Rahul Yadav

I found the nail clipper being used in the house a bit difficult to operate, and to my utter dismay, I was made to understand that as nails are rough, one should clip them just after taking a bath. But still, it did not perform to my satisfaction, and I was on the lookout for a perfect nail clipper. The search took me 30 years back.

Once a candidate is selected for training at any defence training academy, anywhere in the country, a variety of items form part of the personal kit. One of them is the housewife kit. As the name suggests, it is to make a person totally independent in carrying out minor repairs on his uniform. It consisted of a few buttons — black, white, olive green, navy blue and khaki, a pack of needles, hooks, safety pins, thread rolls matching the colours of the buttons, small portable scissors, nail clipper, etc. Since this kit could be checked during the surprise inspection of cadet barracks, endeavour was not to use it lest you end up getting punished for the shortfall of items. Repair, if any, was carried out by a tailor at the shopping centre.

After completion of training, and on being commissioned as officers, the extra luggage that had outlived its utility would be dumped at the parents’ house, but it was always ensured that the kit formed part of the items in the box when you moved to your new unit/regiment. The same drill was repeated in the units as any minor repair was done by the unit tailor, as being a bachelor entailed you to this liberty, and the kit was not opened during bachelor days. After marriage, the better half would always carry out emergency in-situ repairs, and again the kit would be left untouched in one corner of the box, only to be rearranged when the officer proceeded on transfer to a new duty station. If the transfer was to a non-family station, again, the services of the unit tailor would be utilised. Slowly and surely, the kit was totally forgotten over a period of time.

The other day I was going through my late father’s suitcase to revive old memories, as it contained old black-and-white photographs of my parents, us as toddlers, grandparents’ photos, cards sent to him and letters that we wrote, besides his medical documents. Tucked in the corner — to my utter surprise — I found my 30-year-old housewife kit, which was assembled by my father for me, since he himself was a second-generation Army officer. It looked brand-new, and being a veteran now, the buttons were of no use to me. I took out the scissors and the nail clipper. I proudly announced to my family that I will now use my old clipper, which was as good as new, as it had never been used before.

The clipper cut the nails as a knife slides through butter. I finally found a clipper that suited my needs.

There is now an unmistakable ploy adopted by leaders of democratically elected governments to get the agenda through by the sheer force of majority. It is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between the brutal suppression by China of the student-led Umbrella Movement of Hong Kong and the recent excesses against certain universities in India.

Maj Gen Amrit Pal Singh (Retd)
Military commentator

The US airstrikes that eliminated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, Gen Qassem Soleimani, as his convoy emerged from the Baghdad airport has rocked the world by the dramatic upping of the ante. Much like India’s airstrike in Balakot after the Pulwama terror attack, the US action against Soleimani was a strong message that the country and its leadership were prepared to take action against what were earlier considered ‘untouchable entities’. In fairness, it must be brought out that the escalation was exacerbated by Iran’s storming of the US embassy in Baghdad, which itself was a result of spiralling events towards the last days of 2019.

There are visible similarities between the US and Indian governments in the blatant and muscular use of the military assets to project a nationalistic and tough image. This is even so more pronounced as both have used the military in election circumstances to garner political gains from kinetic and spectacular displays of military capabilities.

The creation of the IRGC during the rise of the present supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a saga of how a parallel centre of power was created by the formation and consolidation of the IRGC under Soleimani. Soleimani’s rise, by his effective conduct of operations of the Quds force and his flamboyance, stemmed from the unstinted support he had of the supreme leader.

The US President is facing impeachment proceedings led by the Democrats and though the trial stage is to begin, there is a large White-dominated section of the US population that staunchly supports President Donald Trump as it firmly believes in his slogan of ‘Making America great again’. Such supporters’ dominant belief that the Whites have been underdone in their own country is what swept him to power and now gives him confidence against being tried.

As President Trump prepares and the US military braces for an expected retaliation-cum-escalation across the spectrum, the opposition Democrats are in the process of firming up a motion to vote to limit Trump’s war-making powers, thereby restricting free and unilateral actions to deal with the looming crisis. This resonates with the collective questioning by the Opposition in India when it challenged the motives and the results of the Balakot airstrikes. In both cases, two facets emerge: the leadership is being put under pressure by what is perceived to be an opportunistic political opposition; but where the population in general is enthused by the nationalistic pitch that such military actions evoke and stoke patriotic passions.

Be it the CAA-NRC imbroglio, abrogation of Article 370 in J&K or the belligerent nationalistic stance in the elections by the NDA government, the emphasis is on a religious agenda. There is an unmistakable familiarity that links the authoritarian streak in both countries.

In the use of the law and order machinery, there are dangerous parallels that are unfolding too. The passive role, amounting to complacency, of the police force in the recent events at JNU is as culpable as the role displayed by the same police force during the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and other places in 1984. The control of the police was in both instances — then and now — with the Central government and indicative of the use of force to suppress dissent by the party in power.

The use of the military for political advantage and of goons to suppress dissenting groups is becoming almost synonymous. Both are serving no national interest if they are wielded to garner electoral and other petty agendas. The fact that it’s happening all over the world is no justification or stamp of legitimacy.

These are dangerous portents and indicative of an unmistakable ploy adopted by leaders of democratically elected governments to get the agenda through by the sheer brute force of majority. It is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between the brutal suppression by China of the student-led Umbrella Movement of Hong Kong and the recent excesses against certain universities in India. These trends of various hues, like the arrogance of majority, religious intolerance, politics of nationalism and hyper-nationalism are being witnessed with unfailing regularity in different corners of the country and are disconcerting to the average citizen.

The role of Facebook-Cambridge Analytica (a political consulting firm that used data mining towards opinion modification) during the US presidential elections which is alleged to have used the data of voters to selectively target them to influence their voting is revealing as to the technological capabilities that exist today and the extent that political parties can manipulate voters and public opinion. The Indian news and social media space is similarly flooded by technologically supported opinion-forming and planted news stories to sway or distract the population from issues. The mantra to govern seems to be that the best public is an uninformed public or, better still, a misinformed public.

As the count of dangerous parallels increases, so does the disturbing volatility, leaving the average citizens wondering of the direction in which efforts are being made to lead them. A discerning look at various analysts and commentators does, at times, provide some clarity on the trends and the ‘why’ behind the goings-on. However, fact-finding in the maze of information is the key. It does not help that most of the news channels are either so cluttered with shouting matches arranged between virulent speakers or are so tilted to one side.

The existing tinderboxes across the globe and closer home have in many ways confused the masses. This is probably the stuff that political parties want: to keep on the boil to distract, deflect and distort sane thinking. It’s probably wise in these times to fall back on common logic and chose what needs to be believed and decide what affects us the most. There are many shades of grey betwixt the black and white.

Our Correspondent

Nurpur, January 14

Mortal remains of Sepoy Deepak Sharma (38) were consigned to flames at his native Sthana village in Fatehpur sub-division this afternoon. The deceased was getting training under Naib Subedar of Army wing 19, Punjab unit, at Mamoon army cantonment.

As per information, on Monday morning, he suddenly fell unconscious while on duty. Later, he was rushed to Army hospital where he was declared dead.

He is survived by his two sons, wife and mother. He had visited his home last week and returned to duty two days back.

Mother Raj Kumari and wife Seema Devi were inconsolable when the mortal remains draped in Tricolor arrived at their home. The body was cremated with full honours. Fatehpur Naib Tehsildar laid a wreath on behalf of the state government. The soldier was accorded full military honours and his cousin lit the pyre.

With the aim to engage with schoolchildren, the Army organised a debate competition on the topic “Impact of social media on students” at Government Higher Secondary School, Jhullas. A total of eight students participated in the competition who displayed excellent understanding and knowledge of the topic and brought out important issues. Later, the winners were also awarded.

JKBOSE fixes date for fee submission

The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has fixed the date for the private high/higher secondary schools to deposit fee after getting an affiliation for the next five years. The school education board has fixed March 31, for private institutes to deposit the fee at its concerned head/sub branch offices. It has also been made clear by BOSE that if the institutes fail to deposit the fee by March 31, they will be responsible for the consequences.

IIT-Jammu holds workshop

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jammu, hosted an Academic writing workshop “Work-in-progress: Removing roadblocks from research writing” on its campus at Jagti Nagrota. The workshop was organised by the department of humanities and social sciences, which consisted of hands-on writing and reviewing sessions conducted by Dr Anannya Dasgupta and Sameer Thomas from the Centre for Writing and Pedagogy, Krea University, Andhra Pradesh.Resource persons introduced concepts like claims, evidence and annotated bibliography, along with the structure of writing. Different genres of research writing focusing on long-form journalism and academic articles were discussed in detail.

Our Correspondent

Jammu, January 14

The Tiger Division on Tuesday commemorated the Fourth Tri-Services “Veterans Day” by paying homage to martyrs at Balidan Stambh, Jammu.

The veterans were honoured at Balidhan Stambh, Jammu, which commenced with the wreath-laying by the chief guest, Farooq Khan, Adviser to the Lt-Governor.

Farooq Khan appreciated the spirit of national unity, dedication and sacrifice exhibited by veterans. He insisted that there was requirement by citizens and NGOs to keep in touch with veterans and families of martyrs and draw lessons from their rich experience.

Students will get motivation listening to their stories of valour and sacrifice. He said the administration would give priority and support to resolve problems being faced by the families of martyrs.

The Sabre Brigade of Rising Star Corps organised Veterans Day at Ratnuchak Military Station, wherein, a large numbers of veterans and widows were in attendance. The event was organised as part of the Army’s efforts to assist its veterans in all spheres of post-retirement life. The Army also celebrates Veterans Day at Reasi and Rajouri and during this event, copies of guidelines on various welfare initiatives by the government, were disseminated to all the ex-servicemen.

Our Correspondent
Hoshiarpur, January 14

Arrested for stealing two INSAS rifles and cartridges from the Army Training Centre, Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, on December 10 last year, Army deserter Harpreet Singh escaped from the Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur, this morning by dodging cops.

Harpreet Singh was lodged in the Central Jail, Hoshiarpur. He was admitted to the Civil Hospital after his health deteriorated. At around 4 am today morning, he went to bathroom accompanied by a home guard jawan, but Harpreet pushed him aside and fled. Two police personnel on duty tried to chase him, but to no avail.

Last month, Harpreet, along with his partner Jagtar Singh Jagga, was arrested by the Tanda police. Two INSAS rifles, three magazines and 20 live cartridges were recovered from the two.

Harpreet Singh was recruited into the Army two years ago. He took training from the Army Training Centre in Pachmarhi.

Vikram Singh, in charge of the Model Town police station, said Harpreet’s father Harbans Singh, a resident of Miani village, and five police personnel — sub-inspectors Jagtar Singh, Hardeep Singh, Baldev Dutt, Bansi Lal and head constable Davinder Kumar had been booked under Sections 223, 224 and 120-B of the IPC.

DSP, City, Jagdish Raj Attri said, “Out of the five police personnel on duty, only two were present at the time of the incident and the three were absent.

A case has been registered against the all five. Departmental action will be initiated against those absent. Raids are being conducted to nab the accused.”

Anirudh Gupta
Ferozepur, January 14

A massive search operation was launched by security agencies following the sighting of “drones” at Tendiwala village near border outpost Shameke in this sector last night. Sources claimed that the drones were sighted twice around 8.48 pm yesterday and later around 11 pm in the same area.

They said BSF jawans belonging to the 136 Battalion opened fire at the flying objects to bring them down. Later, a joint search operation by the BSF and the Punjab Police was carried out, which continued till late this evening, but nothing substantial was found.

As per information, around 150 Punjab Police personnel, led by Baljeet Singh Sidhu, SP (Operations), along with BSF jawans searched the entire area along Tendiwala village.

Ferozepur SSP Vivek Sheel Soni also visited the spot and conducted a tour of various villages along the border to take stock of the situation. He said the police had received information regarding the sighting of drone-like objects following which the search was carried out to rule out any misadventure from across the border. “We have asked the villagers to report if they found something suspicious,” he said.

BSF DIG Sandeep Chanan said though some flying objects were seen, it could not be ascertained whether they were drones or something else. He confirmed that the troops fired some rounds towards the objects and the search operation was still on.

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 14

Security agencies don’t have more than a few minutes to intercept drones being frequently used by narco-terror gangs to smuggle drugs or weapons in Punjab.

The two drones recovered from a gang of narcotics smugglers, including an Army jawan, recently were sophisticated DJI Inspire 2 and DJI Matrice quadcopters, which are known for their fast speed (90 kmph) and quiet operation. These drones attain this speed within seconds of their launch.

Rahul Chauhan from Ambala, Naik with Army, was caught along with two Amritsar residents and smugglers Dharminder Singh and Balkar Singh on Friday. The police have arrested four others also, but the alleged kingpin Ajay Pal, is absconding.

The Inspire model, available online for around Rs 3 lakh per piece, is a Chinese manufactured product which is better used by filmmakers in Hollywood and elsewhere due to its excellent video camera and still photography results.

Its use for fetching drugs from across the border by Punjab smugglers has thrown up a new challenge for the security forces. The battery of Inspire drones allows around 27-minute airtime during which these can fly up to 7 km. The Matrice model has an airtime of 35-38 minutes. While DJI Inspire drone can carry a payload of up to 5 kg, the Matrice model can carry 7-9 kg payload.

These drones are fitted with intelligent return software that allows them to return to the base even when the contact with them is lost.

According to police officials, the payload is usually made to hang from the drone using a string. This obviates the need to land the drone for delivering a payload, thus considerably reducing the risk of a crash or seizure.

Sources said one drone sortie carrying 5 kg heroin can fetch anything between Rs 5 crore to Rs 25 crore for smugglers in local and international market, respectively. The police and BSF look forward to acquiring equipment developed by Israel to check such sorties. Till then, interception depends on manual surveillance as drones being low fliers are not caught by radars.