News Analysis India

Tag: Indian Army

  • Militancy-related violence has reduced by around 50 per cent in J&K: Army officer

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Militancy-related violence has reduced by around 50 per cent in Jammu and Kashmir, but some criminal elements controlled from across the border and by enemies within the country are trying to instill fear among people by killing unarmed people, a senior Army officer said on Thursday.

    “The parameters of violence have decreased by nearly 50 per cent. The situation is very good and there is stability in entire Kashmir,” General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army’s Chinar Corps Lieutenant General D P Pandey told reporters on the sidelines of a function at Handwara in Kupwara district.

    He said attempts are being made by militants to create an atmosphere of fear by targeting civilians, politicians and unarmed policemen.

    ALSO READ | Army kicks off process to get 1,750 futuristic infantry combat vehicles, will deploy them at LAC

    “Some of these criminal elements are controlled from across (the border) and some by enemies within the country. The enemies are so frustrated by peace, stability and development that they are killing shopkeepers, politicians and unarmed policemen,” Lt Gen. Pandey said.

    He said he was confident that police will curb these small incidents.

    Replying to a question, Lt Gen. Pandey said around 200 militants are active in Kashmir as on date.

    The Army had organised a function to rename the Army Goodwill School at Bedkut in Handwara after Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, who was killed in an encounter with militants in May last year.

  • Army kicks off process to get 1,750 futuristic infantry combat vehicles, will deploy them at LAC

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Indian Army issued a Request For Information (RFI) for the procurement of high mobility Future Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICV) on Wednesday. These vehicles, to be manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ project, will add speed to mobilisation of troops even under enemy fire in difficult mountainous terrain along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).  

    The RFI is to get information about the vehicles from the probable manufacturers. The Indian Army wants a total of 1750 FICVs which will have anti-tank missiles and their own guns. “Out of the total quantity, 55% would be the gun version and the rest would be specialist vehicles,” said an Army source.

    Sources confirmed that the FICVs are likely to replace the 1980s vintage BMP-2 and as per the RFI, this combat vehicle will also be employed for operations along the LAC in the Ladakh, Central and Sikkim sectors.

    The Line of Actual Control has a peculiar terrain where the altitude varies from 9,000 ft to 18,000 ft with intermittent plains and valleys. The protracted standoff in eastern Ladakh saw mobilisation of tanks and BMPs which were lined up as close as 50 ft to each other.

    These vehicles can operate in the plains, semi-desert, desert and mountainous terrain with capability to cross the rivers and streams (amphibious capability) and operate in CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) environment.

    A three-stage induction model has been proposed by the Army and Indian vendors can collaborate with Foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers to supply FICV within two years of the contract at the rate of supplying 75-100 vehicles per year, said army sources.

    It has been stuck since 2009 when the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) was granted as the first step to begin the process.

    In another step to procure big ticket items, the Indian Army had issued an RFI earlier this month for the acquisition of 1770 future-ready combat vehicles or advanced battle tanks in a phased manner.

  • Militant killed in encounter with security forces in J&K’s Shopian

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.

    Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Shirmal area of the south Kashmir district after receiving specific inputs about the presence of militants there, a police official said.

    He said as the forces were conducting searches, militants fired upon them.

    The forces retaliated, ensuing an encounter, in which one militant was killed, the official said.

    He said the identity and group affiliation of the slain militant was being ascertained.

    The operation is going on, he added.

  • Indian peacekeepers in Sudan awarded UN medals for outstanding performance

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Recognising the dedicated services of the Indian Army soldiers towards peacekeeping, the United Nations awarded them with Medal on Monday. The Peacekeepers from Sri Lanka were also awarded.

    It was a special day for the 135 Indian soldiers on UN Duty, also known as Blue Berets, as the medal ceremony in Bor, South Sudan, was presided over by Lt Gen Shailesh Tinaikar, UN Force Commander, also an Indian Army officer himself. As many as 103 Sri Lankan Blue Berets were also awarded the medal.

    “My heartfelt congratulations to all these officers for their contributions towards the fulfillment of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) mandate in this challenging environment,” said Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar.

    The UNMISS took to its official Twitter handle and said, “Take a bow, people of #India! Some 135 of your peacekeeping troops, based in #SouthSudan and serving with #UNMISS, have received @UN medals for their outstanding performance in Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. #ServingForPeace”

    The Indian troops are stationed in Bor, Pibor, and at a temporary operating base in Akobo and have engaged in a variety of activities, including civil-military cooperation such as a veterinary camp. They have been dealing with the often violent situations in the volatile parts of South Sudan beset with intercommunal violence. Flooding and the resulting displacement of thousands of people have further complicated matters.

    Indian troops deployed under MONUSCO, a UN peacekeeping mission headquartered in the Congolese city of Goma and bordering Rwanda, earned praises. The troops facilitated smooth evacuation and protection of the civilians of Goma City and the UN personnel in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after volcano Mount Nyiragongo erupted molten red hot lava.

    India has been one of the top troop contributors for various UN missions. At present, there are around 5,500 Indian soldiers serving in eight of the 13 UN Missions.

    The year 2018 brought a paradigm shift to peacekeeping with foreign troops for the first time began serving under an Indian battalion in Lebanon. A company of 120 Kazakh Army troops part of operations with the Indian Army.

    In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission.

    Currently, India has deployed a total of 5,424 personnel for UN missions. Since the UN’s first mission of 1953 more than 2,50,000 Indian troops have served in UNs 52 out of 71 missions. More than 160 Indian peacekeepers have paid the ultimate price in service to peace, losing their lives serving under the UN flag.

    The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 with 51 Member States which currently stands at 193 Member States. It primarily works to maintain international peace and security, give humanitarian assistance to those in need, protect human rights, and uphold international law. It has set sustainable development goals for 2030, in order to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

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  • Valour of Galwan bravehearts will be eternally etched in memory of nation: Army

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane on Tuesday led the force in hailing the valour of the 20 soldiers who laid down their lives while defending the country’s territorial integrity in the face of “unprecedented” Chinese aggression at the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh a year ago.

    On the first anniversary of the deadly clashes, the Army said the supreme sacrifice of the soldiers while fighting the adversary in the “most difficult” high altitude terrain will be “eternally etched” in the memory of the nation.

    “General MM Naravane #COAS & All Ranks of #IndianArmy pay homage to the #Bravehearts who made supreme sacrifice in Galwan Valley #Ladakh while defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country. Their valour will be eternally etched in the memory of the #Nation,” the Army tweeted.

    In the first deadly clash in the border area in nearly five decades, 20 Indian soldiers were killed on June 15 last year in the Galwan Valley in fierce hand-to-hand combat with Chinese troops, triggering a large deployment of troops and heavy weaponry by both armies at the friction points in eastern Ladakh.

    In February, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes with the Indian Army though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher.

    The Army’s Leh-based 14 Corps, popularly known as Fire and Fury Corps, also paid homage to the “Galwan Bravehearts” on the first anniversary of the violent clashes.

    “In the face of unprecedented Chinese aggression, 20 Indian soldiers laid down their lives defending our land and inflicted heavy casualties on the PLA (People’s Liberation Army,” the Army said.

    Major Gen Akash Kaushik, the officiating General Officer Commanding of the Fire and Fury Corps laid a wreath at the iconic Leh war memorial in paying homage to the fallen heroes.

    The 14 Corps takes care of guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the Ladakh region.

    “The nation will remain eternally grateful to these gallant soldiers who fought in the most difficult high altitude terrain and made the supreme sacrifice in service of the nation,” the Army said in a statement.

    Colonel Bikumalla Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, had led from the front against the Chinese aggression near Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan Valley.

    In January, he was posthumously named for Mahavir Chakra, the second-highest military award for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy.

    Four other soldiers were named for Vir Chakra awards posthumously.

    The Army last year built a memorial for the ‘Gallants of Galwan’ at Post 120 in eastern Ladakh.

    The memorial mentioned their heroics under operation ‘Snow Leopard’ and the way they evicted the PLA troops from the area while inflicting “heavy casualties” on them.

    Days after the clashes, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had bluntly told his Chinese counterpart that the “unprecedented development will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship.

    India held the neighbouring country accountable for triggering the Ladakh standoff by violating rules of engagement on border management and conveyed that peace and tranquillity along the LAC is the basis for the progress of the rest of the relationship and they cannot be separated.

    Months later, Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed on a five-point pact to resolve the row at a meeting in Moscow.

    The two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

    They are now engaged in talks to extend the disengagement process to the remaining friction points.

    There was no visible forward movement in disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points as the Chinese side did not show flexibility in their approach on it at the 11th round of military talks.

    Last month, Army Chief Gen Naravane said that there can be no de-escalation without complete disengagement at all friction points in eastern Ladakh and that the Indian Army is prepared for all contingencies in the region.

    Gen Naravane also said that India is dealing with China in a “firm” and “non-escalatory” manner to ensure the sanctity of its claims in eastern Ladakh, and that it was even open to initiating confidence-building measures.

    India has been insisting on complete disengagement in remaining friction points to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ladakh. 

  • 13 security forces killed in Jammu & Kashmir in 2021

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: Though officials have claimed that the security forces have an upper hand against militants and that the militancy is on a decline, as many as 13 security personnel lost their lives to violence by militants this year.  

    Of them, seven were from Jammu and Kashmir Police, three from the CRPF and three from the Army. They were killed in nine separate incidents in the Valley, three of which took place in south Kashmir, three in Srinagar, two in Sopore and one in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

    According to the statistics, of the 13 security force casualties in Valley in militancy violence this year, only two were killed in encounters. An army man and a Special Police Officer (SPO) of J&K police were killed in two separate encounters.

    The SPO was killed in an encounter with militants in Beerwah area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district on February 17 while the army man was killed in a firefight with militants in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

    Eleven security men were killed in seven militant attacks across the Valley including in south, central and north Kashmir. An Army soldier was killed and three others were injured in an IED blast carried out by militants at Shamsipora area.

  • Onus on continuation of ceasefire, removal of mistrust lies with Pakistan: Indian Army chief

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: Army Chief General MM Naravane on Thursday said responsibility and onus on continuity of border ceasefire and removal of mistrust with India lie solely with Pakistan.

    “The border ceasefire is holding. The onus to ensure that ceasefire lies with Pakistan. We are willing to observe the ceasefire as long as they do so,” General Naravane told media persons during his second-day visit to the Valley.

    Asked whether Army has lowered guard along the LoC, he said while a ceasefire is on, militant infrastructure, militant camps and militants continue to be on the other side of LoC. “Therefore there can be no slackening in our preparedness and alertness.”

    Asked whether the ceasefire has reduced mistrust between India and Pakistan, Army chief said, “Trust is a very difficult thing to come by. It takes a very long time to develop. There have been decades of mistrust in India and Pakistan and obviously, the situation on that score cannot change overnight”.

    “However, if the ceasefire continues and they (Pakistan) continues to observe ceasefire in letter and spirit and stop and desist from pushing militants across and foment trouble in India, then all small steps will definitely go incrementally in building trust between two countries. The onus is entirely on Pakistan to build upon whatever has been achieved so far”.

    On the thinning of troops, he said, “We cannot reduce alertness and preparedness. We have a counter-infiltration grid to prevent any movement from across LoC. We also have a counter militancy grid in the hinterland. All these deployments are dynamic and they depend on situation and threat perception”.

    “However, we keep reviewing deployments and if situation permits, then we pull out some troops from active deployment to the rare areas so that they get time for rest and relief”.

    General Naravane said Army’s role in J&K is to bring the level of violence to an extent, where civil administration and local security forces can then play their role in the development of the region.

    “Army’s role is to work with local administration and other forces. Our ultimate aim is to bring level of violence so that peace and development can take place in J&K,” he said.

    Asked how he sees the security situation in J&K, Army chief said, “All security parameters have seen great improvement. There have been very few militants initiated incidents, hardly any cases of stone pelting and no IED attacks in the recent past. All these are indicators or return of sense of normalcy”.

    In response to a question on Amarnath yatra, he said, “We are prepared and taken all necessary steps for smooth conduct of Amarnath yatra. The decision to conduct the yatra lies with the civil administration. But we are ready from our side.”

    The 56-day Amarnath yatra is scheduled to start from 28 June. However, due to the outbreak of the second Covid-19 wave, it is not known whether J&K government would allow the yatra or not.

    Asking youth to shun the path of violence, General Naravane said, “Violence does not get you anywhere. The youth should embrace the future and world over the future lies in shunning violence. And if you do that, it will only hasten the process of ushering in a new era of development and prosperity in J&K.”

    Earlier, the Army chief visited the formations and units along the LoC and was briefed by the local commanders about the existing security situation and measures taken to foil infiltration by militants from across the LoC.

    While interacting with troops, he cautioned all commanders and troops to not let their guard down and remain prepared to meet any emerging security challenges effectively.

  • Centre broadens rules that bar retired officials from publishing sensitive information

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Centre has amended its rules barring officers who had worked in intelligence and security related organisations from publishing sensitive information by adding new clauses, including the conditions that they can’t share any material on “domain of the organisation” and its personnel.

    The Central Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules, 2021, dated May 31 and notified late Tuesday, also states that they need to take prior permission from the “head of the organization” for publishing such material.

    In the earlier 2007 rules, permission was to be taken from the head of the department.

    All employees would have to give an undertaking to the head of organisation that they would not publish such information failing which pension can be “withheld or withdrawn”, the amendment states.

    According to the Central Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules 2007 that was notified in March 2008, all such employees are already barred from publishing any sensitive information, “the disclosure of which would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India”.

    The amended provision now reads, “No government servant, who, having worked in any intelligence or security-related organization…shall, without prior clearance from the head of the organisation, make any publication after retirement, of any material relating to and including domain of the organisation, including any reference or information about any personnel and his designation, and expertise or knowledge gained by virtue of working in that organization”.

    There was no mention of domain of the organisation and reference to any personnel in the 2007 rules.

    “Domain may be taken to mean core area or core areas of the working of an organisation,” an official explained.

    The head of the organisation will decide whether the proposed material for publication is sensitive or non-sensitive, and whether it falls in the domain of the organization, according to the amended rules.

    The 2007 rules had barred the employees from publishing material including “sensitive information, the disclosure of which would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the state, or relation with a foreign state or which would lead to incitement of an offence” after their retirement.

    The rules apply to employees who retire from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Aviation Research Centre, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, National Security Guards, Central Industrial Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police among others.

    The list also includes the Narcotics Control Bureau, Special Frontier Force, Special Protection Group and Financial Intelligence Unit.

    The CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, which have been amended to make way for 2007 and 2021 rules, however, don’t apply to officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) among others.

    The CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 apply to those appointed on or before December 31, 2003.

  • Major reshuffle at higher echelons of Indian armed forces

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The three wings of the armed forces—Army, Navy and Air Force—are set to have a number of new faces at the top reaches, including a new deputy chief in the Navy, two new commanders in the Army. Vice Admiral M S Pawar, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (DCNS) superannuated on Monday after 39 years of service. Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh, who was serving as the Chief of Personnel of the Navy, will be the new DCNS.

    Vice Admiral Pawar has an extraordinary 25 years of sea-going service which otherwise remains between 17-20 years. Navy also will get a new Chief of Materiel as Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition (CWP&A) will replace Vice Admiral S R Sarma, who retired on Monday. 

    Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh will be the new CWP&A. Vice Admiral DK Tripathi will be the new Chief of Personnel.

    Of the Seven Army Commands, two Commands will get new Army Commanders. With Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan, Eastern Army Commander, retiring on Monday his post will be taken over by Lt Gen MK Pandey, who till now has been the Commander of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. Lt Gen Ajai Singh will assume the Command of the Crucial Andaman and Nicobar Command.

    In the Air Force, Air Marshal Amit Tiwari superannuated from the position of the Commander in Chief, Central Air Command (CAC). Air Marshal Richard John Duckworth the current Air Officer in charge Personnel will be the next CAC Commander.

    Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday approved the ‘Second Positive Indigenisation List’ of 108 items of ammunition, equipment and systems to boost indigenisation of defence production.

    The second list puts focus on weapons/systems which are currently under development/trials and are likely to translate into firm orders in the future.

    The list includes helicopters, next-generation corvettes, Air Borne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) systems, tank engines, medium-power radar for mountains etc, according to the MoD.

  • Modernisation of Indian Army well on course: Army Chief Gen MM Naravane

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The modernisation of the Indian Army is well on course, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane has said, dismissing apprehensions that the need for devoting more resources to guard the Line of Actual Control in the face of the prolonged standoff with China in eastern Ladakh may starve the force of funds for buying new weapons and platforms.

    Emphasising his point, Gen Naravane said that 59 contracts worth Rs 21,000 crore have been concluded since last fiscal while a number of other capital acquisition proposals are in the pipeline.

    In an exclusive interview to PTI, he said the modernisation drive in the Army has been going on without facing any difficulty and that required resources are being provided by the government.

    “The modernisation drive of Indian Army is well on course.

    Recently 15 contracts worth more than Rs 16,000 crore have been concluded under normal schemes of procurement and 44 contracts worth Rs 5,000 crore have been concluded in 2020-21 under emergency procurements,” Gen Naravane said.

    “A number of capital acquisition proposals too are underway concurrently,” the Chief of Army Staff said.

    He was replying to a question on whether the much-needed modernisation of the Army has been impacted due to the need for allocation of greater resources to keep a large number of troops for guarding the LAC in eastern Ladakh and elsewhere in the wake of the standoff since last one year.

    “We are not facing any difficulty,” he said, referring to the modernisation drive.

    In February, the government allocated Rs Rs 4.

    78 lakh crore for the defence budget for 2021-22.

    Out of the total allocation, Rs 1,35,060 crore was set aside for capital expenditure that includes purchasing new weapons, aircraft, warships and other military hardware.

    The capital outlay for 2021-22 is an increase of 18.

    75 percent compared to last year’s allocation of Rs 1,13,734 crore.

    In the last few years, military experts have been pitching for rapid modernisation of the Indian armed forces to effectively deal with China’s increasing assertiveness.

    It has been more than a year since the military standoff between the two sides erupted in eastern Ladakh on May 5 during which there were fatalities on both sides for the first time in 45 years.

    They have made limited progress in achieving disengagement at the Pangong lake area while negotiations for similar steps at other points remained deadlocked.

    Gen Naravane said that the Indian Army is currently holding onto all important areas in the high-altitude region and it has adequate personnel in the form of “reserves” to react to any contingencies.

    Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector.

    The ties between the two countries came under severe strain after the deadly clashes at the Galwan valley following which both sides rushed in thousands of additional troops as well as battle tanks and other large weapons to the region.

    Nine months after the military standoff at multiple friction points, both sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of the Pangong lake in February as part of an agreement reached following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

    The two sides have held 11 rounds of military talks to ensure disengagement and de-escalation at the friction points.

    Both the militaries are now engaged in talks to extend the disengagement process to the remaining friction points.