Army order forcing officers to wear Santa clothes triggers heartburn

At times disguise comes in handy in the art of warfare. But this is one disguise which has taken the Army by storm. An internal order of the Army, asking a young officer to be dressed as Santa Claus at a Christmas party, has gone viral, drawing harsh criticisms, particularly from the new recruits.

The order gives details of the preparations for a Christmas party in one of the units in the Eastern Command and carries an instruction that the Santa Claus should be a YO (young officer) who will distribute gifts to the children at the party. A brief guideline also accompanies the order which states that the Santa Claus must be properly selected, and his entry to the party should be lively and interesting.

It said the officer so detailed should be able to sing Christmas carols and entertain the children. The note also said that the transport company will provide horse drawn buggy for the Santa Claus. The order about the Christmas party has generated an internal discussion on whether such instructions should be put on paper. Several young officers contacted by Mail Today said the order was unusual. Participation in a party can be voluntary and should not be made mandatory through a written order, said an officer on the condition of anonymity. A young officer said that such orders can lead to acts of indiscipline which would not be good for the organisation which has the highest standards. Another officer said that the officer's mess is like a home for a new entrant and such an order can leave a lasting impression on the psyche.

The Army's sahayak system has come in for criticism following reports of ill-treatment of soldiers who are often deputed as "buddies" to the officers. But even officers can be sometimes subjected to absurd orders from the commanders, an officer said. The Army has been battling issues of man-management in recent months with breakdown of relations between officers and the men giving rise to sporadic incidents.

Army Chief General Bikram Singh has laid special emphasis on human resource management at all levels to maintain a healthy balance.

via IndiaToday

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NSG jawan arrested on sodomy charges

An NSG jawan has been arrested by the police for allegedly sodomising a ten-year-old boy who is the son of his colleague.

According to the police, a case has been registered against the Lance Naik rank jawan of the elite force under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act along with Section 377 of the IPC (unnatural offences) after the father of the boy complained that his colleague and next door neighbour had ill-treated his child.

"We have arrested Sahib Singh in the case today and further investigations are on," Gurgaon Police Commissioner Alok Mittal told .

Singh, who works as an orderly for an NSG officer and is from the Army, hails from Haryana, police sources added.

Both the jawans, who have been trained in commando tactics, have been living in the National Security Guard (NSG) campus in Manesar and the incident came to light after the boy informed his parents that he was allegedly assaulted by the accused few times in the last over four months.

According to the police, the father has alleged in his complaint that the accused be-friended his son and the assault took place when the child first went to his home late last year and after that he was threatened by the accused not to divulge the act to anyone.

The boy has undergone a medical checkup after which complaint was registered, they said.

Efforts to reach NSG officials for a comment did not fructify.

via The Times of India

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Summons issued to Gen V K Singh for failing to appear before J&K panel

Former Army chief Gen V K Singh on Thursday failed to appear before a Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council panel over his controversial remarks against state leaders, after which fresh summons were issued to him for January 22.

Singh failed to appear before the Privileges Committee to explain his position on his allegations that politicians in the state were paid by the Army, prompting the panel to issue a summons to him through the Haryana DGP.

However, an aide of Singh claimed that he had written to the Privileges Committee, which did not accept his reply and asked him to appear before it in person.

"The committee, under the chairmanship of Jugal Kishore Sharma, has decided to issue summons to him (Singh) through the Haryana Director General of Police to appear before this Committee on 22nd of this month at 2:30pm," member of the privilege committee, Devender Singh Rana told reporters after the conclusion of the meeting here.

Rana, who is a ruling National Conference MLC and chief minister Omar Abdullah's confidante, said "failing this, necessary action under law which is available to us will be taken against him."

Col U B Singh, a friend of Gen Singh, however, told reporters at the Legislative Council, "Singh had sent a proper reply to the Privilege Committee. But they have not taken it into consideration and refused to accept it."

When Rana was asked about this, he said "There is no reply we have received as yet."

On December 9, last year, Privileges Committee had asked Singh to appear in person before it on January 9 to explain his position on his controversial remarks.

The privilege motion against Gen Singh was moved by MLCs Ajay Sadhotra, Rana and Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardy in the last session of the Council, taking cognisance of his allegations during a TV interview in which he had claimed that Army was paying money to politicians in Jammu and Kashmir.

via The Times of India

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Chinese troops are entering Ladakh every 14 days

The motive behind the repeated incursions by the Chinese troops is quite clear now. According to media reports, Chinese troops have been making incursions in Rakhi Nullah, Chumar and Takdip areas in Ladakh every 14 days in the past few months.

Apart from incursions in Depsang plains of Chumar in December and the more recent incursion in the first week of January in Takdip, Chinese incursions had been spotted on December 13 as well in the same areas.

According to a report published in Times of India, “Sources said the Chinese troops are merely asserting dominance in the area and don't stay for more than an hour because of the bitter cold. Sources said there is nothing alarming in the movements even though incursions have been more frequent in recent months. The fact that Chinese side has fully developed road network in these sectors helps them to make frequent visits using vehicles.”

Chinese troops entered Takdip area of Chumar sector early in the morning in the first week of January and went back only after Indian forces asserted their presence in the area.

An officer from security said that China has been making cross border patrols almost every fortnight. Chinese troops drive their vehicles and leave after staying out for about an hour. The official said that the bitter cold has prevented them from pitching tents in the area, adding that the situation is not alarming.

Escalation of border tensions was seen during April-May last year when a 21-day face-off between Chinese and Indian troops in the same sector had to be resolved.

The report said, “Tension had been aggravated and went past traditional intensities because of a few structures erected by the Indian Army in disputed parts of the border which was not agreeable to China. The resolution of tension took place only after these structures were dismantled.”

via Daily Bhaskar

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Unfair court martial, Major reinstated after 8 years

Vijay Mohan. Over eight years after an Army Major was sentenced by a court martial to undergo three years of rigorous imprisonment on charges of frequently procuring government land to build a war memorial to his brother, the officer has been absolved of all charges and reinstated in service with full consequential benefits.

A general court martial (GCM) had in 2005 tried Major Ran Singh Dudee on four counts of intent to defraud and acts prejudicial to good order and military discipline, and cashiered from service besides awarding him three years of rigorous imprisonment. The officer was reinstated in service this week.

Holding the findings of the GCM “unacceptable” and “warranting interference by the Central Government”, an order passed by the Ministry of Defence has annulled the GCM proceedings and quashed the penalty imposed on grounds of their being “illegal and unjust”.

The order, while holding the trial to be time-barred, also observed that there was no wrongful gain to the officer nor any conclusive evidence of collusion to get land allotted.

Major Dudee had approached the District Collector at Saugor in Madhya Pradesh in 2000 for allotment of 8.64 hectares of government land for building a building a war memorial to his brother, Sepoy Hawa Singh of 9 Jat, who had died in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

Land was allotted by the civil administration after following due procedure and 9 Jat, then based near Saugor, was made the owner and title holder of the land, according to the District Collector’s testimony. The Commanding Officer (CO) of 9 Jat had authorised Major Dudee to collect all necessary documents and take necessary decisions.

In 2001, Major Dudee wrote to the District Collector stating that since the battalion was moving out shortly, the land be handed back to the government for setting up an “immortalisation trust”. The District Collector again certified that the land was given back and no allotment stood in the name of the applicant.

In 2002, the CO wrote to the District Collector seeking cancellation of the allotment, stating that building a war memorial was never intended. This was followed by several anonymous complaints against Major Dudee. A court of inquiry and a separate investigation by a magistrate found the complaints to be baseless and infructuous. This was followed by a second court of inquiry, based upon the findings of which disciplinary action was initiated.

via The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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Army hero’s kin forced to auction Param Vir Chakra

The family of Honorary Captain Karam Singh, who braved the enemy despite sustaining 16 bullet injuries in Jammu and Kashmir’s Teethwaal area in 1948, is running from pillar to post to get their due.

Twenty-five years is a long time for any family to get its dues. More so, if it comes to the country’s second Param Vir Chakra awardee.

The family of Honorary Captain Karam Singh, who braved the enemy despite sustaining 16 bullet injuries in Jammu and Kashmir’s Teethwaal area in 1948, is running from pillar to post for last 25 years to get their due from various governments in Punjab.


Adding to the misery is the Army’s Sainik Welfare Board finding the family ineligible for any of the welfare schemes meant for gallantry awardees and veterans.

HOPING FOR HELP

The angry family has now threatened to auction the citations and medals won by Karam Singh, including the country’s highest gallantry award, as a mark of protest against the apathy of the Centre and the state towards the Army hero.

“The state government is not taking action despite our countless representations and personal requests. We have met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal four times, besides meeting other ministers. All they pledge are false assurances.

When they are not taking any action, at least we can make our move ( to auction the medals),” Karam Singh’s grandson Satnam told MAil Today. Satnam, (21), added that Badal and his ministers advised them to bring the matter before the Army’s Sainik Welfare Board but the response they received was equally disheartening.

“The answers of government officials were ridiculous. We met many Sainik Welfare Officers, who said they cannot forward our case as we are not entitled for any help as my grandfather was alive when he received the Param Vir Chakra. They say all those Param Vir Chakra and other gallantry awardees, who received government help, had got the decorations posthumously,” he claimed.

Karam Singh’s younger son Harjeet Singh, (50), said, “Like the families of other gallantry awardees, we also wanted some help from the government.

We are not asking for a fortune but at least a state government job for a family member and a gas agency from the Centre.” It was Karam Singh who, himself, had started the long struggle to get government help. The Param Vir Chakra awardee passed away on January 20, 1993 at Mallhian village in Barnala district.

His wife Gurdial Kaur continued to knock at the doors of government offices till she too died in 2010.

Their sons and grandsons have tried their luck as well but all in vain.

The family is also pained by the response of the Centre and the Army. The family had written to General JJ Singh, the then chief of Army Staff, in 2007 and also to the present Army chief, General Bikram Singh, in July last year.

However, both the letters did not elicit any response.

Karam Singh was born on September 15, 1915, in a farmer’s family. In 1941, he joined the Army and was was inducted into the Sikh Battalion. On October 3, 1948, he had foiled the attempt of the Pakistani army to occupy the Teethwaal area of Jammu and Kashmir. He was shot at 16 times but did not leave his bunker and rescued two other Indian soldiers from Pakistan’s captivity.

via Yahoo News India

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CBI looking into DGR scam, Centre tells HC

The Centre today informed the Delhi High Court that CBI had been asked to go into the alleged scam in the Directorate General of Resettlement (DGR) for ex-servicemen.

“We have entrusted the matter to the CBI,” the government counsel told a Bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justice Rajiv Sahay Endlaw. The Bench was hearing a PIL case on the issue in which it had issued notice to the Union Cabinet, Defence and Finance Secretaries, besides the DGR, in September 2013.

The HC told the petitioner, Sunil Tripathi, that since the matter was already being looked into by the CBI, he could hand over all the evidence gathered by him to the investigation agency and disposed of the case. The Bench, however, granted liberty to him to approach the HC again if he found that the CBI probe was found wanting.

The scam relates to DGR’s resettlement schemes for ex-servicemen under which retired officers started business in the form of security, transport and coal loading agencies and national highway toll plaza management by recruiting retired soldiers.

DGR is part of the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare meant for training and rehabilitation of retired defence personnel through various self-employment schemes. It was alleged that since 2005 serious financial irregularities amounting to Rs 1,000-5,000 crore had taken place in the resettlement scheme through fake recruitments of ex-servicemen and collection of salaries in their names and by forging documents to show deposit of provident fund contributions.

Each of these agencies was allowed to recruit a maximum of 300 ex-servicemen as security guards on a monthly salary of Rs 25,000 to be posted at state-owned companies for a four-year period. Instead of actually recruiting any ex-soldier, some of the agencies produced a list of 300 recruits to raise their salary bills. A few other agencies did recruit security guards, but paid them only one-third of their entitlement, it was alleged.

via The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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AAP raises voice against blockades for military VIPs

The Aam Aadmi anger appears to have found its face in Union minister Jairam Ramesh as he lashed out at the traffic blockade put up for VIPs after he himself got stuck on Wednesday.

The Union minister said that he would complain to Union defence minister A.K. Antony against traffic blockades put up for Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force.

Mr Ramesh also sought that the convoy of the Prime Minister and the President too should be halved to lessen the pain of the common commuters.

"I got stuck as the convoy of the Army Chief was passing by. This was not the first instance, as I had been held up even earlier by the convoy of the Naval Chief and Air Force Chief," said Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh.

The Union minister was also livid at the police per-sonnel of the Army, Navy and Air Force holding up traffic, asking why should not this job be done by the Delhi police persons.

"Once I was walking out of 24, Akbar Road office of the Congress but was stopped by the police personnel of the Air Force. But when I protested that I was only walking that they allowed me to go, otherwise they held up the whole traffic. Why should it be so when traffic is not stopped when the defence minister moves," said Mr Ramesh.

The Union minister said that he would write to the defence minister to com-plaint against the high-handedness of the police personnel of the three wings of the defence. Taking up the cause of the general public and daily commuters, who regularly have to face long duration of the traffic blockades and traffic jam during the move-ments of the VVIPs, Mr Ramesh said that even the convoys of the Prime Minister and President should be halved.

"Half the numbers of cars and personnel could also provide the same level of security as done by the cur-rent strength. Such block-ades are frustrating and even those walking on foot are stopped, which is strange." quipped Mr Ramesh.

via Lokmat

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IAF officers thumb their nose at law

HYDERABAD: The cops wanted to arrest him but IAF officials said no. In what has turned out to be a showdown between the two agencies, a Punjab police team that landed at Air Force Station, Begumpet, few days ago to arrest an employee of IAF, his wife and son on dowry harassment and cruelty charges was prevented from doing so by the air force officials.

This led to police officials and the alleged victim's family accuse the IAF of highhandedness and contempt of court. Monika Sharma, an employee of State Bank of India (SBI) and hailing from Patiala, got married to Vishal Sharma on February 1, 2013. A few months later, Monika accused her husband, father-in-law VK Sharma and mother-in-law Usha Sharma of dowry harassment and cruelty and lodged a complaint to this effect with the Patiala police. Based on her complaint, the cops registered an FIR on December 4, 2013 and a warrant for his arrest was issued on December 19. However, when the Punjab police team arrived in Hyderabad and went to the air force station on December 26 to arrest the three, they were prevented from doing so. "We were stopped at the Begumpet Air Force station gate.

IAF is a huge organization and we are humble Punjab police employees. We were told that Air Force rules and law are different and that we cannot arrest them," said ASI Gurdev Singh, adding that IAF officials did not cooperate in executing the search and arrest orders. Monika alleged that besides V K Sharma, the station commander did not allow the arrest of her mother-in-law Usha Sharma and her husband Vishal, who is employed with a private firm at Hi-Tec City. "Vishal stays elsewhere but has taken refuge in his parents' house inside the IAF station in order to evade arrest," Monika alleged. The IAF officials instead have given an undertaking to the Punjab police officials that all the three accused will appear before the Patiala court on January 10. The assurance letter dated December 26, 2013, addressed to Patiala SSP Hardiyal Singh Mann by group captain Satish Balachandran, chief administrative officer at Begumpet Air Force Station, said Sharma has been informed and briefed about the pending warrant.

"It is hereby assured that he will be granted leave from this office to present himself before the court of Ms Pavleen Singh, judicial magistrate Ist class, Patiala, on Jan 10 at 1000 hrs. without fail," it said. However, both police officials and Monika's family members are up in arms over the air force officials not allowing Punjab police cops to arrest the three accused. When contacted, Patiala SSP H S Mann told TOI that the IAF has no power to interfere in the Code of Criminal Procedure. "Sections in the FIR are for criminal breach of trust, violence and cruelty and for restoration of 'istridhan' but the police team was not allowed to carry out any search," said Monika's brother Anshu Sharma.

via Times of India

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Former Army man held in robbery case

JAIPUR: A former Army man was arrested for allegedly involved in a robbery of a gold loan company here, senior officer of city police said today. 

The man, identified as Brijesh from Nawalgarh of Jhunjhunu district, was recently arrested in Delhi in connection with the robbery of jewellery worth Rs 9 crore from the IIFL gold loan company here last November, police commissioner Bhupendra Dad said here. Three pistols, 31 live cartridges and a luxury bike were seized from his possession, he added. 

"After thoroughly investigating the robbery we identified some criminal of the Shekhawati region of the state. And zeroed in on Brijesh in Delhi and arrested him," he said. Brijesh joined the Indian Army as paratrooper in 1999 but was sacked in 2011 following his involvement in a crime, the commissioner added. 

Brijesh along with six others conducted the robbery, he said, adding, that his accomplices identified as Sanjay Singh (a screening coordinator at the IGI airport), one Manish Bajia (engineer), Surendra Meel, Rakesh Meen, Mandeep Dhaka, Rajveer Charki have being located and would soon be nabbed. 

via Times of India

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Drunk BSF jawans tease women, beat cops, public in Bangalore

Around 41 jawans belonging to the Border Security Force (BSF), on a trip to Lalbagh on Sunday, went berserk, allegedly teasing women, girls and assaulting public, police personnel and security guards who came to their rescue. The jawans reportedly were in an inebriated condition.

Around six, including two constables, three guards and one member of the public were injured in the incident.

Police have booked two separate cases against the jawans and arrested jawan Dileep Kumar and four others. “The rest are absconding,” said DCP (South) HS Revanna. “Cases of assault on police, obstructing police duty, assault on public have been booked,” he said.

The injured are head constable Suresh, constable Anaveer, security guards Samad, Prashanth and Suresh and a member of the public Jayaram.

A case has been registered in Siddapura police station based on the complaint of security guard Samad and head constable Suresh.

The incident took place at 4.30pm when 41 jawans belonging to the Subsidiary Training Center (STC), Yelahanka, arrived at Lalbagh. The jawans, hailing from UP, Rajasthan and other states, were in Yelahanka for training and their superiors arranged a picnic for the jawans on Sunday.

They had been to ISKCON, Cubbon Park before arriving at Lalbagh in the evening. The bus belonging to the BSF (number: PB08 Z9292) entered Lalbagh without proper entry ticket through the Lalbagh East gate.

After disembarking, the jawans allegedly started teasing girls, women and some of them started plucking flowers and plants. “Few of them started brushing against teenaged girls,” police said.

When some male members of the public and women objected to this, the inebriated jawans reportedly assaulted some persons. This is when things really got out of hand.

The incident was reported to the security guards of Lalbagh, including Samad, Prashanth and Suresh, who confronted the jawans, but the jawans, using choicest of expletives, reportedly beat them black and blue.

The jawans also beat up head constable Suresh and constable Anaveer who arrived in a police patrolling vehicle Hoysala on hearing the news.

The police then asked for additional police personnel to confront the jawans. On hearing the news, the jawans panicked and fled the scene, abandoning their bus at Lalbagh.

However, police personnel managed to arrest four of the jawans, with Revanna saying there would be more arrests.

via DNA

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Prashant Bhushan wants referendum on Army presence in Kashmir

Rahul Kanwar - Kashmir could see a Delhi style referendum if the Aam Aadmi Party were to form the next government at the centre. In an interview with Aaj Tak's Seedhi Baat, senior AAP leader Prashant Bhushan called for a referendum in the valley to decide whether or not the Army should be deployed to deal with internal threats in Kashmir. 

"People should be asked whether they want that the army to handle the internal security of Kashmir. Any decision which does not have the backing of the people is undemocratic. If people feel that the Army is violating human rights and they say they don't want the Army to be deployed for their security then the Army should be withdrawn from the hinterland," he said. Bhushan nuanced his views adding, "The government can decide if the Army needs to be deployed to deal with external threats along the border. The government can also decide if the Army needs to be kept to help protect the minorities in the valley. But there should be a referendum on whether people want AFSPA to continue in the valley or not." 

When pressed on what would happen if the referendum suggested that the people of Kashmir wanted to break away from India, Bhushan said, "Secession from India is unconstitutional. We have to find solutions within the purview of the constitution. We have to win the hearts of people in the valley who have moved away from the mainstream since they feel that they Army has been deployed in Kashmir against their wishes and is violating their human rights." Bhushan had stirred a hornet's nest in September, 2011 when he had called for a plebiscite in Kashmir at a press conference in Varanasi and had said that Kashmir should be allowed to break away from India if Kashmiris did not want to stay as part of India. Bhushan no longer supports severing Kashmir from India but still backs the idea of a referendum on deploying the Army. Prashant Bhushan's controversial comments come on a day the Aam Aadmi Party announced ambitious plans to contest the general elections of 2014 and the party's views on national issues are now being put under intense scrutiny. 

Opponents of the Aam Aadmi Party pounced on Bhushan's views on Kashmir. BJP spokesperson Sidharth Nath Singh said, "Prashant Bhushan should remember he no longer runs a NGO. Demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir is a language that is being spoken by separatists in Pakistan and Bhushan as a senior AAP leader is playing into the hands of the separatists by making such comments. Till the terror infrastructure in Pakistan is dismantled, any reduction in Army presence would be disastrous for the country and unacceptable to the people of India." Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abudallah's political advisor and National Conference spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq too opposed Bhushan's views. Sadiq said, "There is an elected government in J&K and they along with the centre are the best judge of whether AFSPA should be kept or removed. National Conference too believes that AFSPA can be withdrawn from some areas but why does AAP want to politicise AFSPA?" Only Mehbooba Mufti's PDP supported Bhushan's call for a referendum on AFSPA. Party spokesperson Sameer Kaul said, "The heart and mind of AAP is in the right place. We are happy to hear about Bhushan's views that the people of Kashmir should be consulted on Army deployment." 

However, senior Army officers who have served in the valley were aghast at Bhushan's call for a referendum. Former Army chief General VP Malik told Mail Today, "Prashant Bhushan has shown complete lack of awareness of the kind of situation that exists in J&K both in the hinterland and along LoC. It reflects poorly on his knowledge of politics and strategy. He has totally ignored the proxy war that Pakistan has waged over the last few decades. His comments have come as a great disappointment to people who are supportive of the Aam Aadmi Party." Major General (Retired) GD Bakshi who commanded the Army's Romeo force in Rajouri said, "I hope Bhushan is aware that as soon as US soldiers are withdrawn from Afghanistan, terrorists will be redirected into the valley by Pakistan. I am sorry to say, this is an anti-national view. 

This would initiate the process of break up of the country." Bhushan also sounded extremely confident about the prospects of the Aam Aadmi Party in the forthcoming general elections and said that there is now a very real chance that AAP may be able to form the next government at the centre. "One month ago I felt that we may be able to win around 50 seats in the general elections. But after forming the government in Delhi the response that we are getting from across the country is beyond our imagination. No limit can be drawn on the number of seats that AAP can win. Why just a simple majority, the Aam Aadmi Party could even end up with over 400 seats." Bhushan drew a parallel with the 1977 elections held after the emergency and said that there is a wave of positive change that is blowing across the country and people now believe that AAP can clean up the corrupt politics of the country. 

Bhushan said, "Indira Gandhi revoked the emergency in January 1977 and called general elections in March. Who would have thought that in two months the Janata Party would be able to field candidates on every seat and that the Congress would be decimated across north India. Once people make up their minds then anything is possible." 

via India Today

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Case registered against Army officer for bribe

The CBI has registered a case against a Brigadier working with the Army Aviation Corps (AAC) for allegedly fudging trial flight records of helicopters.

The CBI received a document from Italy that shows that the officer demanded five million Euro bribe in 2010 from AgustaWestland.

The case under sections of Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered Brigadier V S Saini and unknown officers of the Army and the Defence Ministry after the agency received a fresh set of documents from Italian police, CBI officials said.

Saini and others have been also charged with abuse of official position and forgery among others. The Brigadier could not be reached for comments.


The CBI claimed that Saini was part of the team carrying out trials of helicopters.
The AAC was planning to purchase 197 light helicopters to replace its ageing Cheetah and Chetak fleet.

These choppers were meant to undertake reconnaissance and casualty evacuation operations in forward locations and high-altitude areas like Siachen, Ladakh, North Kashmir and Northeast. However, the acquisition process was cancelled in December 2007.

 During the investigations into the VVIP chopper deal involving AgustaWestland, the Italian investigators found mention of Saini in documents seized by them. In the VVIP chopper deal, former Air Chief S P Tyagi and 12 others were named and recently the government scrapped the deal with AgustaWestland.

Saini is accused of fudging the records of the trial flight of the helicopter to favour the company for which he and other unknown officers have received hefty commission.

via Deccan Herald

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Army subedar in Jammu commits suicide

An Army subedar committed suicide by shooting himself in the Jammu district of Jammu and Kashmir, police officials said.

Subedar Govind Singh (48) shot himself using his rifle inside his unit in Khour-Jodian belt of the Jammu district last night, they said.

Singh, who belonged to Uttarakhand, died on the spot and his body was handed over to the Army after postmortem, they said.

via Business Standard

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Army blocks road near Rest Camp Road in Deolali

A day after the army blocked a road branching out of Rest Camp Road in the Deolali Cantonment area, a resident on Saturday approached the police against the defence forces for allegedly blocking the road opposite Kendriya Vidyalay.

Complainant Yogesh Wadhva, a founder member of Shahar Vikas Nagari Aghadi that had contested the cantonment board polls, alleged that about 100 personnel from the army area blocked the road of the civil area.

He added that if the defence personnel wanted to block the road, they should have asked the Deolali Cantonment Board to take necessary actions.

"The personnel from the armed forces came on the night of Thursday around 11.55 pm and carried out the fencing work till 2 am on Friday. The work could have been done during day time so that we got some chance to react. Further, they can serve us a show cause notice," said Wadhva, adding that there was hardly any place to exit from his residence during emergency situation.

Brigadier S Sabharwal, president of the Deolali Cantonment Board, said the road was blocked to prevent encroachments on the defence land.

He added that there were a few residences in the area with the entrance and the road on their south. The building plan of the residences also showed the entrance on their south. However, a few residents of the area had made a temporary road also on the North side of their residences, which was a defence land.

To prevent encroachment on the road, they had put a fencing on the road, he said.

Wadhva said the road was sanctioned as per the building plan. The Deolali Camp police are investigating the case.

via The Times of India

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Woman of 2013: Irom Sharmila's continued protests & fast against AFSPA earns her the 4th slot

Malem Ningthouja. Civil rights activist manipur's " iron lady" continues her hunger strike for repealing AFSPA for the 13th consecutive year.

Irom Chanu Sharmila is arguably waging the longest-running hunger strike in history. This year will mark the fourteenth year of her protest — launched on November 5, 2000 — demanding that the government repeal a draconian law that grants absolute power to armed forces in troubled areas. She survives only because she is being force-fed through a tube attached to her nose.

Even before the strike, Sharmila was no stranger to political activism. She has been associated with All-Manipur Students' Union for Sightless, Centre for Organization Research and Education, Human Rights Alert and the like.

But the Malom massacre of November 2, 2000, in which 10 civilians in the Imphal Valley of Manipur were killed allegedly by the Assam Rifles, traumatized her like no other incident. The armed forces drew their right to use force from the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958.

But AFSPA has done little to suppress insurgency. On the contrary, it had perpetuated widespread violation of human rights by law-enforcement agents.

Sharmila's individual heroism is integral to the wave of protests against AFSPA. Her peaceful protest against a repressive law has got the recognition it deserves. In 2007, she was co-conferred the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights (South Korea).

She has since refused to accept any award until her demand of repealing AFSPA is fulfilled. Through an order in 2004, the government had discouraged Sharmila's contact with supporters — they required the permission of the home department. The restriction was, however, relaxed recently after the National Human Rights Commission and high court issued notices.

A little-known aspect about Sharmila is that she is also a poet. She has written over 100 poems. "Fragrance of Peace" and "Birth" have been translated into English. The youngest of nine siblings, Sharmila is currently an inmate at the security ward, Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital, Imphal, where she is under judicial custody for attempt to suicide. She has denied the charges, saying she did not wish to die. She merely uses her body as the only weapon to defend human rights.

Sharmila has over the years become an icon of the wave of protests against AFSPA in particular and satyagraha in general. Her recourse to non-violent struggle against the might of the state is a lesson for other movements across the globe.

via The Economic Times

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Large-scale anomalies in defence land record

Vijay Mohan. Large-scale discrepancies have been detected in the records of defence lands holdings maintained by different defence authorities responsible for maintaining the official books and those actually occupying the land.

This has raised questions not only over the authenticity of defence land records but also issues such as unrecorded transfer of land, underhand transactions, unauthorised occupation and encroachments, besides jeopardising the government’s claim on its property.

Sources said the discrepancies involve about 3,647 acres in nine stations under the Western Command. These include Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Kasauli, Dagshai, New Amritsar Military Station, Sabathu, Gurdaspur, Beas, Ludhiana, Faridkot and Kapurthala.

While the records of the Defence Estate Officers (DEOs) state that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) holds 27325.48 acres in these nine stations, the records and data held by local military authorities (LMA) show MoD land holdings to be 29589.49 acres. DEOs are responsible for maintaining land records, while LMAs are responsible for physically occupying and managing the land.

Under MoD rules, land records maintained by the DEOs are the basic documents for land management. If the records maintained by the DEOs are taken as the guidelines, military authorities are holding over 2,955 acres of excess in four stations.

The border cantonment of Ferozepur and Jalandhar top the list of excess land holdings by about 1,594 and 1,075 recpectively, followed by Kapurthala and Gurdaspur, while land holdings are deficient by a total of about 692 acres in the remaining five stations.

Improper handing overtaking over of land records among occupying military units moving in and out on routine rotation. Inept handling of records and failure to conduct regular inspections and reconciliation of land records by both the DEOs as well as LMAs are among reasons cited for the discrepancies.

While all defence land records are being computerised, sources said that a comprehensive survey of all defence land holdings had been sanctioned recently and work on the project has already been started. The survey will bring out the field situation of defence lands and ensure authenticity.

3,647 Acres in Nine Stations:

• Sources said the discrepancies involve about 3,647 acres in nine stations under the Western Command
• These include Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Kasauli, Dagshai, New Amritsar Military Station, Sabathu, Gurdaspur, Beas, Ludhiana, Faridkot and Kapurthala
• This has raised questions not only over the authenticity of defence land records but also issues such as unrecorded transfer of land, underhand transactions, unauthorised occupation and encroachments, besides jeopardising the government's claim on its property

via The Tribune, Chandigarh

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Navy officer arrested for raping woman

A 33-year-old commander with the Indian Navy was arrested on the charge of rape on Wednesday based on the complaint of a 23-year -old woman.

Police said the woman alleged that she was raped by Naval officer, posted as a doctor at the army base hospital in the Delhi cantonment area. Based on the woman's complaint, a case of rape was registered at the Malviya Nagar police station and the officer was arrested.

According to the woman's complaint, the officer used to visit her often and he allegedly forced her to develop a physical relationship with him. She alleged that the man raped her on the pretext of marrying her and later refused, police said.

According to police, the woman met the officer at a birthday party of one of her friends. The two later started meeting each other on a regular basis, police said.

"The man reportedly promised to marry the woman and developed a physical relation with her. He later started ignoring her. The woman later found out that the officer was already married. It was then that she approached police and registered a complaint," a police officer said.

Police took the woman to a government hospital for a medical examination, which confirmed rape. Further investigation is under way, police said.

via Indian Express

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Indian Army's tech project accused of favouritism

The government's ambitious project to computerise Indian Army's inventory in a phased manner could suffer more delays, with technology companies Oracle India and Infosys Ltd raising concerns about the manner in which the project has been tendered.

Over the past three months, Oracle and Infosys have written to the defence ministry alleging "preferential procurement practices" while selecting the implementation agencies for the project. The letters have also been marked to Defence Minister A K Antony and the Central Vigilance Commission.

The initiative, the Computerised Inventory Control Project, was first opened for bids in 2008 and has been tendered thrice. The current phase, the second, aims to bring Indian Army's inventory - including arms and ammunition, vehicles and fuel - to the central ordinance depot level online by using an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. While the second phase was expected to cover 4,000 users, the next phase is aimed at increasing the users by four times. The current project was tipped around Rs 500 crore.

In a letter dated November 19, Oracle India had alleged that "all bids quoting Oracle ERP Solution have been rejected over last 4-5 years in all the defence ERP projects during the technical evaluation leading to the commercials of only single ERP being opened."

Financial bids of two entities, which had qualified the technical rounds, were opened last month. L&T Infotech emerged the lowest bidder, though it was competition with a leading infotech firm. Both the entities had partnered with Oracle's rival ERP firm, SAP. L&T has quoted Rs 450 crore for the project. However, the contract has not yet been awarded.

None of the firms involved - Oracle, Infosys, SAP and L&T Infotech - commented. Queries sent to the secretary of defence, R K Mathur, on Monday remained unanswered despite repeated phone calls.

The letter, seen by Business Standard, gave details of the stages at which Oracle bids were rejected for the project. It also named other projects of the various arms of the defence where Oracle had been unsuccessful in bagging a contract. "We are at a very initial stage of computerisation in Indian defence and removing the competition in ERP projects will lead to a huge loss to the exchequer," the Oracle letter added.

Infosys, which had partnered with Oracle, said in its letter it had offered "an alternative but technically compliant solution for ERP". It has requested a "re-evaluation by a freshly constituted independent board which does not have any representation from the existing evaluation committee." Oracle, too, has asked for a re-evaluation by an independent and neutral committee.

The Infosys letter, dated October 22, which was also seen by Business Standard, said, "This would offer an unbiased evaluation of the POC (proof of concept) and also clear any misgivings about any prejudice towards Infosys Ltd due to its alternate ERP product which has eventually benefitted the organisation by introducing competitiveness in an otherwise monopolistic environment."

via Business Standard

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Helicopter deal canceled due to Rs 360 crore bribe to IAF officers

The UPA government has done well to scrap the controversial Rs 3,700 crore deal with the Anglo-Italian company Agusta Westland for the supply of 12 VVIP helicopters to the defence ministry. The cancellation of the deal has been under consideration ever since credible reports of kickbacks amounting to Rs 360 crore to Indian Air Force officers and others had appeared in the public realm.

The senior most officer of the force, the then chief SP Tyagi himself, and his relatives were alleged to have been involved, as it was during Tyagi's tenure that changes were made in the operational requirements of the helicopters to award the deal to Augusta Westland. The government had frozen the deal earlier this year pending investigations into the reports of irregularities in decision-making and payment of bribes as quid pro quo.

The deal has been cancelled on the ground of breach of a pre-contract integrity pact which had mandated regular and corruption-free procedures for execution of the order. Though the government had disfavoured the arbitration process earlier, it has now agreed to it to settle the issues. But this does not mean the criminal proceedings initiated after the CBI started investigating the deal will be dropped. Preliminary inquiries have brought out the role of officials and middle men and even the money trails of the kickbacks paid to secure the deal are now known. The investigations should continue and those who were responsible for the irregularities should be held accountable and brought to book. Out of the 12 helicopters which were ordered three have been supplied and a good part of the contracted amount has been paid to the company. The company will have to be forced to return the money as it is in breach of the contract.

The cancellation of the deal should send a strong message to suppliers of arms and armaments, middlemen and officials that corruption would not be tolerated and those who are involved in irregularities will have to pay a price. Defence deals have been notorious for corruption. It might be cynical to observe that the government has taken strong and decisive action because only officials were apparently involved in the irregularities. Not many major arms deals have been cancelled in the past on the grounds on which the Augusta deal was scrapped. It might serve as a warning.

via Deccan Herald

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Army vehicle mows down child

A two-and-a-half-year-old child was crushed to death by an army vehicle in Jammu region, police said.

The vehicle mowed down Himanshu, son of an army man, near Sunjwa Camp here, they said.

Six people were injured in a head-on collision between a Duster vehicle and a bus on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (J & K) highway in Sabji Mandi area in Samba district.

The injured were hospitalised, police said.

via NDTV

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