Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 12

Three civilians were killed in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan on Sunday in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, police said.

The heavy shelling started on Sunday afternoon and the shells landed in different residential areas in the border district.

“Two civilians have died in Kupwara and one in Handwara,” said a senior police officer while claiming that Pakistan violated the ceasefire and fired at Indian posts and civilian areas that caused civilian casualties.

One of the slain is a woman from Tumina Chowkibal area. Many residential houses were also damaged in the shelling.

Two days ago India Army claimed that it targeted militant launch pads and gun positions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Keran sector, Kupwara.

On Friday, Srinagar based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia had said Pakistan violated ceasefire agreement and it was retaliated effectively and strongly.

“..Own troops retaliated effectively and strongly. Precision targeting of gun areas, terrorist launch pads and ammunition dump carried out. Reports of heavy damage on enemy side,” Col Kalia had said.

New Delhi, April 12 

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri demanded an “exemplary punishment” for the members of a Sikh sect who chopped off a policeman’s hand with a sword and injured two others on being asked to show curfew passes in Patiala on Sunday.

Condemning the inhuman attack, the Union housing and urban affairs minister said “such criminals and anarchists” should be brought to justice at the earliest.

The Nihangs severed a hand of an assistant sub-inspector and injured two of the policeman’s colleagues after their vehicle was stopped outside a vegetable market and they were asked for curfew passes.

“The inhuman attack on policemen in Patiala needs to be condemned in the strongest of terms. Such criminals & anarchists should be brought to justice at the earliest. They deserve exemplary punishment. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured policemen,” Puri tweeted.

Hours after the incident, police arrested seven men, including five of the attackers, from a gurdwara in Balbera village in Patiala district.

Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta described the incident as “unfortunate”.

“In an unfortunate incident today morning, a group of Nihangs injured a few police officers and a mandi board official at sabzi mandi, Patiala. ASI Harjeet Singh whose hand got cut-off has reached PGI Chandigarh,” Gupta tweeted.—PTI

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 11

An elderly couple in their 70s have undertaken an emergency 2,100-km road trip from New Delhi to Bengaluru to “see” their dead son one last time.

The body of Colonel Navjot Singh Bal from the 2 Para Special Forces is at a morgue of a military hospital in Bengaluru, where he died of cancer on April 9.

Colonel Bal’s parents — Lt Col KS Bal (retd) and Ramninder Kaur — set off from Gurugram on April 10 on the long road trip.

“The cremation of Bal, 39, is held up,” a ‘Para-SF’ mate of Col Bal told The Tribune. The Colonel is survived by his wife and two sons — aged 8 and 4 years. Aarti, wife of the Colonel, awaits her in-laws for the last rites of her husband.

With no commercial flights or trains available, the family was given the option of transporting the Colonel’s body on a military aircraft to Delhi. However, the family insisted on cremation at Bengaluru, Army officials confirmed.

The option was explored if the couple could be flown to Bengaluru in a military plane. However, owing to confusion at several levels, including in the Ministry of Defence and the military establishment, the Bals could not be accommodated on a military flight from Palam (New Delhi) to Bengaluru on April 10.

Sources said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, acting on a request from the office of Chief of Defence Staff, permitted the Bals to be accommodated on a C-17 transport plane of the IAF on April 10.

Since the flight was requisitioned by the MHA, someone in the military establishment thought it was better to take a ‘sanction’ from the MHA. The MHA telephonically gave its go-ahead. The military establishment, however, insisted on a ‘written sanction’. The MHA told officials coordinating the flight that a request for such a sanction needn’t even come to it. There is no rule for the MHA to allow or deny permission for military planes or passengers on board such planes.

Sources said the telephonic nod from the MHA should have been noted and orders passed accordingly, given the unprecedented situation in the country. The Bals were also willing to pay for the journey. In places such as Leh, civilians are often ferried to Chandigarh aboard military planes during winter when there are no flights.

An official said a matter that should have ended at the table of the Joint Secretary (Air) in the MoD had turned into one of blame game. Retired veterans are blaming the ‘babus’ in the MoD and MHA, without realising the fault was at multiple levels, including within the military.

Mates raise 22 lakh

On the night of April 9-10 when MoD officials were busy going through the rule book, Colonel Bal’s mates from Para-SF collected Rs22 lakh to ferry parents by helicopter from Delhi and Bengaluru airports. However, it couldn’t materialise as they embarked on a road trip

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 11

The Centre today issued a detailed set of cyber security guidelines for people working from home in view of the nationwide lockdown to contain spread of the deadly coronavirus, as it suggested them to be careful of phishing e-mails, which may be disguised as similar to their superiors’ mail-ids.

Asking the employees at large involving both in the government and private sectors, who are on work-from-home mode, to strictly adhere to the guidelines issued by their respective employers, the MHA suggested that all should “change the default passwords and keep strong password for all devices and online accounts.”

The MHA also asked for using computers/laptops provided by employer companies/organisations and avoid as much as possible using personal systems. “Do not use same devices for work and leisure activities,” it said.

It is also suggested that users should ensure to keep their online devices in the disabled mode “until and unless required” and they should be used with proper security features including secured network for accessing office system.

“Don’t share meeting links publicly or via social media platforms and use only trusted apps and operating systems approved by employers for video-conferencing,” it said.

Home ministry issues guidelines

• Change default password, keep it strong for all devices.
• Beware of phishing e-mails which may look like similar to those of your boss
• Keep online devices on disabled mode until and unless required
• Use employers’ computer/laptops and avoid using personal devices
• Use only trusted apps and operating systems for video-conference

Moscow, April 12

All the major military contracts, including the deliveries of S-400 air defence missile systems, between Russia and India will be on schedule and the coronavirus pandemic will have no effect on their timeframe, according to India’s top diplomat here.

“I don’t think there will be any impact. There has been slight dislocation of a couple of weeks but all the major contracts will be on schedule, we don’t anticipate any problem on that,” Indian Ambassador to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency on Saturday.

In October 2018, India had signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions.

Last year, India made the first tranche of payment of around USD 800 million to Russia for the missile systems.

In February, Deputy Director of the Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Vladimir Drozhzhov, said that Moscow will begin the delivery of the S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India by the end of 2021 and there will be no delay in execution of the project.

“We will fulfil our delivery commitments,” Drozhzhov had said, adding that the defence cooperation between the two countries is very robust.

The ‘Triumf’ interceptor-based missile system can destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km.

The S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.

Russia plans to complete the delivery of the fifth regimental set in the first half of 2025.

The US had imposed sanctions on Russia under the stringent Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The law also provides for punitive action against countries purchasing defence hardware from Russia. PTI

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 12

The period of nationwide lockdown to mitigate the threat of coronavirus will not to count towards conduct of certain departmental proceedings actions like suspension, disciplinary proceedings, review, etc that were otherwise required under All India Service rules to be completed in a time bound manner.

“The intervening period of lockdown shall be excluded while reckoning the periods towards completion of activities within the time limits prescribed for the purpose under ALL India Service / IAS / IPS / IPS Rules and regulations or instructions issued there under,” orders issued by the Department of Personnel and Training state.

In view of the pandemic caused by the spread of COVID-19 and unprecedented nation-wide lockdown, it may not be feasible to carry out time bound activities or events and adhere to time lines prescribed under various extant rules, the orders add.

Validity period of suspension, including its confirmation, review order of suspension and its communication to the central government by states, submission of written statements of defence, completion and submission of inquiry reports, period of limitation, and disciplinary proceedings initiated against a pensioner fall under the ambit of the order.

Acceptance notice of voluntary retirement scheme, concurrence of vacancy to state governments under All India Service Pay Rules and intimation of movable and immovable property have also been included in the said order.

The central government has also decided that after the lockdown is lifted, a minimum period of 15 days may be granted to completing the required activity or event if the time left to complete any task is less than 15 days.

The orders add that these relaxations are applicable only in such cases where there is an intervening lockdown period and will also not be applicable in cases where, in view of the pandemic, specific relaxation in timelines have been allowed separately.

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 11

Chandigarh’s curfew will continue so long as nation lockdown continues, UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore said on Saturday.

Badnore, who attended the video conferencing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said: “It is heartening to know that Chandigarh has fared well in the first phase of curfew. The curfew in Chandigarh will continue as long as the lockdown in the country continues”.

He directed UT Adviser Manoj Parida to formulate a scheme for utilising the services of idle workers in the second phase of curfew, and said the farmers going for harvesting and marketing of their produces should be facilitated during the curfew.

The Administrator asked the UT’s Education Department to devise a mechanism for 40 book stores of Chandigarh to deliver books to students’ homes during the long curfew period, a press statement from the UT Administration said.

Badnore directed the Adviser to ensure that all students from North-east, Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir are taken care of in the city.

Badnore also launched a new mobile application developed by IT Department of Chandigarh to track quarantine corona patients.

The development comes at a time when state governments through India have asked the central government to extend its lockdown beyond April 14 to stem the spread of coronavirus.

Chandigarh’s coronavirus tally currently stands at 19 infections.

Chandigarh Administration ordered curfew in the union territory on March 23, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown.

Punjab has already announced it was extending curfew restrictions in the state until May 1.

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Aman Sood
Tribune News Service
Patiala, April 12

Eleven persons were on Sunday arrested in connection with the horrendous attack on a police party at the vegetable market in Patiala in the morning, in which an ASI’s hand was cut off by a group of Nihangs.

The accused included the five persons involved in the brutal attack on the Punjab Police team posted at the vegetable market in Sanaur early Sunday morning.

They had crashed through a series of barricades and attacked the police personnel who inquired about their curfew passes, said DGP Dinkar Gupta, adding that Baba Balwinder Singh, the Nihang Head, was the main perpetrator of the attack on the police party at the Patiala Sabzi Mandi this morning. He came to the market with four other persons, in a Tata Xenon vehicle.

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The accused, including a woman, were nabbed after the Patiala Police Party led by Jatinder Aulakh IG Patiala Range and Mandeep Sidhu, SSP Patiala, were fired upon from inside the Nihang Dera Complex which also houses Khichdi Sahib Gurdwara. The operation followed several hours of stand-off and many rounds of appeals and negotiations led by Patiala SSP with the Dera Head Baba Balwinder Singh to surrender with their weapons and swords but the Nihangs refused to surrender. One Nihang, Nirbhav Singh, suffered an injury in the incident was taken to Patiala Hospital.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has condemned the attack and warned that anyone violating the curfew, imposed in the state since March 23 to check the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, would be strictly dealt with.

DGP Dinkar Gupta said a huge cache of weapons as wells as hand held weapons, such as ‘barchhe’ and ‘kirpans’, and some used cartridges were seized from the accused, in addition to two petrol bombs and LPG cylinders, five bags of poppy husk mixed with ‘sulpha’, other drugs in commercial quantity and Rs 39 lakh in cash. Some bottles with chemical substances were also found from the premises.

ASI Harjit Singh, whose hand was reportedly cut off with a sword during the attack at the vegetable mandi, is undergoing a plastic surgery at PGI, Chandigarh, for suturing back his hand, where he was rushed after the incident, said the DGP.

Gupta claimed despite repeated announcements from the public address system, the accused refused to surrender and, instead, abused the police and threatened them with serious consequences if they tried to come closer.

The police then persuaded the sarpanch and some villagers to go in and persuade the men to come out but they failed. Soon thereafter, the police party heard loud shouts and noises from inside the gurdwara premises, suggesting that some innocent people and hostages within might have got caught in the trouble, according to the DGP.

A Patiala Police team led by IG Patiala and SSP Patiala along with a team of the Special Operations Group (SOG), led by ADGP Rakesh Chandra, moved into the premises to flush out Nihangs. A few shots were fired by the accused at the police personnel before they were nabbed, said the DGP, adding that entire operation was handled delicately so that the maryada and sanctum sanctorum of the Gurdwara Sahib was not disturbed in any manner.

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