Monthly Archives: August 2018

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 4

Against the backdrop of detection of a trans-border tunnel originating from Pakistan in the Samba sector, Director General (DG) of the Border Security Force (BSF) Rakesh Asthana on Friday praised BSF troops for their alertness, saying “it has foiled the cruel motives of counterpart”.

Asthana, who arrived at the Frontier Headquarters, Jammu, on his three-day-long visit of the international border, toured critical areas along the border and reviewed overall deployment of the BSF and its domination plan.

Official sources said the DG had all praise for the alertness of the troops deployed along the international border as they had also shot down an arms-laden Pakistan drone at Rathua village in the Hiranagar sector on June 20.

On August 28, the BSF had detected a 25-ft deep and 4-ft wide tunnel on the Indian side near border fencing in the Galar area of the Samba sector. Pakistan-made sand bags with marking of Karachi factories were also found at the mouth of the tunnel to hide it. The place of opening of the tunnel was around 170 metres from the IB on the Indian side in the field of a farmer.

According to official spokesperson, the DG visited areas of Pargwal and Akhnoor to take stock of situation on the first day of his visit.

He was accompanied by Addl DG (WC) SS Panwar, Inspector General (IG), BSF, Jammu Frontier, NS Jamwal and other officers. Jamwal briefed the DG about complexities of management of the Jammu border under the prevailing security scenario. Asthana, visited the critical areas of Chicken Neck stretch of the Akhnoor sector and held discussion with sector/unit commanders on the ground and reviewed security situation.

He also interacted with jawans and was full of praise for them for their dedication towards safeguarding the international borders.

Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 4

Three unidentified militants were killed while three security personnel, including an Army Major, were injured in an encounter in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district today, the police said.

The gunfight erupted after the joint forces launched a cordon and search operation at Yedipora Pattan in the morning following inputs about militants’ presence.

“The hideout was identified and the militants asked to surrender. They, however, took hostage 12 members of two families, including some children. The priority was to get hostages freed,” a police spokesman said. “One Army Major and two policemen were injured while rescuing hostages,” he said. In the ensuing gunfight, which continued for several hours, three militants were killed.

Colombo, September 4

The Sri Lankan Navy with assistance from Indian ships was battling for a second day on Friday to douse a major fire raging on an oil tanker carrying crude from Kuwait to India that left one of its 23 crew members dead.

The Sri Lankan Navy on Friday confirmed that a Filipino sailor died in a boiler explosion in the engine room of the Panama registered tanker MT New Diamond that caught fire on Thursday.

The Navy said that 22 of the 23 member crew had been safely rescued off the tanker.

The tanker was carrying 270,000 metric tonnes of crude oil from Kuwait to India when its engine room caught fire off the coast of Sangamankanda in the eastern district of Ampara.

The Navy said that so far the 270,000 metric tonnes of crude oil it was carrying had not been affected by the fire.

“Steps are currently being taken to stop the spread of fire to the cargo,” it said in a statement.

The Sri Lankan Navy is also taking steps to ensure that there will be no seepage of oil to the sea from the tanker.

The distressed vessel is in the waters 23 nautical miles off the eastern coast where the sea depth is measured at 3100 metres.

The operation to douse the fire resumed early this morning under the supervision of the Greek national captain of the tanker.

The Indian Naval Frigate INS Sahyadri joined the operations by 0200 hours on Friday.

The Navy said two more Indian Coast guard vessels are to join the rescue operations.

The Indian Coast Guard on Thursday said that it pressed into action three of its ships and a Dornier aircraft after the Sri Lankan Navy sought assistance to control the fire onboard the oil tanker.

In a swift sea and air coordinated Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the Coast Guard said it immediately diverted ICG Ships Shaurya, Sarang and Samudra Paheredar, besides a Dornier aircraft for the firefight on the oil tanker.

The Sri Lankan Navy said that the two Russian vessels which were docked at the Hambantota port since August 31 and dispatched to the area to join the rescue operations departed Sri Lankan waters this morning.

On Thursday night, MV Helen, a vessel sailing in the area, rescued 3 Greeks and 16 Filipino crew members from the distressed vessel.

The Navy spokesman said that at least four ships had been dispatched to carry out the rescue operation.

The naval ships were dispatched from the eastern port of Trincomalee and the southern port of Hambantota.

At the time the fire broke out, the Panamanian-registered ship was about 38 nautical miles (70 kilometres) east of Sri Lanka. PTI

Mumbai, September 4

Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has filed a fresh petition in the Bombay High Court seeking that the charges against him be quashed.

Purohit was doing his job as a military intelligence officer and was “framed” in the case, his lawyer and former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the high court on Friday.

The petition also contended that the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the prosecuting agency, did not seek a prior sanction under the Code of Criminal Procedure to prosecute him, though he was a serving Army officer.

Arguing before a division bench of Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik, Rohatgi said that Purohit had been working for the Army’s military intelligence unit.

He attended conspiracy meetings before the 2008 Malegaon blast while “discharging his duties” as an intelligence officer, the senior counsel said.

Hence the NIA should have sought a prior sanction under Section 197 of the CrPC to prosecute him, Rohatgi argued. Section 197 makes it mandatory to obtain a sanction from the government before public servants are prosecuted.

The Army reinstated Purohit in 2017 after the Supreme Court granted him bail, Rohatgi pointed out, adding that the apex court had noted in bail order that Purohit attended conspiracy meetings as part of discharging his duties.

“His job was to infiltrate meetings of religious fanatics and report to the Army. He was framed in the case and spent eight years in jail until the SC granted him bail,” Rohatgi said.

The NIA, in its affidavit opposing Purohit’s plea, has claimed that while attending the conspiracy meetings, he was not working for the Army, so no sanction was required for his prosecution.

The trial court as well as the high court had in the past rejected his plea seeking discharge, and a criminal appeal seeking similar relief is already pending before the high court, so he can not file a fresh plea, the NIA said.

The high court granted Purohit’s lawyers time to respond to the NIA’s affidavit and posted the matter for hearing on September 23.

Purohit had argued earlier too that he attended the blast conspiracy meetings in Faridabad and Bhopal while doing his job as an intelligence officer with his superiors’ permission.

Six people were killed and 100 injured when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque at Malegaon in north Maharashtra on September 29, 2008. As per the investigators, the bike belonged to co-accused and BJP MP Pragya Thakur. PTI

New Delhi, September 4

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe for over two hours in Moscow on Friday in the first highest-level contact after border tension erupted in Ladakh in May as the Indian leader said peace and security in the region demanded a climate of trust, non-aggression, peaceful resolution of differences and respect for international rules.

Read also: 

• Diplomatic options
• Won’t allow unilateral LAC change: Army
• De-escalation must for normal ties: India 

Indo-Russian maritime drill begins near Malacca strait

The navies of India and Russia on Friday started the 11th edition of exercise ‘Indra Navy’, a biennial bilateral maritime event. The exercise was conducted west of the Strait of Malacca. The exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability, improving understanding and imbibing best practices between the two navies.

Rajnath’s comments, seen as a veiled message to China ahead of his bilateral talks with Wei, came at a meeting of the Defence Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Russian capital.

According to Indian Government sources, the bilateral meeting was requested by the Chinese Defence Minister. Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Indian Ambassador to Russia DB Venkatesh Varma were part of the Indian delegation at the talks that began around 9.30 pm at a Moscow hotel and ended at 11.50 pm.

At the SCO meeting, Rajnath said “a peaceful, stable and secure region of the SCO member states – which is home to over 40 per cent of the global population — demands a climate of trust and cooperation, non-aggression, respect for international rules and norms, sensitivity to each other’s interests and a peaceful resolution of differences”.

The minister suggested the need for institutional capacity to deal with both traditional and non-traditional threats, above all, terrorism, drug-trafficking and transnational crime. “India unequivocally condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations, and condemns its proponents. India values the works of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure,” Rajnath said.

He said India was committed to the evolution of a global security architecture which would be open, transparent, inclusive, rules-based and anchored in international laws.

Meanwhile, the navies of India and Russia on Friday started the 11th edition of exercise ‘Indra Navy’, a biennial bilateral maritime event. The exercise was conducted west of the Strait of Malacca. — TNS

New Delhi, September 4

Army Chief General MM Naravane during his two-day visit to Ladakh made it clear that the force would ensure the status quo along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh was not unilaterally changed by the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Keeping in view the tense situation along the LAC, the Army has undertaken precautionary deployment in some areas. General Naravane today returned to Delhi from Leh where he met a section of troops and commanders. He asked all ranks to maintain high operational readiness.

Meanwhile, Brigadier-level officers of India and China met today for the fifth consecutive day at Chushul. — TN