including luxury, classified and non-classified.

However, all payments would be settled directly by guests to hotels. Performance on parameters such as hygiene would be the total responsibility of hotels.

AHARA has been able to procure hotels in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Mohalli, Zirakpur, Patiala, Bathinda, Sangrur and Mansa among other places.

This opening will infuse a fresh lease of life to the industry in this difficult time to earn some revenue to pay off salaries and electricity bills.

Beijing, May 13

Amid tensions between the Indian and Chinese soldiers at Pangong Tso lake area, China said on Wednesday that India should refrain from taking any action to “complicate” the issue and claimed that the PLA troops were conducting “normal patrol” on the Chinese side of the border.sked about the continued tensions along the border and whether the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops action was anyway related to the disagreements with the Indian government’s plan to lure business out of China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said both the countries were in diplomatic contact over the face-off between their troops.

“China’s position on the border issue is consistent and clear. Chinese border troops have been upholding peace and tranquillity along the border areas,” Zhao told a media briefing here.

“China is conducting normal patrol along the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). We urge the Indian side to work with China and refrain from taking any complicating move so as to create enabling conditions for the development of our bilateral relations and peace and stability at the border areas,” he said.

“The two sides stay in diplomatic communication on the relevant border issue,” he said.

The tensions began at the Pangong Tso lake area in eastern Ladakh on May 5-6 and continued.

On Monday, Zhao said Chinese troops there are “committed to uphold peace and stability.” At least a couple of Chinese military helicopters were spotted flying close to the un-demarcated Sino-India border in the area after the fierce face-off on May 5 following which a fleet of Sukhoi-30 jets of the Indian Air Force too carried out sorties there, the sources said in New Delhi.

The troops on both sides held on to their respective positions and even reinforcements were brought in an apprehension of further escalation in tension, they said when asked about the face-off.

They said tension was still prevailing in the area, though both sides agreed to disengage during a meeting of local commanders on May 6.

“The situation remains tense,” said a source in New Delhi.

The sources said the spotting of Chinese helicopters in the area was nothing unusual as India too flies a fleet of military choppers in the area from three bases in the region.

On May 5, scores of Indian and Chinese army personnel clashed with iron rods, sticks, and even resorted to stone-pelting, sources said, adding a number of soldiers on both sides sustained injuries in the incident.

In a separate incident, nearly 150 Indian and Chinese military personnel were engaged in a face-off near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector of the Sino-India border on Saturday. At least 10 soldiers from both sides sustained injuries in the incident.

The troops of India and China were engaged in a 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction in 2017 which even triggered fears of a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control, the de-facto border between the two countries. Both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first informal summit in April 2018 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, months after the Doklam standoff.

In the summit, the two leaders decided to issue “strategic guidance” to their militaries to strengthen communications so that they can build trust and understanding.

Modi and Xi held their second informal summit in Mamallapuram near Chennai in October last year with a focus on further broadening bilateral ties. —PTI

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 13

The strategic Manali-Leh highway that provides an alternative road link to Ladakh is expected to be opened for traffic next week. Only a stretch of about two kilometres on the 490-km-long highway remains to be cleared of snow.

“The remaining stretch is at Baralacha La top, the 16,000-ft high pass near the Himachal Pradesh-Ladakh border,” a senior Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officer said. “We expect to clear it by May 18-20,” he added.

“The height of snow at higher altitudes ranged from 10 feet to 35 feet, with numerous avalanches and other ice hazards,” an officer said. “Snow blizzards and sub-zero temperatures are other challenges faced by the workforce,” he added. The average elevation of the highway is 13,000 feet, with the highest point being 17,480 ft at Taglang La top.

The road from the other side from Leh to Baralacha La, which has four high passes en route, is already open, according to BRO sources. This year, the BRO worked to open some of the passes about 2-3 weeks earlier than usual. In April-end, Rohtang Pass, a popular tourist destination near Manali that links the Kullu Valley with Lahaul Valley in Himachal was opened by BRO three weeks earlier as compared to past years.

Work of opening the strategic road, which remains closed to traffic during winters because of heavy snow, continued despite the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due precautions and safeguards were taken for the workforce.

BRO sources said that for the first time road-clearing teams and equipment were inducted by helicopters to Sarchu, ahead of the Baralacha La when proceeding from Manali to Leh, so that work could be undertaken simultaneously from both ends. BRO’s 70 Road Construction Company is deployed on this stretch.

The opening of the Manali-Leh road not only has socio-economic benefits for the civilian populace in the region as much needed supplies can be transported in, but also has strategic implications for the forces deployed in the northern sector. The route is an important logistical and communications element.

Ladakh, which remains cut off from the mainland for over five months in winters, has two primary access roads — the national highway from Srinagar over the 11,570-ft high Zoji La between Sonmarg and Kargil and the Manali- Leh road. A third link is from Darcha near Keylong in Himachal to Kargil, which is now being widened.

In winter, movement of troops and supplies to Ladakh depend upon the Air Force which ferries them in on cargo aircraft based at Chandigarh.  Tunnels are being made under the passes on both axis to permit all-weather access to Ladakh, but it is a long-drawn prospect.

New Delhi, May 13

The Indian Army is examining a proposal for allowing civilians to join the force for a three-year tenure, officials said.

At present, the Army recruits young people under short service commission for an initial tenure of 10 years.

“The Army is considering a proposal to allow civilians to join the force for a period of three years,” an Army spokesperson said in reply to a query.

The Army has been making various efforts to attract talented young people to join it.

Sources said the proposal is part of broad efforts to bring in reform in the 1.3- million-strong Army.

They said the broad contours of the proposal are yet to be finalised. PTI 

IAF’s Su 30 MKI jets have been on sorties in Ladakh but they weren’t rushed to Line of Actual Control after 2 Chinese choppers were spotted last week.

News agency ANI, quoting government sources, reported Tuesday that the Chinese military helicopters were flying very close to the Line of Actual Control last week and “after their movement was picked up, the Indian Air Force fighter jets flew patrols in the area”.

The report said IAF was “forced to rush” fighter jets.

While there was no official word from the IAF Tuesday, defence sources said that it was an overstatement to say jets were scrambled since fighters regularly fly in the region.

“Helicopters are allowed to fly till the border on both sides. There has been no violation of Indian air space. And never have jets been scrambled in the past for helicopters in the northern sector,” said an IAF officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

He also said that no fighters were scrambled but training flights have been going on.

“If you are asking whether the jets were scrambled, then no. If you are asking if Sukhois were flying on May 5 and 6, I would say regular training flights are taking place, including today,” he added.

The reports come amid new tensions between India and China after soldiers from both sides clashed on the border last week, leaving many injured in fist fights and stone pelting. While the two sides have officially disengaged on 6 May, both have rushed additional troops to the Pangong Tso lake area.

Also read: Not much has changed for IAF a year after it was outgunned by Pakistan

IAF deployment 

The IAF maintains two main bases in Ladakh — Leh and Thoise air bases. Fighter jets are not deployed at the Thoise air base while at Leh, detachments from various squadrons are operational on rotation throughout the year.

However, sources said that no Su 30 MKI was based in Leh on 5 and 6 May but they were flying from another location.

Sources said that two Chinese choppers were indeed spotted flying in their area just like the Indian helicopters do in that region.

According to the ANI report, the Chinese choppers did not cross the LAC into Indian territory in that particular area.

While there have been tensions at the LAC in the past, which have resulted in physical clashes between the two countries’ soldiers, this is the first time in years the IAF has come into the picture.

ThePrint had earlier reported that though the countries had officially disengaged, additional forces were brought in to ensure no more violence takes place in the area, just as it had been done in Doklam in August 2017.

While disengagement happened in Doklam, both sides have continued with their build-up a few metres away from their face-off location.

Army sources told ThePrint that the incident in Ladakh happened on the evening of 5 May, near the northern banks of the 134-km Pangong Tso lake. A similar clash took place in the region in September 2019 too.

Two-thirds of the lake, which extends from Tibet to Ladakh, is controlled by China.

The sources said the Chinese objected to the presence of Indians in the disputed area, and an argument quickly took the shape of a brawl with the Indians standing their ground. The soldiers indulged in a “fist fight and stone pelting”, which led to half a dozen injuries on the Indian side, including that of a young officer, the sources said, adding there were several injuries on the Chinese side too.

Situation is ‘under control’ now

The official “disengagement” in Ladakh happened on 6 May after formation commanders spoke to each other. However, the sources said, the matter has been noted for the next formal discussions between higher military authorities on both sides. They added that the situation is under control now.

Though the disengagement has happened, additional forces have been brought in to ensure no more violence takes place. Since ‘Operation Juniper’ — when Indian troops moved into Doklam, a small territory in Bhutan, to stop the Chinese army from constructing a road that threatens India’s strategic interests — India has increased focus on its northern and eastern boundaries than being purely Pakistan centric.

Army Chief Gen M.M. Naravane had said the force was “re-balancing” its deployment and strategy along the western, northern and northeastern borders to deal with any kind of threat that might emerge — be it from Pakistan or China. While disengagement happened in Doklam, both sides have continued with their build-up a few metres away from their face-off location.

The area was witness to a similar incident in September last year. The incident had rung alarm bells in the defence circles in New Delhi as it came just a month ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to India for an informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To prevent the situation from spiralling into a major confrontation, the Army activated the established bilateral mechanism for defusing such situations.

Also read: Indian, Chinese soldiers injured in Sikkim’s Naku La after ‘exchanging blows’, stone-pelting

Face-off near Sikkim’s Naku La

Meanwhile, at least 12 Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in stone pelting and fist fight along the Line of Actual Control in North Sikkim Saturday after a patrol party of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel was stopped.

Army sources said the intense stand-off was later resolved with the intervention of officers at the local Command level. The confrontation happened near the Naku La sector, a pass at a height of more than 5,000 metres.

A patrol party of the PLA came across Indian soldiers in an area they consider Chinese territory. This led to the face-off and more troops were called in, sources said.
They added that the soldiers exchanged blows with each other besides pelting stones in which some of them were injured.

“There was aggressive behaviour and minor injuries on both sides. Both sets of soldiers disengaged after local level interaction and dialogue. The issue was solved through established protocols for such issues,” a source in the Army Headquarters here said.

Beijing, May 13

Amid tensions between Indian and Chinese soldiers at Pangong Tso lake area, China said on Wednesday that India should refrain from taking any action to “complicate” the issue and claimed that the PLA troops were conducting “normal patrol” on the Chinese side of the border.

Asked about the tensions along the border and whether the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops’ action was anyway related to the disagreements with the Indian government’s plan to lure business out of China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said both the countries were in diplomatic contact over the face-off between their troops.

“China’s position on the border issue is consistent and clear. Chinese border troops have been upholding peace and tranquillity along the border areas,” Zhao told a media briefing here. “We urge the Indian side to work with China and refrain from making any complicating move so as to create enabling conditions for the development of our bilateral relations and peace and stability at the border areas,” he said.

“The two sides stay in diplomatic communication on the relevant border issue,” he said. Since the tensions began at the Pangong Tso lake area in eastern Ladakh on May 5-6, China maintained steady silence over the incident while its official media has not reported it so far.

He said the most pressing issue for the world at present is the fight against the deadly coronavirus and added that politicisation of the issue shouldn’t be allowed. At least a couple of Chinese military helicopters were spotted flying close to the un-demarcated Sino-India border in the area after the fierce face-off on May 5 following which a fleet of Sukhoi-30 jets of the Indian Air Force too carried out sorties there, sources said in New Delhi.

The troops on both sides held on to their respective positions and even reinforcements were brought in an apprehension of further escalation in tension, they said when asked about the face-off. On May 5, scores of Indian and Chinese army personnel clashed with iron rods, sticks, and even resorted to stone-pelting, sources said, adding a number of soldiers on both sides sustained injuries in the incident. — PTI

Lt Gen. Anup Banerji says the armed forces have enough PPEs and ventilators for the 10,000 beds prepared for civilians, but could need more if the Covid-19 crisis spirals.

New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as well as state health departments will need to support the armed forces with adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and ventilators as their availability is finite, Lt Gen. Anup Banerji, director general of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) has told ThePrint.

The armed forces currently have an adequate number of PPEs and ventilators for around 10,000 beds they have provided in aid to civil authorities in over 50 hospitals. However, if the situation worsens, they might need government support.

“For PPE, ventilators etc., the armed forces need to be supported by the health ministry and the various state health departments, since the availability of these items is finite, and have been currently catered for only the 10,000 beds earmarked for civilians,” Banerji said.

Also read: Tough to ‘weaponise’ coronavirus, but can’t rule out attacks: Armed Forces Medical Chief

Cases in the military

Lt Gen. Banerji’s comments come in the backdrop of multiple Covid-19 positive cases reported within the military. Just a week ago, 24 in-patients at the Army’s Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital in Delhi had tested positive. Last month, 26 sailors at the INS Angre, a stone frigate (naval establishment on land) under the Western Naval Command in Mumbai, tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

This is despite the armed forces following strict measures inside their bases, because if even a single person contracts Covid-19, the spread is likely to be at a faster rate, not just affecting the community, but also operational preparedness.

Asked about the cases in the military, Lt Gen. Banerji said: “We need to accept the fact that the pandemic has affected the entire country, cutting across all segments of society, with more than 47 per cent of the districts in either red or orange zones. The armed forces cannot be considered in isolation from the rest of the country.”

He added that if the Covid-19 pandemic spirals out of control, the fact that the armed forces will not be immune to it will first need to be accepted.

“We need to be geared up first to attend to our own serving personnel, their dependents and the huge ex-servicemen clientele who are especially liable to develop complications,” the officer said.

Training personnel to tackle Covid-19

Banerji said the medical and paramedical personnel have been trained in handling Covid-19 cases according to established protocols.

“We have now trained even non-medical personnel (BFNAs) in every command to act as frontline responders for Covid-19 cases,” he said.

Speaking about the efforts of the armed forces on containing the spread of the pandemic, the officer further said that infections, often in clusters, will continue to take place due to the highly contagious nature of the virus.

“The success of our plans will depend on our ability to control and prevent their further spread. Healthcare facilities are especially at higher risk since patients with non Covid illness will come to hospitals from hotspots,” he said.

Lt Gen. Banerji added that since a majority of such patients are asymptomatic, they will continue to pose a threat to healthcare workers and other admitted patients.