News Analysis India

Tag: Indian Army

  • Indian Army, Chinese PLA establish new hotline in Sikkim

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Amidst the environment of tension along the Line of Actual Control the Armies of India and China got a new telecommunication hotline link on Sunday which has been established in Sikkim and Tibet Autonomous Region.

    “A new hotline was established between Indian Army in Kongra La, North Sikkim and PLA at Khamba Dzong in Tibetan Autonomous Region to further the spirit of trust and cordial relations along the borders. The event coincided with the PLA Day on 01 Aug 2021,” the Army said.

    The inauguration was attended by ground commanders of the respective Armies and a message of friendship and harmony was exchanged through the Hotline, Indian Army added.

    The Armed forces of the two countries have well-established mechanisms for communication at ground commander level. This is the sixth Hotline with two in Eastern Ladakh, two in Sikkim and two in Arunachal Pradesh.

    The other five hotlines are established along the meeting points at the LAC which are five in total at Daulet Beg Oldi (DBO) and Chushul in Eastern Ladakh, Nathu La in Sikkim, and at Bum La and Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh.

    As the Army said, these hotlines in various sectors go a long way in enhancing communication and maintaining peace and tranquillity at the borders.

    As reported earlier by this paper with the prevailing standoffs at eastern Ladakh since May 2020, there has been an increase in the communication between the PLA and the Indian Army in order to resolve the protracted tensions along the LAC which led to deadly duels in Galwan which claimed lives on both sides.

    Other than talks at the various levels, the hotline was used extensively. There have been frantic talks which used to be up to five hotline calls in a day. “The Hot Line talks between May 2020 and till July have been 1450 times.” said an official.

    There have been 12 meetings between the Corps Commanders (Senior Higher Military Commander Level: SCML), 10 between the Division Commanders (Higher Military Commander Level: HCML) and 55 Delegation Level (Sector Commanders or Brigadier Level).

    Both the armies have troops deployed in standoff mode at Hotspring, Gogra, Depsang and Demchok. Disengagement took place at Galwan and from both the North and South Bank of Pangong Lake.

    The last Corps Commander level talks were held on July 31 the details of which are yet to be known.

  • More than 90,000 job openings lying vacant in Indian Army: Defence Ministry

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: While the Indian Army is facing a shortage of over 7,900 officers, more than 90,000 vacancies for soldiers including junior commissioned officers are also lying vacant, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said in a written reply to the query raised the Rajya Sabha.

    The Navy, which is considered third in terms of the size among all the three defense forces, stands second in terms of manpower shortages as it is short of 1,190 officers and 11,927 sailors in its ranks.

    Bhatt informed that the Army was short of 7,912 officers and 90,640 soldiers in its ranks and efforts are being made to fill up these vacancies.

    On the Indian Air Force, Bhatt said, “The IAF was short of 610 officers and 7,104 men in its ranks.”

    Bhatt said that the government has taken a number of measures to reduce the shortages.

    “These, inter-alia, include sustained image projection, participation in career fairs and exhibitions, and publicity campaign to create awareness among the youth on the advantages of taking up a challenging and satisfying career,” added Bhatt.

    To encourage the youth to join the Armed Forces, motivational lectures are regularly organized in schools/colleges/other educational institutes and National Cadet Corps (NCC) camps, he further said.

    According to the Defence Ministry, the government has taken various steps to make the job in the Armed Forces attractive including improvement in promotion prospects in the Armed Forces and to fill up vacancies. 

  • Kargil Vijay Diwas: Indian Army pays tributes to its soldiers at Drass war memorial

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: The Army paid rich tributes to the soldiers who lost their lives in the 1999 Kargil War against Pakistan at the Drass war memorial in Ladakh on Monday. In 1999, the Indian armed forces defeated attempts by Pakistan to capture strategic heights in Kargil.

    It was named ‘Operation Vijay’ (victory). The solemn ceremony to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas was held at the Kargil War Memorial, Drass, Srinagar-based PRO Defence Col Emron Musavi said.

    Lt Governor of Ladakh RK Mathur was the chief guest on the occasion. He laid a wreath at the memorial and paid tributes to the slain soldiers as part of a ceremony symbolising ‘shraddhanjali’ (homage) from the entire nation.

    President Ram Nath Kovind was scheduled to visit the Drass memorial to pay homage to the soldiers who laid down their lives in the war but the plan had to be change due to bad weather. Instead, he visited the Baramulla war memorial in north Kashmir and laid a wreath there.

    In 2019 also, Kovind’s flight could not take off from here due to bad weather and he laid a wreath at the war memorial in Badamibagh Cantonment, which also houses the headquarters of the Army’s 15 Corps. PRO Defence Musavi said this year, the Kargil Vijay Diwas coincides with the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh Victory Flame’ reaching the Kargil War Memorial.

    The journey of the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh Victory Flame’ across the country commemorates 50 years of India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war.

    The proceedings at the Kargil War Memorial commenced with the reception of the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh Victory Flame’ by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat in the presence of GOC-in-C Northern Command Lt Gen Y K Joshi, GOC 14 Corps Lt Gen PGK Menon, GOC 15 Corps Lt Gen DP Pandey and GOC 16 Corps Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar and other officers, gallantry awardees, ‘Veer Naris’, next of kin of the slain soldiers and civil dignitaries, Musavi said.

    It was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony by civil and military dignitaries, he said. The gallantry awardees of the Kargil War, next of kin of the bravehearts, and ‘Veer Naris’ also paid tributes to the fallen heroes, he said.

  • Three militants killed, jawan injured in encounter in J-K’s Bandipora

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Three unidentified militants were killed while an Army jawan was injured in an encounter in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said.

    Security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in Shokbaba forest in the Sumblar area of Bandipora in north Kashmir following inputs about the presence of militants there, they said.

    The officials said as the forces were conducting the searches in the area, the militants fired upon them.

    The forces retaliated, ensuing an encounter in which three militants were killed.

    Apart from the police, Army and CRPF, the services of paratroopers and MARCOS (Marine Commandos) have also been utilised in the operation which has been going on for over 12 hours now, they said.

    Srinagar-based PRO Defence Col Emron Musavi said an Army official suffered injuries in the gunfight.

    He said the injured jawan has been evacuated and is undergoing treatment.

    The officials said the identity and group affiliation of the slain ultras are being ascertained.

    The operation is in progress and further details are awaited, they added.

  • Two militants gunned down by security forces in J&K’s Bandipora, jawan injured

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Two unidentified militants were killed while an Army jawan was injured in an encounter in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said.

    Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Shokbaba forest in the Sumblar area of Bandipora in north Kashmir following inputs about the presence of militants there, they said.

    The officials said as the forces were conducting searches in the area, the militants fired upon them.

    The forces retaliated and two militants were killed in the ensuing encounter, the officials said.

    While the officials had earlier said three soldiers were also injured in the gunfight, Srinagar-based PRO Defence Col Emron Musavi said only one Army personnel sustained injuries.

    He said the injured jawan was evacuated.

    The officials said the identity and group affiliation of the slain ultras are being ascertained.

    The operation is in progress and further details were awaited, they said.

  • Army jawan dies in mine blast along LoC in J-K’s Poonch

    By PTI
    JAMMU: A 27-year-old Army jawan was killed in a mine blast along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said on Saturday.

    Sepoy Kamal Dev Vaidya was on operational duty in Krishna Ghati sector on Friday.

    He accidentally stepped on a mine and it exploded injuring him critically, a defence spokesman said.

    The soldier was evacuated to the nearest medical facility but he succumbed to injuries there, the official said.

    Sepoy Vaidya hailed from Ghumarwin village in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district.

    He is survived by mother Vanita Devi, the spokesman said.

    “Sepoy Kamal Dev Vaidya was a brave, highly motivated and sincere soldier. The nation will always remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” he said.

  • Two militants killed, three soliders injured in encounter in J-K’s Bandipora

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Two unidentified militants were killed and three soldiers injured in an encounter in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said.

    Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Shokbaba forest in the Sumblar area of Bandipora in north Kashmir following inputs about the presence of militants there, they said.

    The officials said as the forces were conducting searches in the area, the militants fired upon them.

    The forces retaliated, ensuing an encounter in which two militants were killed, they added.

    Three soldiers were also injured in the gunfight, the officials said, adding they were taken to a medical facility for treatment.

    The identity and group affiliation of the slain ultras is being ascertained, the officials said.

    The operation is in progress, the said.

  • Top commander among two LeT militants killed in encounter in J-K’s Baramulla

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, including a top commander of the outfit involved in several attacks, were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in the Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, police said on Friday.

    A police spokesperson said the security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Warpora area of Sopore on Thursday, following specific information about the presence of ultras there.

    “During the search operation, as the presence of terrorists got ascertained, they were given repeated opportunities to surrender. However, instead of surrendering, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which was retaliated, leading to an encounter,” he said.

    In the ensuing encounter, the spokesman said, two “categorised terrorists of proscribed terror outfit LeT” were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of the encounter.

    He identified them as Fayaz Ahmad War alias Rukana alias Umar of Warpora, who was a top commander of the LeT, and Shaheen Ahmad Mir alias Shaheen Molvi of Cherpora Budgam.

    “As per police records, both the slain terrorists were part of groups involved in various terror crime cases and several terror crime cases were registered against them,” he added.

    The spokesman said War had been associated with terrorism since 2008.

    “Although he had surrendered earlier with arms and ammunition, after his release, he again worked as a terrorist associate for proscribed terror outfit HM and was detained under PSA.

    However, after his release in March 2020, he joined terrorist ranks of proscribed terror outfit LeT,” he said.

    Besides being part of groups involved in several terror crime cases, War was very instrumental in planning and executing terror attacks on security establishments and civilian killings, and figured among the list of most-wanted terrorists in north Kashmir, the spokesman said.

    “He was the last active terrorist who perpetrated a series of various terror crimes and violence in north Kashmir which included attack on police party at Warpora Sopore in March last year in which one police personnel and a civilian got killed and the attack on joint naka party at Ahad Baba crossing on in April last year in which three CRPF personnel got killed,” he said.

    The spokesman said War was also involved in the killing of a civilian, Danish Manzoor Naja of Eidipora Bomai, and an attack on a joint naka party at Model Town Sopore in which another civilian and a CRPF trooper were killed.

    He was also involved in the killing of two municipal councillors and a policeman near SDH Sopore on June 12, and two police personnel and two civilians at Main Chowk, Sopore, the official added.

    War was also involved in a series of grenade attacks on police and security establishments, he said.

    Incriminating material, arms and ammunition, including two AK-47 rifles and four magazines, were recovered from the site of the encounter, the spokesman said.

    One of the two rifles was snatched from a Territorial Army soldier in an attack in Khushipora, Parimpora area of Srinagar, on November 26 last year, he said.

    Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar congratulated police and security forces for conducting a “successful operation” in a professional manner without any collateral damage.

    PTI SSB MIJ AQS AQS 07232036 NNNN

  • Two militants killed in encounter with security forces in J&K’s Baramulla

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Two militants were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in the Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, police said on Friday.

    The security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Warpora area of Sopore on Thursday, following information about the presence of ultras there, a police official said.

    “During the house-to-house search, the location of the terrorists was established and they were asked to surrender. However, they refused the offer,” the official said.

    He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants started firing towards the positions of the security forces, which was retaliated.

    “Two militants were neutralised in the operation, which was carried out without any collateral damage,” the official said.

    Inspector General of Police, Kashmir zone Vijay Kumar congratulated the security forces for the successful operation.

    “One of killed #terrorist Fayaz War was involved in several attacks & #killings of civilians/ SFs. He was last #perpetrator of #violences in #NorthKashmir,” Kumar was quoted as saying in the official Twitter handle of the Jammu and Kashmir police.

    Security forces have killed 80 militants in the valley since the beginning of this year.

  • Army man arrested for providing classified documents to Pakistan’s ISI 

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Two persons, including an Army man, have been arrested under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly providing classified documents to the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan, the Delhi Police said on Thursday.

    The Army headquarters have confirmed that the documents in question were classified in nature, they said.

    The development comes after a 34-year-old vegetable supplier at the Pokhran Army base camp was held for allegedly getting sensitive documents from an Army man for money and providing them to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

    The vegetable supplier, Habeeb Khan, was picked up on Tuesday by the Delhi Police from Pokhran in Rajasthan, officials had said on Wednesday.

    The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch received information that some sensitive documents related to defence establishment were being sent to the neighbouring country through spy network.

    “We got input about the involvement of one Habibur Rehman. Our team then conducted a raid and arrested him from Pokhran after due verification. Some secret documents were recovered from his possession and a case was registered against him under the Official Secrets Act,” Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Praveer Ranjan said at a press conference.

    During the course of investigation, it was found that Army man Paramjit was the link man in the crime.

    He was earlier posted at Pokhran where he came in contact with Rehman who asked him to share the secret documents, the officer said.

    Paramjit is currently posted as a clerk at Agra Cantt, police said.

    According to police, Rehman’s relatives are based in Pakistan’s Sindh and he had been to that country and met some people there involved in the spy racket.

    Rehman was asked to share the documents with them and the money for doing the job was sent through hawala network, police said, adding that further investigation is underway in the matter.

    “Both Rehman and Paramjit have been found involved in the illegal act. The Army headquarters have also confirmed that the documents shared by the duo were classified in nature,” a police officer said.

    Multiple bank accounts used in the crime have been found, he said, adding the matter is being thoroughly investigated.