Pune: Two Army jawans were killed and four others injured in an accident during a bridge construction training at the College of Military Engineering here on Thursday, an official said. A court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident. A “tower support” collapsed during the training, said an official of Southern Command. PTI

On 26 December 2019, troops were undergoing training at College of Military Engineering (CME), Pune. During the training of bridge construction, the tower support collapsed and six- seven troops got injured and were immediately shifted to Military Hospital (MH), Kirkee / Command Hospital (CH), Pune. Lance Havildar Sanjivan PK and Naik Waghmode BK sustained serious injuries and lost their lives during the treatment. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered for investigating the incident and the Next of Kin (NOK) of the deceased soldiers have been informed.

New Delhi, December 27

In what hints that the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will be appointed anytime soon, a pre-scheduled ceremony to appoint the chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) has been postponed by the Ministry of Defence. The CoSC comprises chiefs of the Army, Navy and the Air Force and the senior-most among them is appointed its chairman.

It is headed by Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat currently and the next man to take over would have been Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh. The ceremony was slated today, but with an announcement on December 24 detailing the charter of the CDS, the appointment of the new CoSC would be redundant. The CDS would be permanent chairman of the CoSC.

The ceremony to hand over the baton of the CoSC chairman was cancelled at the last minute on Friday, sources said, adding it could take place on December 31.

There was an indication that the ceremony was cancelled as the government was likely to appoint the country’s first CDS, thus General Rawat handing over the charge would have been pointless.

General Rawat is the frontrunner for the post of CDS, who will act as the principal military adviser to the Defence Minister on matters relating to the three services. General Rawat took charge as CoSC chairman from then IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on September 27. — TNS

New Delhi, December 28

Former chief of Indian Air Force (IAF) B.S. Dhanoa said that a proposal to strike Pakistan after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks was rejected by the then government. Dhanoa said that the Indian Air Force was aware about the terror camps in Pakistan and were ready to hit out. “But it is a political decision on whether or not to carry out a strike,” he said.

He gave the statement while addressing students at the VJTI’s annual festival, Technovanza.

Dhanoa, who was the air chief between December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2019, said that after the attack on Parliament in December 2001, the force had proposed action against Pakistan through air strikes but it was not accepted.

He also stressed that if peace were to come, Pakistan would lose several of its privileges. The former IAF chief emphasised that Islamabad would keep the Kashmir pot boiling without allowing it to boil over.

“Pakistan indulges in propaganda battles and will continue to attack,” said Dhanoa, adding that the Indian Air Force has the ability to fight short, swift wars.

But he pointed out that the major challenge faced by India is the fact that it has two nuclear-armed nations in its neighbourhood.

On Balakot air strike, the former IAF chief stated that the air strike had created a shock effect in Pakistan and the Pakistan Air Force was caught unaware. He had pointed out that there is a lack of joint planning among its defence forces and their morale is low.

He also stated that India had nuclear capability on land, and in the sea and in the air and China has developed a modern air force which relies on quality, not quantity.

He said that China has significantly increased the deployment of aircraft and air crew in the Tibet Autonomous Region. China is also busy on the eastern front and the South China Sea and they also have created unsinkable aircraft carriers. — IANS

Avneet Kaur
Jalandhar, December 26

As the Indian Air Force (IAF) has finally decided to decommission its MiG-27 ground-strike aircraft named ‘Bahadur’ at the Jodhpur Air Force Base today, a retired Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) from Jalandhar and other fighter pilots of the last squadron of seven MiG-27s have been invited to fly its last sortie and bid adieu to the plane with a salute for its glorious service to the nation.

Air Vice-Marshal Sarvjit Hothi (retd), who was the commanding officer of the three squadrons at Halwara during the Kargil War, speaking to The Tribune over phone while he was on his way to Jodhpur, said after four decades of rich service, the seven MiG-27s of the 29th IAF Squadron, that played a crucial role during the 1999 Kargil War, will be decommissioned and given a ceremonial adieu, which was to be attended by retired fighter pilots, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal, among others.

He said the MiG-27 aircraft in India has had an impeccable track record of glorious service to the nation. Procured in 1980s from the then Soviet Union, the fighter jet has proved its worth in various operations, including Kargil, and earned rich accolades in numerous international exercises held in the country.

Sharing his own experience with MiG 23 and 27, Hothi, who has VM and VSM to his credit, said during the Kargil War, the 30 per cent bombings were done by MiG 23 and 27 pilots. He said formidable strike aircraft had the single-most powerful engine in the world and variable geometry wing which allows the pilot to change the wing sweep angle while flying as per mission requirements to achieve optimum flying characteristics.

He said the aircraft would pass into history not only in India but in the entire world as no other country operates MiG 27 now.

“It’s a feeling that could not be expressed as I am happy and equally proud to be part of the farewell ceremony on Friday. Also, I will be meeting my old friends. All the memories and risky encounters with MiG 27 will be refreshed while we have a last sortie,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hothi had also been part of the 10-member pilot crew selected for flying the elite light fighter aircraft — Gnat — in 1971 during the Indo-Pak War. Besides, he had been a pilot for Air India after his retirement from the IAF.

The last rites of Naik Bhiva Waghmode were conducted at his native village Bharatgaon in Daund on Friday. (Express)

A day after two Army soldiers were killed in an accident during a bridging exercise at the College of Military Engineering (CME) in Pune, the family members of one of them, Naik Bhiva Waghmode (29), demanded a thorough probe into the causes of the accident and necessary action based on it.Waghmode and Lance Havildar Sanjivan PK (28) were killed in an accident during a training session for the construction of a suspension bridge on CME premises on Thursday. Nine others, including an officer, had sustained injuries in the accident. All the injured are stable, defence officials said on Friday.

The Court of Inquiry (CoI), which was ordered to probe the incident, commenced on Friday, with a senior officer heading it. The CoI is expected to go on for at least four to five days before it comes to a conclusion, an officer, who didn’t wish to be named, told The Indian Express.

While Sanjivan hailed from Kerala, Waghmode was from Daund taluka in Pune.

 Naik Bhiva Waghmode

Waghmode’s last rites were performed on Friday evening at his native village Bharatgaon in Daund. The soldier, who had joined Army at the age of 18, is survived by his wife Ashwini, mother, two sisters and a brother. He got married only five months ago.

Speaking to The Indian Express, his elder sister Sunita Hulge said, “He had called us on the phone on Wednesday evening. He spoke to our mother and I… we had a routine conversation about our day and his day at work. He also spoke to his wife. I have still not been able to come to terms with the way he lost his life. Precious lives were lost in vain. I have lost a caring brother, a strong support system. We want the government to conduct a thorough probe.”

Waghmode’s brother Sudam said, “Our demand is that there should be a thorough inquiry and necessary action must be initiated against those who are responsible for the loss of life and injuries. My brother will not come back, but the government can ensure that lives are not lost in this way again.”

The accident took place on Thursday noon, when a unit of soldiers from various engineering regiments of the Corps of Engineers was training on a Bailey Suspension Bridge, which is used extensively in situations when instant construction of bridges is required. During the training session to launch the bridge, the support tower of the under-construction structure collapsed.

Naik Bhiva Waghmode and Lance Havildar Sanjivan PK (28) were killed in an accident during a training session for the construction of a suspension bridge on CME premises on Thursday.

Pune: Two Army soldiers killed, 9 injured in bridging exercise at CME

During the training session, the support tower of the under-construction bridge structure collapsed, said a defence official. Eleven people, including one officer, sustained serious injuries.

ildar Sanjivan PK and Naik Waghmode BK

Two Indian Army soldiers died and nine more, including an officer, were injured during a training session for the construction of a bridge on the premises of the College of Military Engineering (CME) in Pune. A Court of Inquiry (CoI) has been ordered into the incident.

According to defence officials, the incident took place on Thursday around 12 noon when a unit of soldiers from various engineering regiments was training on a Bailey Suspension Bridge (BSD), which is used extensively in situations when instant construction of bridges is required.

During the training session, the support tower of the under-construction bridge structure collapsed, said a defence official. Eleven people, including one officer, sustained serious injuries.

Two soldiers, Lance Havildar Sanjivan PK and Naik Waghmode BK, succumbed to injuries later. Of the nine injured, three were discharged after primary treatment and six were being treated at Command Hospital, Southern Command and Military Hospital, Khadki.

An official statement from the Army said, “On December 26, troops were undergoing training at the College of Military Engineering (CME). During the training of bridge construction, the tower support collapsed and troops got injured. They were immediately shifted to Military Hospital, Khadki and Command Hospital. Lance Havildar Sanjivan PK and Naik Waghmode BK sustained serious injuries and lost their lives during the treatment. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered for investigating the incident and the next of kin of the deceased soldiers have been informed.”

Waghmode hailed from Bharatpur village in Pune district’s Daund taluka. He got married only five months ago, and is survived by his wife, brother and mother. Sanjivan hailed from Kerala, said defence officials. The injured officer has been identified as Major Suryajeeet Singh. The injured soldiers are Subedar P Shanmugam, Naik B P Gore, Naik Sharad Khole, Naik DC Sharma, Naik Devendra Singh, Havildar Paramjeet Singh, Naik Gurpreet Singh and Naik Mandeep Singh.

All the injured soldiers and the officer belong to various engineering regiments of the Indian Army, who were undergoing a civil engineering training module.

An Army officer said, “The CoI, which will be headed by a senior officer, will try to determine the cause of the unfortunate incident, negligence, if any, that led to it, and immediate response to the incident by establishment.”

CME is a premier technical training institution of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. It trains officers and jawans of the Army, services, other defence bodies and friendly foreign countries in engineering and technical subjects. The Bombay Engineer Group and the CME, both establishments of the Corps of Engineers of the Army, were instrumental in speedy construction of three foot overbridges in Mumbai in 2018.

Inspector Shankar Awatade of Bhosari police station, which has CME in its jurisdiction, said, “We have registered a case of accidental death (AD) pending probe into causes.”

“The military authorities have said the report of their internal probe will be shared with us, based on which we will further proceed in the investigation of the AD case,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Smita Patil.