The drill will also focus on counter-terrorism operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain

A two-week long multilateral training exercise involving the militaries from 12 friendly countries, PRAGATI 2026, commenced on Wednesday at the Umroi Military Station in Meghalaya. This is the first such exercise to be hosted by the Indian Army.

The exercise’s constituent nations include Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

PRAGATI, which stands for Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region, provides a common platform for participating armies to engage in professional exchange, learn from one another’s experiences and build closer military-to-military ties.

The exercise’s stated objectives include enabling seamless coordination among participating nations in joint operations and identifying common areas of cooperation, sharing expertise and establishing an institutionalised mechanism for exchange of best practices evolved through individual experiences, strengthening defence ties and camaraderie through joint training and cultural exchange, and evolving common concepts for management and sharing of intelligence in a multinational environment, according to an official statement.

The drill will also focus on counter-terrorism operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain. The training programme will include joint planning exercises, tactical-level drills and coordinated operations designed to improve adaptability, endurance and tactical proficiency of participating troops. Emphasis will be laid on physical fitness, discipline and coordination while operating in challenging conditions.

As part of the exercise, Indian technology and defence companies will showcase indigenous equipment and innovations under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and highlighting India’s growing capabilities in defence production, innovation and self-reliance.

The opening ceremony was attended by senior military officials and dignitaries. In his address, Major General Sunil Sheoran, Additional Director General Infantry, highlighted the importance of collective engagement in addressing contemporary security challenges, a defence spokesperson said.

He encouraged all participants to engage with openness, mutual respect and a willingness to learn from one another’s experiences, while highlighting that the strengths and perspectives brought by each nation would contribute meaningfully towards achieving the collective objectives of the exercise.

Besides military drills and wargames, a key component of the event is a two-day industry exposition, highlighting the Army’s capabilities and fostering industrial partnerships with ASEAN nations. During exercises with foreign countries, military contingents are able to effectively highlight capabilities of Indigenously manufactured hardware and equipment and provide a realistic hand-on experience.

Unmanned aerial systems and countermeasures, autonomous surveillance and intelligence gathering systems and robotics, including unmanned ground vehicles, robotic mules for logistics and reconnaissance and remotely operated martitime systems, AI-based capability enhancement, precision ammunition, electronic and laser warfare and cyber defence are among the major domains to be showcased.

Human survivability and solutions like equipment sustenance, parachutes and multispectral camouflage nets, land-based, naval and aerial surveillance, spatial intelligence, smart surveillance and perimeter security, secure communication and satellite systems, medical equipment and personal protection gears are other products.

Besides the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy, representatives from the border guarding forces and the state police forces would also participate in the event.

India has a structured programme for conducting bilateral and multilateral training exercises with many foreign countries to boost interoperability, enhance combat skills, and strengthen defence cooperation. Several such events are held in India and overseas every year involving all three services.

Former J&K Governor says if India could have policies on health, agriculture, industries, international trade, nuclear and telecom sectors, then why not on national security?

India needs to have a declared national security policy and a specialised cadre for national security administration, former Defence Secretary NN Vohra said on Friday, while delivering the keynote address at an event at the India International Centre (IIC).

The discussion titled “Civil Military Relations and National Security” saw former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash, former Northern Army Commander Lt Gen DS Hooda and former Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra explore a slew of national issues such as the impact of theatre commands, slowness in the acquisition process and the role of the civilian bureaucracy in the Ministry of Defence. Former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran moderated the discussion.

Vohra, also a former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, set the ball rolling by saying, “There is no substitute for not having a national security policy,” adding that if India could have policies on health, agriculture, industries, international trade, nuclear and telecom sectors, then why not on national security?

Such a policy, he reasoned, would identify national security priorities, including things that must not be done and threats that must be guarded against.

“The time has come to have a national security administration service that runs institutions, bodies and agencies concerned with national security,” said Vohra.

Admiral Arun Prakash said civilian control over the military meant that political leadership exercised authority, though the Defence Minister often delegated powers to the bureaucracy. “Parliament has never discussed the defence budget, nor sought a white paper,” the Admiral pointed out.

He also backed the idea of a national security policy and a national security administration cadre. He suggested that the government should define the status of the military, noting that it was neither classified as an all-India service nor as a Group-A service.

On acquisitions, he said, “For 40 years, we have not been able to produce a jet engine or marine engine. That is where we stand on self-reliance.”

General Hooda commented on the transformed nature of political-military relations, saying, “We now have political leadership that is less risk-averse in using military force.”

“A crisis will occur periodically and escalate rapidly. Crisis management needs good military-civilian relations,” he added.

Former Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra offered a different perspective on the idea of a national security policy. “I don’t think a written-down document adds much value. It certainly is not going to ensure funds. It will only put pressure on the civilian and political class, which is well known to be unwilling to take that pressure,” he said.

The panel also discussed the role of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the theatre commands. Vohra asked, “Who will the theatre commander talk to? If operations are ongoing and he faces a problem, whom will he approach — the Army Chief, the CDS or the Defence Minister?”

General Hooda said theatre commands would change the route of military advice to the political leadership.

“At the moment, force employment is controlled from New Delhi through the service chiefs. A theatre commander sitting in Lucknow will be empowered to employ force,” he said.

Vohra said the CDS currently enjoyed no operational authority and yet he was required to introduce jointness and integrating the combat capability of the three services. “He is a four-star officer and his peers, the three service chiefs, are equal in rank,” Vohra noted.

“After getting four-star rank, you are supposed to coordinate, influence and direct the thought processes of three serving chiefs who are also four-star officers. These are large issues which are bothersome,” he added.

Describing the role of the CDS as crucial, Vohra said it had to be within the framework a certain statute of government. “So it has a certain sanctity and a certain lasting quality,” he suggested.

Mitra, who was Defence Secretary during the Balakot air strike in February 2019 and the Doklam stand-off with China in 2017, said: “I can tell you that the Chief of Staff Committee works. Earlier, it used to be headed by one of the three service chiefs by rotation. Since January 2020, it has been headed by the CDS.”

Army launches multinational ‘Pragati’ exercise in Meghalaya as INS Sunayna returns after seven-week Indian Ocean deployment with foreign sailors onboard

India’s multi-lateral push on military exercises, with a focus on the extended neighbourhood, saw two separate developments on Wednesday.

An Indian Navy warship, INS Sunayna, with sailors from 16 countries, completed its unique seven-week mission, while the Army announced the start of a two-week multinational exercise involving contingents from 12 countries.

The Naval warship’s mission, named ‘Indian Ocean Ship Sagar’, concluded with the vessel docking in Kochi, Kerala, on Wednesday. It had been flagged off from Mumbai on April 2 by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth.

During the deployment from April 2 to May 20, INS Sunayna made port calls at Colombo in Sri Lanka, Phuket in Thailand, Jakarta in Indonesia, Singapore, Chittagong in Bangladesh, Yangon in Myanmar and Male in Maldives.

Joint exercises and professional exchanges onboard and ashore provided comprehensive training to Indian Navy and foreign sailors from UAE, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Maldives, Seychelles, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Timor-Leste and Bangladesh.

Far away from Kochi, the Indian Army on Wednesday said the multinational exercise named ‘Pragati’ is being conducted in Meghalaya, in the north-eastern part of the country.

Contingents from the armies of 12 friendly nations are participating: Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Both military drills — the Naval sail and the Army exercise — aim to improve interoperability with international partners. Both exercises include countries that are involved in maritime disputes with China.

The Army’s exercise named ‘Pragati’ is an acronym for ‘Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region’.

The Ministry of Defence said the objective of the exercise includes enabling seamless coordination among participating nations in joint operations and identifying common areas of cooperation. The two-week exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain.

The training programme will include joint planning exercises, tactical-level drills and coordinated operations designed to improve adaptability, endurance and tactical proficiency of participating troops.

As part of the exercise, Indian technology and defence companies will showcase indigenous equipment and innovations under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Meanwhile, the Naval warship that concluded its seven-week deployment demonstrated to participating countries how to tackle a range of challenges, including maritime security threats, piracy, illegal fishing, trafficking, natural disasters and the growing need for safe and secure sea lines of communication.

Prior to sailing out, there was a two-week harbour phase at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi from March 16 to 29. This was designed to build foundational and advanced competencies across a broad spectrum of naval operations.

A key highlight of the training was the extensive use of state-of-the-art simulators and modern training infrastructure, enabling realistic, scenario-based learning.

These advanced facilities provided participants with hands-on exposure to complex maritime situations, enhancing decision-making and operational readiness in a controlled environment. The integration of theoretical instruction with practical application ensured a holistic learning experience aligned with contemporary maritime challenges.

India’s establishment has a habit of waiting for inconvenient energies to dissipate. But the cockroach is among the most resilient creatures

LET me tell you something about India that most people in positions of authority still refuse to accept: this country’s youth is neither stupid nor silent. They are, in fact, ferociously, brilliantly, devastatingly articulate and when you insult them from the highest Benches of the land, they don’t sulk.

They organise. They satirise. And they may make you look like a fool in ways that no editorial, no press conference, and no prime-time debate ever could.

Enter the Cockroach Janta Party.

Chief Justice Surya Kant, in an open court hearing, declared that “parasites” were attacking the system and then, with perhaps rightful and breathtaking condescension, compared unemployed youngsters to cockroaches —those who “don’t get any employment or have any place in the profession” and who “start attacking everyone.” Now, one presumes that a man who has presided over some of the most consequential constitutional matters in recent memory would possess, at minimum, the political instinct to avoid comparing an entire generation of struggling young Indians to insects.

One would be wrong.

The clarification that followed — that the CJI had been misquoted, that he was referring to those with fraudulent degrees, not the youth at large — landed with the grace of a courtroom adjournment that nobody asked for.

The damage, as they say in South Delhi drawing rooms, had been done. But something rather magnificent had also begun.

Within six days of its launch on May 16, the Cockroach Janta Party had amassed over 16 million followers. Let that number sit with you for a moment. Sixteen million.

The CJP’s founder Abhijeet Dipke told the Associated Press quite plainly: “It is the younger people who were actually very frustrated. They didn’t have any outlet. They were really angry at the government.” That sentence is worth printing on the front page of every newspaper in this country — not because it is revelatory, but because it is so obvious and yet so consistently ignored by those who govern us.

India has a youth employment problem that is not a secret but is treated like one. Government data reveals an unemployment rate of nearly 10% among those aged 15 to 29, climbing to 13.6% in urban areas. More than half of Indian Gen Zs have reportedly postponed major life decisions— buying homes, starting families — because of economic anxiety. These are not abstract statistics. These are the young men and women who crammed for competitive exams only to discover that the papers had been leaked. Who graduated to find that the job market had moved on without them. Who scroll Instagram at midnight not for entertainment, but because there is genuinely nothing else to do.

And what did their Chief Justice call them? Cockroaches.

Well. You reap what you sow.

The genius of the Cockroach Janta Party is not merely that it is funny, though it undeniably is.

Its genius lies in the alchemy of reclamation. The party calls itself the “Voice of the Lazy and Unemployed.” Its satirical manifesto demands a ban on post-retirement Rajya Sabha seats for chief justices, 50% reservation for women in Parliament, and a 20-year ban on defecting legislators. These are not the demands of nihilists. These are the demands of people who have been paying attention — who understand the architecture of how power perpetuates itself in this country and who, in the language of memes and irony, are demanding accountability.

Anurag Kashyap, Dia Mirza, Sonakshi Sinha, Kunal Kamra and the usual suspects have followed the CJP’s Instagram page. You may roll your eyes at celebrity endorsement, and normally I would join you. But this is different. This is not brand ambassadorship. This is a signal: that the sentiment animating the CJP resonates well beyond the campus and the hostel room.

Predictably, the establishment’s first instinct was suppression. The CJP’s X account, which had gathered around 2,00,000 followers, was withheld in India. The response from Dipke? A new account, a poster reading “Cockroach is back,” and the immortal line: “You thought you can get rid of us? Lol.” If you needed any further evidence that this generation has absorbed India’s political theatre and is now writing its own script, there it is.

Now, before the usual brigade of credentialed commentators rushes to dismiss this as mere social media froth, let me offer a counter. Every significant political realignment in recent Indian history has had a cultural precursor. The Anna Hazare movement lived on social media before it hit the streets.

Movements do not arrive fully formed; they gather energy from precisely these kinds of cultural flashpoints.

The CJP may never file a nomination paper. It may never contest an election. But it has done something arguably more important: it has given a name, an identity, and a vocabulary to a generation’s rage.

Dipke — who is Dalit, and has faced casteist attacks online since that identity became public — has spoken of wanting the CJP to guide supporters towards concrete activism: filing RTIs, becoming politically engaged, refusing to be invisible. That is not the language of a meme page. That is the language of a movement.

India’s establishment has a well-practised habit of waiting for inconvenient energies to dissipate. Sometimes that strategy works. But the cockroach, as biology will confirm, is among the most resilient creatures on the planet. It survives conditions that would obliterate lesser species.

Perhaps the Chief Justice, of all people, should have known that. Or perhaps he does.

The meteoric rise of satirical digital outfit Cockroach Janta Party on social media has left the parents of its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, overwhelmed by fears that he could land in trouble or even face arrest.

The outfit, now popular as CJP, has garnered over 19 million followers on Instagram since it was founded barely a week ago by Boston University student Dipke, earlier associated with the Aam Aadmi Party.His parents Bhagwan and Anita Dipke, who live in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, told a Marathi news channel on Thursday that they were not keen on letting their son enter politics. The parents said they had lost their sleep after learning about Abhijeet’s move.

Bhagwan said the explosion of CJP on social media has made him anxious. “I’m worried because Abhijeet is now famous. And such individuals get arrested. I have not slept for the past two nights worrying about what might happen to him. I hate politics and have no interest in it,” he added.

Cockroach Janata Party, according to Dipke, was born following a controversy over Chief Justice of India Surya Kant using the terms “parasites” and “cockroaches” while pulling up a lawyer for his plea seeking senior designation.

Though the CJI later clarified that he was misquoted and his remarks were directed specifically at individuals entering the legal profession through “fake and bogus degrees”, the CJP, with the insect as its symbol, took the social media by storm.

“If we look at politics nowadays, fear is natural, no matter how many followers he has. In one of his interviews, he himself expressed fear of being arrested after returning to India. We read about such incidents in newspapers,” said Bhagwan Dipke.

Abhijeet’s mother Anita said she would want her son to stay away from politics and instead focus on getting a job.

The parents said they first learned about the CJP from a neighbour. “Later, I was told by one of my grandchildren that he has more followers on social media than many prominent people in the country. Earlier, he had worked with AAP. Even then, I had told him that we were not into politics and that he should pursue a service,” said Anita. — PTI

Regional bodies says understanding reached on restoring democratic structure

In a major breakthrough, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Friday said the bodies had reached an “in-principle” understanding with the Union Government on “restoring democracy” in Ladakh and providing “constitutional safeguards on the lines of Articles 371A, 371F and 371G,” as applicable to Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram.

The subcommittee-level talks between the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ladakh leaders were held in New Delhi on Friday.

The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance have been engaged in talks with the Centre since 2021 over their four-point agenda, which includes statehood for Ladakh and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule. According to the LAB and KDA, during Friday’s meeting they reiterated the long-standing aspirations of the people of Ladakh regarding restoration of democracy, constitutional safeguards and the demand for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections.

The two bodies said the understanding was reached to provide constitutional safeguards on the lines of Articles 371A, 371F and 371G, which are currently applicable in Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram. These constitutional provisions provide special protections and safeguards to the northeastern states.

Following “detailed and constructive deliberations”, both sides arrived at an in-principle understanding on several critical points, the two bodies said in a statement. They said under the proposed model, legislative, executive and financial powers would rest with elected representatives through a Union Territory-level legislative body.

“All bureaucrats of the UT, including the Chief Secretary, will come under the executive head of the UT-level elected body (proposed to be Chief Minister),” the statement said. During the meeting, MHA officials explained that the only reason why Ladakh could not be granted full statehood at present was that it “currently lacks adequate revenue generation to meet expenditure such as salaries of employees”. “However, this setup will lead Ladakh towards full statehood once it meets the revenue criteria,” the two bodies said.

LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk told The Tribune that further meetings would be held to discuss the proposal in greater detail. “There is no date yet for the next meeting, but yes, further talks will take place,” he said.

The KDA and LAB stated that they looked forward to closely working out the finer operational details with the MHA in consultation with legal and constitutional experts.

Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra told The Tribune that the talks were “constructive, positive, optimistic and free-flowing”. “The discussions were held in a democratic spirit, with the goal of deepening democracy in Ladakh,” he said.

Ladakh BJP leader and former chairman of the Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Tashi Gyalson, who attended the meeting on Friday, said after a long time, a “viable solution has been proposed which is pragmatic and sustainable for Ladakh”.

Veteran Ladakhi leader and former chairman of the Leh Apex Body, Thupstan Chhewang, said the agreement to secure Ladakh’s status under Article 371 of the Constitution, along with “meaningful financial and administrative empowerment of local institutions and an elected UT-level legislature with a leader having status equivalent to a CM”, represented a “historic step forward” for the people of this region. “Today has kindled genuine hope,” he said in a statement.

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena had earlier announced the date of the meeting ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Ladakh on April 30. The subcommittee is chaired by senior officials from the MHA and the Ladakh administration. This was the first subcommittee-level meeting since Saxena took over as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh in March.

The Centre had constituted a High-Powered Committee (HPC) on Ladakh under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai to deliberate on issues concerning the UT. The last meeting of the HPC was held in New Delhi on February 4, after which no immediate follow-up meeting was convened.

Maj Gen BC Khanduri, AVSM (Retd),Bombay Sappers & Former CM Uttarakhand,dies at 91

2 Indian Army women doctors on UN duty save life mid-air

Squadron Leader Saanya soars into IAF record books as first woman Category-A Qualified Flying Instructor

CBI arrests army colonel in bribery case

Centre clears defence land hurdle for Rs 1,983-crore Zirakpur-Panchkula bypass

Pay and pension can be reduced if found to have been fixed incorrectly: Armed Forces Tribunal

Pakistan Army criticises Gen Dwivedi’s remarks

Why Pakistan is renaming places to Hindu and Sikh names like Krishan Nagar and Sant Nagar in Lahore

Gunshot injuries during firing competition cannot be classified as war injury: Armed Forces Tribunal

US approves $428 million support services sale for India’s Apache helicopters, M777 howitzers

SC allows euthanasia of stray dogs posing threat to human life

8th CPC panel meets injured soldiers amid disability pension tax row

Former Uttarakhand CM, Maj Gen BC Khanduri, AVSM (Retd) fades away at the age of 91. He had an outstanding army career. During the 1971 war he was the Commanding Officer of 113 Engineer Regiment (Bombay Sappers) in the highly contested Shakargarh sector (Western front). He was a Central Minister and 5 times Lok Sabha MP.

A soldier. A Sapper. A parliamentarian from Garhwal. A son of Uttarakhand. A public servant to the last.

Major General Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, AVSM (Retd) passed away today 19 May 2026 after a prolonged illness at Dehradun aged 91

Commissioned into the Corps of Engineers in 1954, he served the Indian Army for thirty-six years and participated in the 1962 Indo-China War, the 1965 Indo-Pak and commanded an Engineer Regiment during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

For his distinguished service, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.

After retirement, he carried the same sense of duty into public life. He represented the Garhwal Lok Sabha Constituency in the 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th Lok Sabha, served as Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways in the government of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and later as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from 2007 to 2009, and again from 2011 to 2012.

But through all the offices he held, he remained, to many, General Sahib — austere, disciplined, direct, and deeply rooted in the idea of public service.

Our salute to Major General B C Khanduri and his service to the Nation. We also convey out deepest condolences to the family.

Lt Col Urmimala Bhattacharya and Lt Col Kirti Sethi, on board the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET334, swiftly manage a passenger with seizure-like activity due to suspected hypoglycaemia, preventing possible coma and averting flight diversion

Two women doctors of the Indian Army, posted at a UN mission, have saved the life of a passenger during a mid-air emergency in a plane that was flying over Africa.

The Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping posted on X saying the two doctors, Lt Col Urmimala Bhattacharya and Lt Col Kirti Sethi, were on board the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET334. “They swiftly managed a passenger with seizure-like activity due to suspected hypoglycaemia, preventing possible coma and averting flight diversion,” the post said.

The two Indian Army doctors are posted with the Indian hospital at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The passenger on board the flight had a suspected case of hypoglycaemia, a severe drop in blood sugar levels, which can swiftly lead to unconsciousness or even life-threatening situations if not promptly addressed.

The incident occurred as the plane cruised at approximately 30,000 feet. With limited medical supplies on board and no immediate access to a health care facility, the doctors faced the challenge of quick diagnosis and action.

The two doctors assessed the passenger’s condition, identified the probable cause, and administered necessary treatment.

Their prompt intervention stabilised the passenger, averting further complications and allowing the flight to proceed without diversion, ensuring a safe continuation of the journey.

The two officers are integral to the UNMISS, delivering medical care. The ‘Indian Level 2+ Hospital’ in UNMISS is providing advanced health care to UN staff and supporting peacekeeping missions in South Sudan.