HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

New Delhi : Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Wednesday called the nullification of Constitution’s Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu & Kashmir, a historic step that would prove to be significant in integrating the region with the mainstream.

In his address at the Army Day parade, Naravane said the revocation of the region’s special status disrupted the plans of India’s “western neighbour (Pakistan)” and its proxies. “We have zero-tolerance for terrorism. There are a lot of options to respond to the country that is encouraging terrorism and we will not hesitate to use these options,” said General Naravane in his first Army Day address after taking over as the chief on December 31.

On January 3, Naravane had said that peace was returning to the Kashmir Valley after the Centre’s move in August to revoke the region’s special status even as Pakistan-backed terrorists were making infiltration attempts every day.

January 15 is celebrated as Army Day since 1949, when General KM Cariappa (later Field Marshal) became the first Indian to take charge of the force as the commander-in-chief.

Naravane said the country faced some security challenges last year. “Not only it countered proxy war but other situations. Whether it is LoC (Line of Control) or LAC (Line of Actual Control), we have ensured security with activeness and strength,” he said, adding the situation along borders with China is peaceful.

The situation along India’s de facto border with Pakistan in Jammu & Kashmir — the LoC — is linked with the situation in the region, Naravane said.

He referred to his visit to Siachen last week and said he was extremely happy to see all the ranks brimming with confidence.

In his Army Day message on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the courage and commitment of soldiers, describing the Indian Army as the country’s pride.

“It is also respected for its humanitarian spirit. Whenever people have needed help, our Army has risen to the occasion and done everything possible! Proud of our Army. I pray for the good health of Shamima and her child,” he said in a separate tweet.

Modi’s tweet was in response to a tweet by the Srinagar-based 15 Corps detailing how soldiers helped an expecting mother, Shamima, in urgent need of medical help, to reach a hospital, where she gave birth to her child.

Apart from the three service chiefs, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, also attended the parade.

A woman officer, Captain Tania Sher Gill, was the parade adjutant for the first time at the event. The parade adjutant plays an important role in directing and conducting the parade.

A fourth-generation soldier, Captain Gill was commissioned into the Corps of Signals two years ago.She will also be in the same role at the Republic Day parade.

The military hardware showcased at the Army Day parade included infantry combat vehicle BMP-2K, K9 Vajra-T artillery guns, locally built Dhanush towed guns, T-90 main battle tanks and the short span bridging system.

Naravane also gave gallantry awards to soldiers and unit citations to different battalions for outstanding and sustained performance.

Press Trust of India

letters@hindustantimes.com

New Delhi : The Chinese Navy’s presence is rapidly increasing in the Indian Ocean region and the Indian Navy is keeping a watch on the developments through “mission-based” deployments, Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh said on Wednesday.

The Navy chief asserted that China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor impinge on India’s sovereignty.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the Raisina Dialogue here, he said there have been instances when People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ships have entered India’s exclusive economic zones and the Navy has told them that it impinges on Indian interests.

Asked if China has abided by India’s assertions when such incidents have taken place, Singh said in one such incident, recently, “we acted then, they respected and moved out”.

His remarks were in reference to the incident in which a Chinese naval ship was driven away from India’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the Andaman sea.

The Chinese Navy is the strategic arm of the PLA and it has grown at a very rapid pace, Admiral Singh said.

“We are all aware of the numbers, the tonnage, the number of ships, everything that is growing. We have seen in the Indian Ocean region itself starting 2008 when they came in for the anti-piracy patrol. Before that they weren’t really very obvious in the Indian Ocean region but now you find that at any given time, 7 to 8 PLA warships in that area,” he said.

Djibouti is a reality, Gwadar is on and more places are to come, he said, speaking on China’s growing presence.

“We have placed our ships in mission-based deployments so that we get an idea what are the activities, not only of China but of all other countries, so that if there is anything that impinges on our national interest or sovereignty, we will have to act,” Singh said.

“To my mind if there is any maritime activity that deviates from the norm, that can cause regional instability. That is what we are looking for,” he said.

On the Indo-Pacific, he said such constructs are not against anybody but for something.

Harpreet Kaur

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

GARHDIWALA (HOSHIARPUR) : As he watched his daughter, Captain Tanya Sher Gill lead the parade at the Army Day celebrations in New Delhi on Wednesday, Surat Singh Sher Gill could not hold back his tears. It was one of the proudest moments of his life as a parent.

“I’m privileged to see my daughter reach thus far. It is not every day that a fauji gets such a chance (to lead the parade). This is a once in a lifetime moment. My daughter has been very fortunate,” said Sher Gill while talking to HT over the phone.

“My wife Lakhwinder and I got emotional when we watched Tanya lead the contingent. We are proud of her accomplishment,” he said.

Capt Tanya’s mother is a retired teacher, while her brother is settled in the US.

Captain Tanya with her parents.

DREAM COME TRUE

Surat Singh, who retired as a Central Reserve Police Force commandant five years ago, said Tanya always dreamt of donning the army uniform one day.

“Her dream came true in 2017 when she passed out of Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai. She was the academy cadet adjutant. Wherever she has reached today, is all due to her hard work and dedication”, added her father.

“We look forward to her tying the knot with a defence personnel one day,” he said in a lighter vein.

“My father and grandfather have served in the army. My daughter is carrying forward the family legacy of serving the nation. I could not have asked for more,” he said. Though the family belongs to Garhdiwala town, Tanya has mostly stayed in Mumbai and did her B Tech in electronics and communications from Nagpur University. Her present posting is at 1 Signal Training Centre, Jabalpur.

HOSHIARPUR’S PRIDE

Meanwhile, those knowing the family said they were very happy for Tanya. Gurnam Singh, her father’s cousin, said though he had not met Tanya recently, he knew her to be bright.

Municipal councillor Rachhpal Singh said that Tanya had made the town proud. District Sainik Welfare Board deputy director Col Dalvinder Singh said that it was another feather in the cap of the district that has a high number of serving and ex-servicemen.

HT Correspondent

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

AMRITSAR : The Amritsar (rural) police on Wednesday booked the brother of army Naik Rahul Chauhan, one of the main accused in the recently busted narco-terror module.

The accused has been identified as Rohit Kumar of Karnal in Haryana. His name cropped up during the ongoing investigation.

Police on January 10 seized two highly sophisticated Chinese-made drones, and arrested an armyman, Rahul Chauhan, of Haryana, Dharminder Singh of Dhanoa Khurd village in Amritsar and Balkar Singh of Kalas village in Tarn Taran district, allegedly a part of a narco-terror module involved in smuggling of weapons and narcotics across the Indo-Pakistan border. The recovery also included two walkie-talkie sets, ₹6.22 lakh in cash, believed to be proceeds of drugs, and the magazine of an INSAS rifle.“We have booked Rohit Kumar into the case,” said senior superintendent of police (SSP-rural) Vikramjit Singh Duggal.

Another senior official, privy to the investigation, said, “After Rahul Chahuan’s interrogation, the name of Rohit cropped up. According to our investigation, money was being transferred to the bank account of Rohit. Raids are being conducted to nab Rohit.”

Preliminary investigations had confirmed that Rahul Chauhan was directly involved in operating drone sorties across the border for picking up heroin as well as weapons from Pakistan, along with his associates in India and Pakistan. Earlier on Tuesday, the police had identified six more accused who were getting heroin supply from the arrested members of the module.