Jammu, April 12

The Indian and Pakistani armies traded heavy fire on the Line of Control (LoC) on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, the Defence Ministry said.

“At about 8.30 am, Pakistan initiated unprovoked shelling using mortars and firing small arms along the LoC in Sawjian sector,” Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said.

The Army retaliated “befittingly”, he added.

Intermittent firing exchanges were still going on. IANS

Meghna Girish wants to know why a recommendation for Shaurya Chakra for her son Major Girish, killed in 2016 in J&K, was changed to an official report mentioning a soldier’s gallant action.

New Delhi: A soft-spoken social media-savvy mother is fighting for what she believes is the rightful “honour for her son”, and in the process, has turned the spotlight on the Army’s gallantry award procedure.

“An unsung hero is better than an insulted one,” said Meghna Girish, the mother of Major Akshay Girish, who was among seven soldiers killed in a terror attack on an Army camp in Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir, in November 2016.

Stung by the Army naming her son under “Mention in Despatches (MID)” as opposed to awarding him the Shaurya Chakra — as recommended by his commanding officer for his “gallant action” — Meghna has been leading a campaign for Major Girish.

The Shaurya Chakra is the Army’s third highest peacetime decoration while an MID is just an official report mentioning a soldier’s gallant action in an attack. It is written by a senior officer and sent to the Army high command.

“I am not insisting on a gallantry award for Akshay,” Meghna told ThePrint. “What I am asking for is an explanation as to why my son did not get the Shaurya Chakra as recommended by his senior officers. I have not accepted the MID and it should be withdrawn because an unsung hero is better than an insulted hero.”

Her campaign has now received a major setback.

Army sources have told ThePrint that Major Girish’s family has been informed that a review committee, set up by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in January, has concluded that the MID award to the late Major cannot be upgraded or withdrawn.

Meghna had met Sitharaman, helped by BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, after which the minister had tweeted on 3 January, saying, “As assured by the Raksha Mantri, a Committee has been constituted with members, inter alia, as suggested by Meghna Girish to look into the supreme sacrifice made by her son Major Akshay Girish. Smt. Meghna Girish has been invited to depose before and assist the Committee”.

Meghna told ThePrint that on 25 March, she again wrote to Sitharaman reminding her of the committee.

“Elections are around the corner and while we hope to see our government back, you may or may not be our Raksha Mantri,” she wrote. “I appeal to you not to shatter the faith and trust reposed in you to resolve the long outstanding issue of due justice and honour to Major Akshay Girish. Please communicate your decision before 31st March 2019.”

The Major’s mother said on 30 March, an Army car stopped by her gate at 8 pm and some officers showed her a file. “The file just corroborates Akshay’s leadership, bravery and sacrifice to save lives. It neither referred to an award nor made a recommendation,” she said.

The Nagrota Attack

Just two months after the Army’s surgical strike in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists, dressed in police uniforms, struck the Army’s 166 Field Regiment artillery unit in Nagrota on 29 November 2016. The unit comes under the 14 Corps.

On that day, Major Girish led a quick reaction team (QRT) at about 6.15 am to fight off three heavily-armed terrorists who had managed to sneak into the officer’s residential quarters by killing four soldiers at the entry gate. The families, which included children, were at risk.

According to the Major’s unit, 51 Engineers, he faced a hidden terrorist at close range. Despite being hit by multiple bullets, he returned fire for several minutes until a grenade, launched from a terrorist’s under-barrel grenade launcher, blew up his thighs.

His body was recovered only during combing operations late in the evening after the three terrorists had been killed.

Mother argues that CO recommended award

Meghna said the commanding officer of the 51 Engineers had initiated the note for the slain officer to be awarded the Shaurya Chakra.

“This was further endorsed by the GoC of the 14 Corps and by the Northern Army Commander,” she said. “But it got downgraded to the MID at the Army headquarters. Why?”

She has several messages from the Major’s peers, those of the special forces who led the operations and even senior officers, telling her how brave her son was.

Meghna further said that when she first met the Army chief, Gen. Bipin Rawat, in October 2017, he was very courteous and said he would look into the issue.

“When I met him again on 2 January 2018, he said that the citation written by the CO was not very strong. I agree that that the CO did not have battle experience and hence the citation could not have been very strong,” she said. “Even if the writing was not so strong, how come all of them, including the then Northern Commander, recommended him? What is the weight of all these officers then?”

Calling it a “systemic failure”, she now wants the procedure, for the grant of the gallantry awards, to be made more transparent so that the families of those killed “don’t have to go through this again”.

Army sources, however, told ThePrint that due diligence has been followed in the case. “From the first time he was awarded for the Nagrota operations to now, when the review committee looked into the whole issue, due diligence was followed,” a source said.

Asked about Meghna’s allegation that the Army was hesitant to award the Major with the Shaurya Chakra as the attack was an embarrassment for the force, the source added, “Major Kunal Gosavi was awarded Shaurya Chakra (posthumously) for the same operation. There is a proper mechanism in place for awards which has multiple checks and balances”.

The Army’s own Court of Inquiry into the terror attack is still on.

Also read: Not just Abhinandan’s story: Next time you cheer for soldiers, remember their families too

The process for gallantry awards

The Army follows a multi-tiered process in selecting personnel for a gallantry award.

The first note for a gallantry award is initiated by the commanding officer. This is then sent to the brigade headquarters, which then forwards it to the division headquarters with remarks.

From here, the file moves to the corps headquarters where it is processed by a board. The file eventually moves to the command headquarters where another board, consisting of four to five officers, reviews it.

“Only when the GoC-in-C of the command approves the board’s decision that the file is moved to the Army headquarters where another board consisting of the vice chief, the military secretary, the chief of military intelligence and others review it,” a source explained. “Their recommendation is sent to the Army chief who after his remarks sends it to the MoD for final approval.”

Asked if there is scope for improvement, former DGMO Lt Gen, Vinod Bhatia (retd) told ThePrint, “It is a proper system but there is no perfect system in the world.” He added that there are multiple checks and balances in place to ensure that the system works well.

Also read: PM Modi dedicates National War Memorial to India’s fallen soldiers after independence

Spike in gallantry awards

There has been a spike in gallantry awards over the recent years in comparison to earlier wars, such as the ones fought in 1965 and 1971.

The Army source, however, explained this by citing the duration of the wars.

“You will have to look at the duration of these wars,” the source said. “For example, the Kargil battle went on for three months and hence you will see a larger number of awards in comparison to earlier ones.”

“Also, the Indian Army is involved in day-to-day operations in a big way. And hence it would be completely wrong to compare today’s scenario with the earlier ones,” the source added.

Lt Gen Bhatia (retd) argued that awards are a motivation but underlined that laid down parameters have to be met.

“There is a certain yardstick that an act of gallantry has to fall within,” he said. “An award is a great motivation. A unit citation is also a great motivator. With Army involved in daily operations at the LoC and in Kashmir, the number of awards will naturally rise.”

Yogi Adityanath had made the controversial remark at a rally in Ghaziabad on Sunday. “Congress people used to serve terrorists biryani, but Modiji’s Sena (Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Army) gives them only bullets and bombs.

NEW DELHI: 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was reprimanded sharply by the Election Commission on Friday, five days after he referred to the Indian Army as “Modiji ki Sena”, or Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s army, at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh. “Be careful in your utterances in the future,” news agency PTI quoted the poll body as saying.

Yogi Adityanath had made the controversial remark at a rally in Ghaziabad on Sunday. “Congress people used to serve terrorists biryani, but Modiji’s Sena (Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Army) gives them only bullets and bombs. That’s the difference. Congress people use “ji” for terrorists like Masood Azhar, but under the leadership of PM Modi, the BJP government is breaking the backs of terrorists by striking their camps,” he said.

The comment was not received well by opposition leaders and former army officials, who maintained that apolitical entities such as the armed forces should not be dragged into electoral politics. “It is shocking to hear the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister referring to the Indian Army as the ‘Modi Sena’. Such blatant usurping of our beloved Indian Army is an insult and a humiliation,” said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Even Union Minister VK Singh rebuked Yogi Adityanath, saying that the “army does not belong to any individual but to the entire nation”.

Former Navy chief Admiral L Ramdas (retired) asked the Election Commission to look into possible violation of the poll code, following which it sought an explanation from Yogi Adityanath yesterday.

Yogi Adityanath made the remark despite the Election Commission issuing clear instructions last month that the armed forces, being “apolitical and neutral stakeholders in a modern democracy”, should not be brought up in poll campaigns.

Guilty on 2 counts: ‘Fraternising’ with a local, ‘away from place of duty in operational area’

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 31

Major Leetul Gogoi, who is facing court-martial proceedings, is likely to lose seniority as a punishment for “fraternising” with a local woman in Srinagar last year.

Army officials here in Delhi confirmed that the court-martial proceedings against Major Gogoi had been completed and the same will need to be okayed by the Army headquarters. Major Gogoi will have the option of appealing against the verdict.

Loss of seniority would mean Major Gogoi would not pick up his next rank of Lt Colonel as per schedule on completing 13 years in service. The delay in his promotion will depend on the quantum of loss in seniority that is finally okayed.

The court martial was ordered in August last year after a court of inquiry against Major Gogoi had issued orders to initiate disciplinary action on two counts — for ‘fraternising with locals in spite of instructions to the contrary’ and being away from the place of duty while in an operational area.

Major Gogoi was detained by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on May 23 last year from a Srinagar hotel along with a local woman and another soldier. The detained woman was 19 years old and had gone with the officer of her own volition, Jammu and Kashmir Police had said. Hence, no police case was made out. However, the Army rules did not allow Major Gogoi to be let off without punishment.

During the court-martial proceedings, the woman had expressed her unwillingness to depose and informed the Army authorities that she had given a statement before a magistrate and the same should be treated as her final stand.

She also said that she had become a friend of the Army officer through his fake Facebook profile where he had named himself Ubaid Arman. The court-martial process against his driver, Sameer Malla, who was facing charges of unauthorised absence from the unit, was also completed recently in the Kashmir valley and he is likely to be given a “severe reprimand”.

Immediately after the incident came to light last year, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had said exemplary punishment would be given to Major Gogoi if he was found guilty of any offence.

Major Gogoi hit the headlines after he tied a man to a jeep purportedly as a shield against stone-pelters during polling in the Srinagar Lok Sabha byelection on April 9, 2017. Gen Rawat had then awarded him and supported his act.

Rajmeet Singh

Completing two years in office, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh turned 77 this week. While there was a bash to celebrate his birthday, his tenure so far may not call for as grand a celebration. The roll-out of development schemes has been painfully slow and poll promises are yet to be met.

This said, Capt Amarinder continues to play on the front foot in the political arena. Outsmarting his rivals within the party, mainly those eyeing the top seat, he has reaffirmed his position as the undisputed leader of the Punjab Congress.

Securing a two-thirds majority in the 2017 Assembly elections followed by consecutive wins in the byelections to the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha and Shahkot Assembly seats with huge margins, the CM, strengthened by a divided Opposition, is now working on ‘Mission 13’ — winning all 13 Lok Sabha seats.

Capt Amarinder is credited with instilling a sense of security in all sections by eliminating organised crime, cracking murder cases of Hindu right-wing leaders and busting Khalistani modules. At the same time, he has addressed Panthic issue by initiating action — though only partially — on the emotive issue of sacrilege and the police firing at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura.

The special schemes launched to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and pushing for the Kartarpur Sahib corridor are his other accomplishments that has won him praise. But that’s half the story.

Capt Amarinder has given virtually a free hand to bureaucrats to run the government. In private, his Cabinet colleagues and party legislators admit the government’s performance has been below expectations, mainly owing to lack of delivery of government schemes.

In the saddle for 24 months now, the narrative of under-delivered poll promises is being played up by the Opposition. Given the financial crunch, promises like free smartphones under ‘Captain Smart Connect Scheme’, Rs 2,500 unemployment allowance and a job for each family remain a distant dream. The government intent of ending the sand, transport and cable mafia is not visible on the ground.

The involvement of a number of party MLAs in sand mining is a case in point. The government has been found wanting in prompt action as illegal mining continues unabated, despite the government bringing in a new sand and gravel policy.

Basking in glory for being the first state to disburse Rs 4,736 crore under farm loan debt waiver scheme ‘Karja Kurki Khatam, Fasal Di Puri Rakam’ benefiting five lakh small and marginal farmers and other Congress-ruled states replicating the Punjab model, the government is now bringing in a scheme for landless farmers and farmhand.

Though the government may be given credit for initiating administrative reforms, tackling corruption continues to be their Achilles heel. The much promised legislation on ‘Conflict of Interest’ to bring MLAs and ministers under its purview is still at the discussion stage.

Also, the exodus of Punjabi youth to foreign lands is indicative of the rising problem of unemployment.

Under the ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar and Karobar’ schemes, the government claims to have helped 6.26 lakh  youth — 761 per day. The Opposition, however, is not impressed. It says the government has been using  private colleges to host ‘Rozgar Melas’ to send out the impression it is generating employment.

• AGRICULTURE: Farm distress hurt Akalis, continues to haunt Cong
• FINANCE: Despite intent, affirmative action missing
• HEALTH: Negatives, and positives, in face of serious challenges 
• EDUCATION: Chapter of dissent
• LAW & ORDER: Gangs reined in 
• TRANSPORT: Old monopoly rules
• Sidhu leads charge, but not much change on the ground

Washington, March 12

Pakistan has assured the United States that it will deal firmly with all terrorists and take steps to de-escalate tensions with India, a top White House official said on Monday.

Such an assurance was given by Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi during a call with the US National Security Adviser, John Bolton, the latter said in a tweet.

“Spoke with Pakistani FM Qureshi to encourage meaningful steps against JeM and other terrorist groups operating from Pakistan,” Bolton said.

“The FM assured me that Pakistan would deal firmly with all terrorists and would continue steps to de-escalate tensions with India,” tweeted the US national security adviser.

Bolton’s call with Qureshi came during the ongoing visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. On the first day of his official visit, the top Indian diplomat met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The United States continued to maintain pressure on Pakistan, according to a readout of the meeting issued by the State Department.

“Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Secretary Gokhale discussed the importance of bringing those responsible for the (Pulwama) attack to justice and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said.

Pompeo affirmed that the United States stood with the people and Government of India in the fight against terrorism, he said.

“They noted the strength of our partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation, including on counterterrorism,” Palladino said.

Tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14.

Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.

The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured Indian pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1. PTI

Ganiv Kaur from Jammu celebrates with her family after being commissioned as an officer during a passing-out parade at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai on Saturday. Her father Col Harjinder Singh (L) is a Sena Medal awardee. PTI

Chennai: Ganiv Kaur had topped the merit list of JAG Branch (Women) of the Army. She is the fourth generation officer in her family to wear the uniform and the first woman from Jammu to top the list.

A total of 172 cadets were commissioned as officers, including those hailing from Bhutan and Afghanistan, on Saturday.

Lt Gen Ranbir Singh presented the Sword of Honour and a silver medal to the academy under officer Siddharth Bhawnani, a gold medal to cadet Sandhya and a bronze medal to battalion under officer Noyonika Binda.

They are true epitome of valour; they wear the Olive green with great pride. This Women’s Day, meet these brave-hearts who serve the Army with great enthusiasm

Mona

Valour and honour these women wear on their sleeves, literally. With their indomitable spirit, grit and training, the women officers of Indian Army are the true representatives of nari shakti — that, by the way, was Oxford dictionary’s Hindi word of the year in 2018!

This Women’s Day we meet these brave-hearts who don the olive green with pride.

Childhood dream:Capt Priti Sharma

Capt Priti Sharma was fascinated by the olive green and the brass on the shoulders right from her childhood. A fitness freak, with an ambition to serve the country, she did not look beyond the Army, ever. “Joining the Force, I could fly in the sky, literally,” says the officer, who had her basic para training.  Be the fitness that she asserts is up to the next level since she joined Army or pursuing mountaineering that’s her passion, she next dreams of climbing the Everest.

“While serving the motherland, this is one field that lets you be. An officer is an officer, no man-woman distinction here, and courage, valour and strength are the words that we live by”. 

Proud soul Lt Col Shubhra Sambyal

When barely seven, little Shubhra was intrigued by her father’s friend who would show up at their house every now and then in uniform, and motivate her and her brother about being part of the prestigious Indian Army. “Now that I don olive greens just like him, I know how prestigious it is,” says Lt Col Shubhra Sambyal. A true believer of nari shakti, she insists, “Women are  tougher biologically for they are  the ones who give birth; also mentally they are way more resilient.”

“It is about time women support each other through different walks of life to emerge stronger in the times to come.”

Dream come true:Major Euthica

From Patna, Major Euthica’s inspiration to don the greens came from the serial Aarohan. “Seeing Pallavi Joshi as a cadet fuelled my dreams and the course of my life was set.” Schooling in Patna, college in Pune, it was Army next. “Women are already empowered, they don’t need any extra push. All women need today is the freedom to make decisions and a platform to showcase their abilities. Be it any field, they would prove their mettle.”

“Know your strength and don’t stop till you have achieved your aim.”

True strength:Capt Bhavna Syal

Army running in her blood, Capt Bhavna Syal is third-generation in the Indian Armed Forces. Part of the Republic Day Parade, Capt Bhavna insists, “I couldn’t think of any other profession that gives so much pride and dignity.” At the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, she credits her success to the lady officers who led them on. “Our commanding officer was a very motivating lady, who gave us a heads-up on every challenge that came our way.”

“Gender is a social construct and no challenge is insurmountable. Give your 100 per cent, and anything that you can think, you can achieve.”

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has taken necessary steps to ensure that women, who were earlier inducted for Short Service Commission (SSC), will now be granted PC in the Armed forces.