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.

Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 13 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant interim bail to former Delhi Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who is serving a life sentence in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Noting that his medical examination report, prepared by a panel of doctors from AIIMS, said he didn’t need hospitalisation, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said the matter will be taken up for hearing in July.

The Bench also refused to grant parole to convicts Balwan Khokhar and Mahender Yadav. While Khokhar is serving a life term, Yadav has been given 10-year imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in the case.

On behalf of Kumar, senior advocate Vikas Singh said he was produced before the AIIMS board and was examined and then he came back to jail.

“After that, he could not be produced in AIIMS due to COVID-19. Tomorrow, if my client dies, his life sentence will automatically get converted to a death sentence,” Singh submitted.

“Don’t say that,” responded the CJI, adding, “At the moment, we don’t want to decide on his bail application.”

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed Kumar’s plea, saying, “It’s a case genocide and he was leading a mob.”

On behalf of the riot victims, senior advocate HS Phoolka opposed the convicts’ pleas for parole, saying they were not entitled to it under the rules.

Kumar (73)—who sought interim bail on the grounds of his poor health condition—is in jail since December 31, 2018, when he surrendered after being convicted and awarded life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

He has challenged the Delhi High Court’s verdict of December 17 last year that awarded him life imprisonment for the “remainder of his natural life” in a case relating the killing of five Sikhs in Delhi Cantonment’s Raj Nagar Part-I area of southwest Delhi on November 1-2 in 1984 and burning down of a Gurudwara in Raj Nagar Part-II.

In his main petition, he has also sought suspension of sentence and his release on bail.

The Rajapaksa brothers do not wish the pandemic to rob them of the fruits of the stunning presidential election victory last November. The economy is likely to contract. Any inordinate delay in holding the election will worsen the economy. Going to the people for a general election during a pandemic is a risky proposition, especially when the National Election Commission cannot guarantee free & fair polls.

Maj Gen Ashok K Mehta (retd)

Military commentator

Sri Lanka may be heading for another constitutional crisis. It is the only country confronting the pandemic without a Parliament but with an unelected caretaker cabinet. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is keen to hold early elections, dissolved Parliament on March 2 even as the National Election Commission (NEC) ordered elections for April 25 after the Health Minister had claimed that by April 19, the situation would be normal. With the Covid-19 situation deteriorating sharply, the NEC postponed the elections, first to May 28 and then to June 20. A new Parliament has to be installed by September 2 as the term of the eighth Parliament will end on September 1. The spread of Covid-19 has followed an upward trajectory — the first 100 cases in 57 days; the next 100 cases in 18 days, next 100 cases in eight days with the next 100 cases in four days and another 100 cases in just two days. Sri Lanka has reported over 860 cases of Covid-19 so far, including nine deaths.

A new Parliament should be in place within three months of the House abrogation. The election has been fixed for June 20 and it is likely that the date could be extended. In the interim the President will run the country without Parliament, and an unelected caretaker government. Further, the vote-on-account for the current budget ended on April 30. Former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that spending from the Consolidated Fund of Sri Lanka will be unconstitutional, with Gota rejecting his stand.

Given this extraordinary situation, exacerbated by the growing pandemic, Gota has two options: first to rescind presidential proclamation of March 2 to restore Parliament elected on August 27, 2015, to serve its full term till September 1; second, under Article 70 (7) of the constitution, temporarily summon Parliament due to the emergency Covid-19 situation. If Parliament is kept alive till 1 September, elections can be held comfortably and likely in Covid-19 free environment on December 1. If Parliament does not convene by June 2, the old gazette notification and presidential order dissolving Parliament becomes null and void.

June 20 is Gota’s 71st birthday. The NEC has said it was not aware of it. The former Army Colonel in the President has floated more than one balloon in the air. In a recent TV interview given to the family confidant and presidential advisor Lalith Weeratunga, on question of reviving old Parliament, Gota said: “I will not restore Parliament… I will not summon old Parliament… I have no legal right.” On the question of yet another postponement of election beyond June 20 — he has previously affirmed that the NEC can fix any date it considers appropriate — Gota in typically military style said: “I will take solo action.” He elaborated: “It is clear who has the ultimate responsibility to uphold the constitution. I will fulfil promises made to the people.” Gota’s historic election victory of 6.9 million votes was the first ever with majority Sinhalese votes. For now he is keen to hold an election on June 20 and not reconvene dissolved Parliament notwithstanding the constitutional crisis that may confront the country.

No one has forgotten the 2018 constitutional crisis when former President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved Parliament and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa Prime Minister. The Supreme Court finally restored Parliament which was revoked for a second time on March 2 according to Article 19 of the amended constitution. The Rajapaksa brothers do not wish the pandemic to rob them of the fruits of the stunning presidential election victory last November. The economy is likely to contract, facing a 3 per cent recession. Any inordinate delay in holding the election will worsen the economy. Going to the people for a general election during a pandemic is a risky proposition, especially when the NEC cannot guarantee a free and fair election, especially on the question of turnout.

Before fixing the date (June 20), the NEC consulted some of the Opposition parties. Even June 20 is subject to revision, it said. The Opposition complained that the government is ‘electioneering’ in the guise of a pandemic response. The Presidential Task Force on Essential Services is led by Gota’s younger brother and head of Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) national organisation Basil Rajapaksa. The Army, security forces and national intelligence are key elements of the National Operational Centre for Prevention of the Covid-19 outbreak, led by CDS and Army Commander, Lt Gen Shavindra Silva. The national curfew/lockdown is army-promulgated but with military personnel especially 4,000 naval soldiers quarantined at Welisara Naval Base, the public may have lost confidence in the military. The Army has employed the Root and Bolt system which identifies a Covid-infected person and all possible contact-links of the infected using military intelligence. The country’s medical and health staff, along with the military, are portrayed as the new corona warriors. The apparent advantage by the SLPP has not been missed by the Opposition. Presidential loser Sajith Premadasa has told NEC that elections be held only after health officials certify that the conditions are safe for the purpose.

Surprisingly, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa recently summoned all 225 lawmakers of the old Parliament which many parties skipped, floating another balloon against the Colombo skyline soon after the President ruled out restoring Parliament. This time, Gota criticised Opposition parties for not wishing to hold elections at a crucial time when government is striving to safeguard public health, social security and welfare. He is confident he will ride over the alleged constitutional crisis and the pandemic and hold elections in June, bagging a two-thirds majority to remove Article 19 of the constitution. Already a PIL has been filed by Premadasa against holding elections on June 20. Who knows which party will approach the Supreme Court after June 2 for restoring the missing Parliament.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 13

Taking cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation yesterday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today announced that from June 1 all Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) canteens and stores would sell only indigenously produced products.

You should use the products made in the country as much as possible and encourage others to do the same. This is not the time to be lagging behind, but to turn the crisis into an opportunity — Amit Shah, Home minister

These canteens and stores cater to the needs of 50 lakh family members of about 10 lakh personnel of CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, CISF, Assam Rifles and NSG. These canteens together sell products worth about Rs 2,800 crore annually, according to an MHA official.

Announcing this in a series of tweets, while giving a call for “Ek Sankalp, Ek Lakshya – Atma Nirbhar Bharat”, Shah said the decision had been taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) after the PM’s appeal for opting local products.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided that all CAPF canteens will now sell only indigenous products. This will be applicable to all CAPF canteens across the country from 1 June. With this, 50 lakh family members of about 10 lakh CAPF personnel will use indigenous products,” the Minister said.

The Home Minister also appealed to the countrymen and said, “You should use the products made in the country as much as possible and encourage others to do the same. This is not the time to be lagging behind, but to turn the crisis into an opportunity.”