Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 27

From penning rhymes in support of what is being described as a “bold” stand taken by her to a joint appeal by eminent persons asking people to stand by her in this hour of “trial of democracy”, there is a groundswell of support for Gurmehar Kaur, daughter of Kargil martyr Capt Mandeep Singh, who has dared to confront the ABVP for allegedly attacking students and teachers of Ramjas College in Delhi.Punjabi poet and former president of the Punjabi Sahit Akademi Gurbhajan Gill has written: “Jago mere veero, jago; apani goorhi neend tyago, jag pavo Gurmehar jagave, sutian umar beet na jave; Gurmehar zindabad (My brothers, it is time to wake up; Gurmehar is asking you to come out of slumber, and let the life not pass away while sleeping).”Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi, academician Dr Chaman Lal and several others have issued an appeal, asking people to join hands to back Gurmehar, who has taken on the right-wing forces posing a threat to the freedom of expression, freedom of speech and freedom of academic institutions, especially universities and colleges.“Gurmehar is the honour of our country. We are all with her and will go all out to protect her honour and dignity. No one should think that she is alone. She is a woman of substance,” Dr Gandhi said.CPI executive member Joginder Dayal said someone was to take lead in confronting the ABVP, which, with active support of PM Narendra Modi and his associates, wanted to crush all dissenting forces in the country. Gurmehar has taken the lead and all right-thinking people in the country should support her to stall the taking over of educational institutions by the right wing forces and their associates, he said.Demanding a ban on the student body and exemplary action against culprits of Ramjas College violence, Capt Amarinder Singh said the ABVP, its mentors and members should be ashamed of their abominable behaviour. He said the girl’s father laid down his life for the country and she was being victimised for her legitimate act.The culprits should be arrested and put behind bars. This organisation (ABVP) had no respect for women, he said.“Instead of allowing her (Gurmehar) to be victimised for her stand, the authorities, including the Delhi and the Centre governments, should ensure that the perpetrators of violence and those issuing threats to the martyr’s daughter are given exemplary punishment,” he added.

Goes incommunicado

Gurmehar Kaur stopped all communication on Monday evening. Her last tweet came at 6 pm. It reads, “Please consider this tweet as my request for leave of absence. Can’t speak to anyone, anymore. Will speak up on Tuesday #FightBackDU”.

 Follow

Gurmehar Kaur @mehartweets

Please consider this tweet as my request for leave of absence. Can’t speak to anyone, anymore. Will speak up on Tuesday #FightBackDU

Parties spar, student gets threats

Delhi women panel asks police to take action as Gurmehar campaign takes ugly turn

DU’s PU fallout: On a day a war or words erupted over the “banner of revolt” raised by a Kargil martyr’s daughter against the ABVP in New Delhi, girl activists of the ABVP and Students For Society (SFS) came to blows during a protest at Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Monday. Tribune Photo: Pradeep Tewari

New Delhi, February 27

Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, whose campaign against the ABVP has gone viral, found herself at the centre of a major row today as the ruling BJP and the Opposition traded charges over the Ramjas College clashes, re-igniting the intolerance debate.

Facing death and rape threats after her social media campaign against the RSS student wing, Kaur, daughter of an Army officer killed in the Kargil war, was compared to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim by a BJP MP while Union Minister Kiren Rijiju wondered who was “polluting” her mind. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Kaur, however, got endorsement of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and many others for her stand against the ABVP and violence on the campus.The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has asked the police to act against those threatening Gurmehar. Kaur, a student of Lady Sri Ram College, insisted she won’t be intimidated. “I am not afraid because I am fighting for the right thing,” she said, adding she was getting numerous threats on phone and social media, besides filthy comments. “It would be very nice if I get protection. Fear is not in my blood. My father took a bullet for the country and I am also ready to do that,” she added. Kaur, 20, said nobody had the right to threaten any woman with rape. She took on the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which controls the Delhi University Students Union, after its activists were blamed for attacks on students, teachers and journalists on the campus. Students opposed to the Ramjas College violence of February 22 and the online threats against Kaur have decided to take out a march in Delhi University tomorrow. The issue triggered a war of words between the BJP and the Congress. “Criticise the government, but don’t abuse the motherland,” Rijiju said, after Kaur also posted: “Pakistan did not kill my father. War killed him.” BJP MP Pratap Simha from Mysuru posted an image of Dawood on Twitter with the words “I didn’t kill people in 1993, bombs killed them.” The MP added: “At least Dawood did not use the crutches of his father’s name to justify his anti-national stand.” Both Rijiju and Simha faced flak. Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said: “An atmosphere is being created to protect those who support violence or are fascist in nature. But those who try to express something within the limits of the Constitution face violence.” The Congress also targeted Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for his remark in London that “there is an alliance of subversion on Indian campuses”.AAP blamed the government for the threats and accused the ABVP of unleashing violence “both in the real and the online world”. Union ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Ravi Shankar Prasad hit back at the Opposition for its narrative of attack on freedom of expression. “Everybody has freedom, but that does not mean that you raise slogans to weaken the country. Does freedom of expression mean raising slogans like Azadi for Kashmir, Azadi for Bastar?” asked Prasad. Naidu accused Leftists of turning universities into “laboratories for separatist experiments”. — IANS

‘Stand by her’

• Gurmehar is the honour of our country. We are all with her and will go all out to protect her honour and dignity. No one should think that she is alone. She is a woman of substance. — Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, AAP MP
• The ABVP, its mentors and members should be ashamed of their abominable behaviour. The girl’s father laid down his life for the country and she is being victimised for her legitimate act. —Capt Amarinder Singh, Congress leader

ABVP, SFS supporters clash on PU campus

Police round up 8 students, 4 each from both parties; footage to be given to disciplinary panel

Activists of the ABVP and the SFS scuffle during a protest organised by the ABVP at the PU on Monday. Tribune Photos: Pradeep Tewari

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 27

A minor clash took place between supporters of the ABVP and the SFS on the Panjab University (PU) campus today when an SFS member termed supporters of the ABVP at Ramjas College in Delhi “goons”. The police rounded up eight supporters, four each from the ABVP and the SFS, from the university. The supporters of both student parties had a heated argument at the PU during a protest held by the ABVP against the SFS alleging that it had used derogatory remarks against the Army during a discussion on the campus. Later, both parties raised slogans against each other at the Student Centre. The PU security staff intervened, but failed to control the situation following which the police were called.Supporters of both parties entered into a scuffle four times. PU chief security officer Jatinder Grover said a written complaint had been submitted to the police along with the video footage of the incident for action.Allegations and counter-allegations were levelled by both parties against each other over the clash.ABVP members alleged that its woman supporter was manhandled by the SFS. However, the SFS claimed that a woman supporter of the party had tackled the ABVP supporter, who tried to enter into a scuffle. “We condemn the violence by the SFS. The police have arrested ABVP members Harmanjot Singh, Saurbh Kapoor, Kushal Kondal and Akshay,” said Harmanjot Singh of the ABVP.“After the JNU and the DU, the ABVP today tried to impose its pseudo nationalist agenda in the PU and demonstrated against the SFS. After the demonstration, a local journalist invited the SFS for a talk. While the journalist was conversing with members of both student parties,  ABVP ‘goons’ showed their true face and started using abusive language,” said Daman of the SFS. “Ramanpreet Singh, Ravinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Ramanpreet Singh were taken into police custody following the scuffle,” said Daman.The SFS had organised a protest at the PU on Saturday and quoted an NHRC report on an incident of rape of 16 tribal women allegedly by the security forces in Chhattisgarh. The ABVP had organised a protest against the SFS and other Left organisations today alleging that they had shown the Army in poor light during their protest on Saturday. 

What the chief security officer says

• The PU chief security officer said the footage of the scuffle would be forwarded to the PU disciplinary committee on Tuesday morning for action. He said a complaint had been sent to the PU VC, the Registrar and the Dean, Students Welfare, by the security department.

Subversive, who?

Jaitley mistakes violence for free speech

Speaking to students of the London School of Economics on Saturday, Finance Minister Jaitley sought to turn incidents of student violence — in which ABVP highhandedness comes out clearly in various media reports — into a case of free speech. He even discovered a threat to the nation’s sovereignty from an “alliance of subversion” and went on to conclude “the separatists and the ultra-Left are speaking the same language in certain university campuses”. The facts do not justify the interpretations made. The violence at Ramjas College was over two JNU students being invited to a seminar. When the ABVP objected, the college cancelled the invitation. It is here the right to free speech is involved. Injuries to students, teachers and journalists and charges of police complicity point to a different narrative.Being on a power high, the BJP leaders, including a moderate Jaitley, see political virtue in the unruly ABVP boys. Nor have they cared to tell the Delhi Police to enforce the rule of law without bias. The lawyer in Jaitley shifted to a free speech bhashan: “If you believe, you have free speech to assault the sovereignty of the country, then be ready to concede free speech to counter that.” It is the ABVP that does not seem “ready to concede free speech”. If he meant those who raised anti-national slogans at JNU, well they have never been arrested. Both Kanahiya Kumar and Umar Khalid are out on bail. The leftists and Kashmiri separatists are ideologically apart. Where is the alliance?  The ABVP hurry to penetrate universities with or without state power is understandable. From Hyderabad to JNU, to Allahabad, Jodhpur and now Delhi University, it is the same story. Force and arrogance of authority rather than argument sometimes produce an unintended backlash, the kind seen in the popularity of the Facebook post of a Kargil martyr’s daughter which said: “I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP”. Marxist-Leninist and Kashmiri groups have pockets of influence but none that should drive the country’s Finance Minister to make alarmist proclamations on foreign soil. He ended up prettifying the ABVP boorishness.   

‘She is not representing all martyrs and their kids’: Hooda on Gurmehar row

File photo of Randeep Hooda.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 27A Kargil martyr’s daughter, whose social media campaign against the ABVP has gone viral, got caught up in a Twitter war on Monday with ex-cricketer Virendra Sehwag and actor Randeep Hooda who called her a “political pawn”.The 20-year-old, Gurmehar Kaur, a Delhi University student, had started the campaign ‘I am not afraid of ABVP’, following the violence at Ramjas College, which went viral and received a massive support from students of various universities.Hooda, who faced a lot of flak for his posts, refused to be cowed down and in a Facebook post wrote, “This girl’s voice is important, but not more important than every other citizen. She is in no way representing all the martyrs and their children. It’s her personal opinion and should be taken as such.”Further clearing the air Hooda wrote: “As for being insensitive to a martyr’s daughter, let me tell you that six of my classmates have sacrificed their lives for the nation and so have many others, senior and junior to me. Every village in my state has martyrs who have been saluted for more than two centuries. Yes, war is wrong but we didn’t start it or persevere with it. We don’t back down from protecting our borders even if it takes our loved ones away. How do we deal with it ? With ironical humour!!”

Mumbai, Feb 26 (PTI) Amid the controversy over an Army jawan describing the menial duties a Sahayak is entrusted with by the Army officers and their families, comes the tale of a senior Army officer flying all the way from Canada to attend a wedding in his Sahayaks family.

For Col G S Ghuman, all it took was a call from his former buddy – as Sahayaks are known in the Army – inviting him to attend his sons wedding.

Havildar Balagowda Raigowda Patil worked as the Colonels buddy for almost two decades, before the two retired from the Army around 10 years ago.

“He (Patil) is family. How could I say no? I had to attend his sons wedding. So here I am, in India,” Col Ghuman told PTI.

The feeling was reciprocated by Patil, who said, “Saabs (Col Ghuman) mother treated me like her fourth son. Saab also never treated me as a junior but like a brother.”

“I was with saab since the IPKF days in Sri Lanka. I never felt humiliated as a buddy,” Patil, who retired in 2006, said.

Col Ghuman retired the next year. Both were in the 25 Madras Regiment, where Patils son, who got married recently, is posted as an Army jawan.

The wedding took place at Patils native place, around 50 kms from Belgaum.

Col Ghuman also used this trip to reconnect with former jawans in his unit, and travelled to places like Mangalore, Kochi and Hyderabad to meet them and their families, before flying back to Canada.

Col Ghumans gesture comes amid reports that the Army is contemplating withdrawing combat soldiers working as Sahayaks from peace stations across the country and post them back to their field formations.

Called by various names like orderly and batman, the sahayak/buddy has been, and remains, an intrinsic part of an Army officers life.

“A buddy forms a strong relationship with his officer that remains even after retirement. A wrong idea is being put across that combat manpower is being misused for the benefits of officers and their families,” he said.

Last month, after Lance Naik Yagya Pratap Singh posted a video complaining about the Sahayak system, the Army has stipulated that buddies should not to be detailed for looking after pets, toddlers and children and also should not be assigned for washing the private vehicles of officers. PTI VT ARS PTP

Retired Col travels from Canada on Sahayak’s call

Mumbai, February 26

It’s a buddy tale. A retired Colonel of 25 Madras Regiment has come all the way from Canada to attend the wedding of his former Sahayak’s son.The friendship between the officer and the Sahayak is in contrast to some recent cases of the Sahayaks being misused or abused by the officers. For Col GS Ghuman (retd), all it took was a call from his former ‘buddy’ — as Sahayaks are known in the Army — inviting him to attend his son’s wedding.Havildar Balagowda Raigowda Patil worked as the Colonel’s ‘buddy’ for almost two decades, before the two retired from the Army around 10 years ago.“He (Patil) is family. How could I say no? I had to attend his son’s wedding. So here I am, in India,” Col Ghuman said. The feeling was reciprocated by Patil, who said, “Saab’s (Col Ghuman) mother treated me like her fourth son. Saab also never treated me as a junior but like a brother.”“I was with him since the IPKF days in Sri Lanka. I never felt humiliated as a ‘buddy’,” Patil, who retired in 2006, said. Col Ghuman retired the next year. Both were in 25 Madras, where Patil’s son, who got married recently, is posted as a jawan.The wedding took place at Patil’s native place, around 50 km from Belgaum.Col Ghuman also used this trip to reconnect with former jawans in his unit. — PTI

There is an ideological change taking place in Kashmir. It needs to be countered, and the funding choked. Cases of mob attacks have increased because many who initiated violence were allowed to get away unpunished.

Protesters throwing stones at paramilitary forces after a village was cordoned off in South Kashmir on Wednesday. Tribune photo

The eruption of militancy in the Kashmir valley in 1989 and the subsequent terrorism has been long seen as an internal political issue, exploited by the ISI in cahoots with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (AHPC) in an attempt to dismember J&K from India. The recent intensification of mob violence, stone pelting episodes and even attempts to interfere in the Army’s operations have thrown open the question whether it continues to remain a purely political problem? There is evidence of ideological changes, which need to be identified, their impact studied and a way ahead found.Jammu and Kashmir has been the cradle of Sufi saints, often referred to as the “Muslim rishis”. It is through the preaching of these Sufi saints that Islam gained ground in the Valley. Some like Syed Sharaf Uddin Rahman (Bulbul Shah), Mir Muhammad Hamdan, Noor ud-din Noorani (Nand Rishi), and Hazrat Baba Payamudin (Baba Rishi) left an indelible imprint on the lives of the people of J&K. It grew as a mature society, inclusive of all religions. Where does it stand today?The arrival of militancy and the consequential terrorism in Kashmir has led to wanton destruction of schools, factories and infrastructure. The law and order machinery in the state has been paralysed, the youth subverted and encouraged to take up arms, and Kashmiri Pundits forced to flee. It has been a breakdown of the age-old culture and tradition of peaceful co-existence. The worst was the burning of Charar-e-Sharief, a bastion of Kashmiriyat, by terrorists from Pakistan. People of the Valley remained mute spectators to this unsavoury assault.Amidst intense anti-terrorist operations of the 1990s, the Army launched operations to ‘win hearts and minds of people’ that had gone astray. It was formalised as “Op Sadbhavana” in late 1997. Its five-pronged approach was to revitalise education, health care, community development, improvement of infrastructure and youth development. By 2010, over Rs 400 crore allocated by the Centre had been spent on various schemes under Op Sadbhavana. Government schools were restored and Army Goodwill Schools (AGSs) established. Intense counter-terrorist operations coupled with Op Sadbhavana yielded positive results. The casualty rate in 2006 came down to 1,116, against 5,204 in 2000. The number of tourists in the Valley jumped to 7 lakh from less than 1 lakh. The economy of the state started growing by 5-7 per cent from 2006 to 2010.The state has a large number of Waqf Board schools and madarsas run by Deobandi organisations. Against 30 AGSs, the madarsas are more than double, many of which have affiliations with terrorist organisations in Pakistan. It is these madarsas, coupled with mosques supported by the APHC, that are responsible for subverting minds of the youth to make them pro-Pakistan and anti-Indian establishment. This continuous assault on Kashmiriyat is instrumental in the change of ideology.Since 2010, separatist leaders have managed to re-group. The cases of Pakistan/ISIS flags being waved, stone-pelting mobs, attacks on police station, looting of banks, burning of schools and youth development centres have witnessed an abrupt rise. The few who initiated violence and escaped without retribution were elevated to exalted positions and became influential. This encouraged bystanders to join as active participants. The violence reached a crescendo in 2016 in the aftermath of the killing of Burhan Wani, who was a Hizbul Muzahideen terrorist.Troops operating in the Valley In the early 1990s also faced mob violence. Though the Army operated with restraint, those responsible for acts of violence were given a clear message to stop or face the music. By 1996, when the first elections were held, mob violence had stemmed and the situation continued to improve till its resurgence in 2010. The occurrence of recent mob assault on the troops deployed in Handwara is a repetition of the past. General Rawat’s warning to the supporters of terrorists/separatists that hereafter they would be treated as anti-nationals is the need of the hour. There is an ideological change taking place in the Valley – a clear departure from Sufism to violent Islam. It needs to be countered – their funding needs to be choked.A number of people from the Valley have moved to other tourist centres in India and set up businesses. A case in point is Jew Town in Cochin, which has nearly 40 per cent stores run by Kashmiris, including some ‘hardliners’. Cochin is an important naval base. The presence of ISI moles in various parts of India is a well-known fact. There is a need to keep tabs on the hardliners’ funding. It is estimated that terror funds to the tune of thousands of crores annually flow into the Valley. Demonetisation was one attempt to block this funding, but the recent discovery of fake currency has put a question mark on its efficacy. There has to be multiplicity of effort on this front.Peace could return to the Valley if the lost culture of Kashmiriyat/Sufism is restored and the gun culture curtailed. It is the people of the state who have to realise this, and do it themselves. Followers of a moderate Islam have to find their voice for the sake of their future generations. The government has been talking to all stakeholders, including the separatists/AHPC, for a long time. It may be time to leave them in a limbo to generate space for the moderate voices if the country has to find a solution to the Kashmir imbroglio.

NEW DELHI: An Indian warship that tipped over at a Mumbai dockyard last December has been salvaged to its upright position at a cost of ₹20 crore. The freak accident left two sailors dead and 14 injured.

HT FILEINS Betwa, a Brahmaputra­class guided missile frigate, slipped on the dock blocks during a refit on December 5.

INS Betwa, a Brahmaputra-class guided missile frigate, slipped on the dock blocks during a refit on December 5, with many fearing that the 3,850tonne frigate would be written off. Betwa is on an even keel now, navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma said.

Two days after the frigate overturned in Mumbai, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said “miscalculation of balance” may have been a reason it keeled over.

He said a warship’s balance could get disturbed during a refit as a lot of machinery and fixtures were removed. The navy sought the help of foreign experts to salvage the warship as it does not have a crane big enough to lift a ship of Betwa’s size.

The contract was awarded to the Indian arm of US-based Resolve Marine Group to bring the ship to level position, paving the way for its refit to continue at Duncan/Hughes dock in Mumbai.

A board of inquiry to ascertain what went wrong has been completed and is being examined by the Mumbai-based Western Naval Command.

The investigation was headed by Rear Admiral Deepak Bali, flag officer offshore defence advisory group.

The 126-metre vessel tipped over while it was being undocked and its mast hit the ground.

http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/maharashtra/mumbai/maharashtra-mlc-prashant-paricharak-controversial-remark-on-army/articleshow/57238541.cms

File Photo

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 21

The India-Pakistan narrative is slowly edging back to a state of normalcy, considering the indications coming from some quarters.After the acrimonious exchange of words on the Indus Water Treaty, sources said a meeting was likely to take place soon on the Permanent Indus Commission. Talks scheduled for the commission that were to be held last year were suspended after the Uri attacks.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)It is learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on restarting the bilateral dialogue. At a meeting the PM had last week with a visiting delegation from the UK, the PM, people present in the meeting told The Tribune, recalled with positivity the trip he made to Lahore in December 2015.He also pointed out that the attacks took place soon after as there were forces in Pakistan that did not want peace in the region. But he also felt there were positive forces in Pakistan. Modi spoke about the menace of terrorism and of Pakistan’s role in it. But, he also expressed optimism that talks should resume and said India was ready to compromise wherever India felt was in its best interest. The PM, sources said, wanted to extend a hand of peace towards Pakistan, and cited the example where an international court decided against India in a maritime dispute with Bangladesh and India accepted the verdict. The PM was referring to the verdict of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) dispute regarding the delimitation of the maritime boundary between India and Bangladesh that was delivered in 2014. The tribunal awarded Bangladesh 19,467 sq km of the 25,602 sq km sea area of the Bay of Bengal and India abided by the verdict.India and Pakistan are all set to become permanent members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this year when the meet is held in Astana, Kazakhstan, in June.Both Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif are expected to travel to Astana for the SCO meet. Indications from both sides are this will serve as an ideal opportunity for the two leaders to meet on the sidelines and break the ice. But some groundwork needs to be done before that and the Indus Water Commission meet and the PM’s own comments are the first steps in that direction.

Jats to regulate traffic; alternative route plans issued

Women take part in the ‘Jat Nyay Dharna’ at Jassia village in Rohtak on Saturday. Photo: Manoj Dhaka

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Jassia (Rohtak), February 18

Elaborate arrangements have been made in Rohtak and other sensitive districts in anticipation of huge turnout at ‘Jat Nyay Dharnas’ in view of the ‘balidan divas’ observance slated for tomorrow. People from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other neighbouring states are likely to participate in tomorrow’s event.While the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) aims at having a gathering of 5 lakh persons at the main dharna site in Jassia village of Rohtak district, intelligence agencies put the expected number at 40,000.In view of the sensitive and volatile situation, seven more companies of paramilitary forces have been called to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident. Army authorities have also been kept in the loop so as to keep their personnel on standby.Five companies of the CRPF and two of the RAF are already deployed in Rohtak. Another company of police personnel has arrived on the DGP’s orders. As per police sources, reserve companies of the DGP have been deployed in eight sensitive districts, including Rohtak.The local administration and police have given out new route plans in view of tomorrow’s event. People have been advised to commute between Rohtak and Gohana via Khakhauda or Lakhan Majra instead of taking NH 71-A, which passes through Jassia.The AIJASS said its volunteers would regulate traffic and make other arrangements at the dharna site for peaceful conduct of the event.

Relief for injured

A total of 27 innocent persons who had been injured during the Jat stir in February last year were awarded compensation today. An amount of Rs 18 lakh was given to the victims.