THE VALOUR OF 8 SIKH DURING KARGIL
Jalandhar, July 26
Kamal, mother of Kargil martyr Deputy Commandant Mohinder Raj, attended the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas today.
Abandoned by her daughter-in-law and losing her husband three years ago, Kamal is left to fend for herself with old-age pension of a mere Rs 1,500. Her son lost his life in a militant attack in Kashmir.
Kamal’s husband Mohan Lal dedicated his life, after his son’s martyrdom, writing to various ministries seeking financial benefits but the demands are yet to be met. Mohan Lal retired as District Manager, Punjab Scheduled Caste Financial Corporation. His job had no pension provision.
On July 13, 1999, during the ongoing Kargil War, BSF Deputy Commandant Mohinder Raj, who was then 31-year old, lost his life in a militant attack at Bandipore in Baramulla. He had been married only seven months ago.
Gold medallist Mohinder Raj started his career as a professor of history at DAV College, Jalandhar. His passion to serve the country made him join the BSF in 1993. Two months after his martyrdom, his son was born in September 1999.
Kamal says, “Our daughter-in-law received all financial benefits as a martyr’s wife. She shifted to her parents’ home. For 25 years, we have fought for monetary benefits, but got nothing.”
Her daughter-in-law is a Commissioner with the Excise Department and grandson Rajvir studies abroad.
Despite her pain, Kamal is a proud mother. “Mohinder was an NCC cadet in college. He was proud of donning the uniform and used to say, ‘Mai vi vardi pani, desh di sewa karni hai’ (I will also don the uniform and serve the country.) We never thought he would give up academics to join the BSF. But I’m proud of my son. Our son died for a great cause.”
Speaking about her daughter-in-law, she says, “I have nothing to say against her. She too lost husband at a young age. May she make our grandson like his father. My anger is with governments. ‘Eh aap AC rooms vich behnde ne, mavan de putt shahadat dinde ne. (Leaders sit in AC rooms, and mother’s sons are martyred).’I’m not begging. I’m asking for my rights in old age as a mother of a brave son.”
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi may have gone overboard on Friday while speaking at the Kargil Vijay Diwas event in Drass. He accused the Opposition of politicising the Agnipath issue. The goal of the scheme, he said, was to make the Army young… and to keep it continuously fit for war. “Unfortunately,” he added, “some people have made such a sensitive issue related to national security a subject of politics.”
Given the calls in the past for a younger force, we need not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
He had some more strong words to say, and whether the occasion was appropriate for them is a question. Ideally, the Opposition and the Prime Minister should have shared a common platform for the solemn observance. But that would perhaps be asking for too much.
There is no doubt that in the past 10 years a great deal has been done for reforming the military. The appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff and the creation of the Department of Military Affairs, the reformed Defence Acquisition Policy has been another, the forced indigenisation of the defence industry as well as the opening up of defence industry to the private sector and providing it 25 per cent of the defence R&D funds.
But in its own way, the most ambitious is Agnipath. Under this scheme, an Agniveer is recruited between the ages of 17 and 21, s/he serves for four years and thereafter will leave with a severance package; 25 per cent of these ‘retirees’ would be offered re-enlistment for a further period of 15 years and more, and presumably be entitled to a pension. As for the bulk of the Agniveers, 75 per cent of them would have options of various government jobs where they would be entitled to preferential recruitment.
Controversy arose over the scheme when, in late 2023, former Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said in his yet to be published memoir that the scheme was a “bolt out of the blue for the Navy and the IAF” and that he had proposed a four-year term only for the Army, and that too with retaining 75 per cent personnel and letting go 25 per cent. But the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reversed this to releasing 75 per cent and retaining only 25 per cent.
There has been a problem with Agnipath from the outset. Because of politics, and both sides have played it, the main question often is: What (more) can we do for the Agniveer? But we do not quite have the answer to the other question: what can or should the Agniveer be doing do for the Army?
The primary argument is that Agnipath will lower the average age of the Army. A government affidavit claimed that India had the highest average age, 32, for below officer rank personnel as against a worldwide average of 26. But the recruitment age in the Army has always been in the 16.5-21 age group for decades. By releasing 75 per cent and infusing a new lot of personnel every cycle, the scheme expects to lower the age of the military. But as we noted, what will it get in return?
There are certain realities of Indian recruits. When young men or women were recruited earlier, they were often underweight and undernourished and came from a diversity of backgrounds. Nine months of basic training just brought them to scratch in terms of physique and discipline, and thereafter there was need for professional training as an infantryman of more technical jobs as a handler of tanks, artillery, air defence systems. This could require anywhere up to another year for just proficiency.
Now, the Agniveer is inducted into the Army with just six months of training. Given the rural background, levels of education and the age of induction, it is unlikely that an Agniveer comes in with any saleable skills. In better-off countries, a recruit would come in with a skill like driving, but in India that alone could take three months.
Former Admiral Arun Prakash has noted that while Agnipath may be useful for the Army, where infantry personnel are not too much into technology, it would be a major problem for the Air Force and the Navy, where “at least 5-6 years are required before a new entrant can acquire enough hands-on experience to be entrusted with the operation or maintenance of lethal weapons systems and complex machinery and electronics”.
The government has denied that the Agnipath scheme was motivated by anything else other than the need for a younger profile of the military. In retrospect, the government needs to be upfront on the fact that it was indeed motivated by the public finance aspects of the scheme which will, however, kick in only after a decade. The pension bill which, according to the latest budget consumed Rs 1.41 lakh crore or 22.7 per cent of the defence budget is a millstone around the military’s neck.
Given the calls in the past for a younger force, we need not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Instead of ending the scheme, the government needs to modify it to overcome shortcomings such as that of training and skill development. It may be a good idea to extend the Agniveer’s tenure from four to seven years, an idea that has been around for some time. This will ensure enough time for training and also providing effective contribution to the service. The Agniveers will be between 24 and 28 years when released, which is ideal for the many opportunities that are opening up, somewhat belatedly, for them.
And remember, of course, that the 550-odd who died in the Kargil War in 1999 were trained, hardened and dedicated soldiers, not Agniveers. That kind of test still awaits the scheme.
THE Agnipath scheme has been under intense scrutiny ever since it was launched two years ago. From time to time, retired defence officers have voiced concerns over the scheme for short-term recruitment into the armed forces, flagging issues such as inadequate retention — only 25 per cent of the Agniveers will be absorbed in the permanent cadre — and manpower shortage. Recent incidents of Agniveers reportedly being involved in criminal activities are worrisome, even as questions remain over the prospects of recruits after they are released from service. Some veterans have even stated that the time-tested recruitment system should not have been tinkered with.
Apart from the disagreement within the military community, Agnipath has become a bone of contention in the political arena. In his address on Kargil Vijay Diwas last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only stoutly defended the scheme but also accused the Opposition of playing politics over the recruitment process. Asserting that Agnipath was aimed at making the forces younger and fitter, he trashed the claims that the scheme was launched to save pension money. Led by the Congress, several Opposition parties have demanded that the scheme be scrapped. Notably, some allies of the ruling BJP, especially the Janata Dal (United), have sought its comprehensive review.
The government cannot afford to let things drift as the lack of consensus will have a bearing on the combat preparedness of the armed forces. Several BJP-ruled states have announced reservation or preference for former Agniveers for jobs in uniformed services like the police. However, this may not be enough to silence the naysayers. The Centre must be receptive to the feedback and take pains to remove the scheme’s shortcomings. An inflexible attitude can be counter-productive, as shown by the year-long protests that followed the enactment of the three Central farm laws (which were eventually repealed). At stake are national security and the morale of the troops. Political grandstanding must take a back seat.
Pravin Sawhney has been editor of FORCE (a magazine on national security and defence) since 2003. The author of two books—The Defence Makeover: 10 Myths That Shape India’s Image and Operation Parakram: The War Unfinished—he has been visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, United Kingdom, and visiting scholar at the Cooperative Monitoring Center, United States.*
Deepkamal Kaur
Jalandhar, July 24
It is not just the pain of losing a young son in the Kargil War that this family had to endure almost 25 years ago, on July 11, 1999, but also other ordeals to get re-settled in life again.
Sapper Daljit Singh, eldest of the four sons of Kirpal Singh and Kamaljit Kaur, was just 26-year old and six years into the Army when he laid down his life for the country. He was married and had a year-and-a-half old daughter too.
At his house in Ekta Nagar, Kirpal Singh, who was then serving as a Sikh preacher at a gurdwara in Rama Mandi, recalls every moment and shares it piece by piece, “I was performing my duties at a religious programme on that fateful day and I was asked to come out to attend a call for my son. When I reached the landline phone, there was a Gorkha Army man on the other side who, in a very calm and composed manner, told me that my son had been martyred. It was shocking but at that moment, I resolved to remain strong and face it boldly. I went home, which was on the gurdwara premises, and told my wife and daughter-in-law Harjinder Kaur about this. Soon, there were people around to support us.”
He goes on, “Days after all rituals were almost over, everyone kept saying that I had not cried a bit and this could lead to mental trauma. They all tried to make me emotional but I did not shed a tear. I was even shut in a room for four days but I eventually convinced everyone that I could have developed an inner strength to bear it all. I have been a preacher all my life and giving speeches on the lives of martyr Sikh gurus and the martyrs of the Sikhism. Then on, I remember my son each day but sans any grief.”
Kirpal Singh says that the only regret he has in life was that he had to fight a long legal battle in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and even the Supreme Court to get a compensatory Class IV job for his younger son Kuldeep Singh. “Even as the state government now gives Rs 1 crore to a martyr’s family, we had got just Rs 50,000 as compensation in 1999. My daughter-in-law was offered a job but she was unwilling to take it and gave it in writing that it should instead be given to her younger brother-in-law. We had to move the court for this and it was a long drawn battle for justice, that too after losing a son,” he says.
Recalling one of the sweetest memories associated with his son, he says, “His unit was in a train from Pune to J&K a month ahead of the war when he had called up asking me to arrange for a meal for all of them. All of us, including the Sangat, prepared chhole-puris, packed them and took it to the train which they savoured on the way. After the unit reached its destination, his unit commander called up Daljit to thank him for the delicious meal and offered him a four-day vacation as a reward. Daljit came here and we spent such a fulfilling time with him then.”
Martyr Daljit Singh’s mother shares how he still maintains his son’s uniform, accessories and even the letters that he used to write back home. “We got his wife married to our younger son Joga Singh. They have two more daughters now. Daljit’s daughter Manpreet has recently moved to Canada after completing B.Com from here. She was five-year old when I told her about her father’s martyrdom. I told her that her ‘Chachu’ was her father now and she happily started calling him her ‘Papa’.”
Harjinder Kaur chose not to talk much. Wiping her tears constantly, she just murmurs, “It feels I have lived a double life”. She perhaps meant that it was not easy balancing oneself as a Kargil martyr’s widow and being remarried and settled with his brother.
The only regret of father
The martyr’s father Kirpal Singh says that the only regret he has in life is that he had to fight a long legal battle in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and even the Supreme Court to get a compensatory Class IV job for his younger son Kuldeep Singh. Even as the state government now gives Rs 1 crore to a martyr’s family, they had got just Rs 50,000 as compensation in 1999.
Jammu, July 30
Security forces have launched a cordon and search operation following information about movement of two suspected terrorists in a remote village in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday.
The two armed suspects, dressed in black, were seen moving in Salampura village near Dehra Ki Gali late Monday night, they said.
Police assisted by the Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF launched a joint operation immediately after getting the information.
The suspected terrorists were seen moving towards lower Pangai, they said, adding the search operation is underway but there was no contact with the suspected terrorists so far.
The officials said security forces also launched a search operation at Sanai, Jangal, Pattan and adjoining villages in Surankote area of Poonch and Bangar-Saroor forest in Drabshalla area of Kishtwar district this morning.
Hoshiarpur, July 29
Three people, including an army jawan, were arrested for allegedly killing a man here, police said on Monday.
The accused were identified as Kanish Kumar from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar; Jaswinder Singh alias Monu, and army jawan Amandeep Singh alias Aman, both from Daffar village here; they said.
SSP Surendra Lamba said the incident occurred on Friday, when three masked men riding a motorbike intercepted Kulvir Singh and Satwinder Singh while they were on their way to Bajwa village.
The three attacked Kulvir and Satwinder, leaving both seriously injured. They were rushed to a hospital where Kulvir succumbed to his injuries, Lamba said.
Police investigation revealed that Satwinder had an old enmity with Dubai-based Pinder at Kabirpur village.
Kanish had met Pinder when he visited Dubai a while ago and hatched a plot to kill Satwinder, police said.
Police recovered a motorbike and two sharp-edged weapons used in the crime from the accused, they said.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 30
Expertly-trained dogs from the Army’s elite canine unit of breeds such as Belgian Malinois, Labradors and German Shepherds, which can smell human remains and even the faintest of breath buried deep under mud, are on their way to the landslide-ravaged Meppadi in Wayanad.
These dogs have been trained for years at the prestigious Remount Veterinary Corps Centre (RVC) in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
Based on a special request from the Chief Minister of Kerala, the Canine Squad of the Army, specially trained for operations in disaster areas, will be flown to Wayanad to sniff out signs of life so that people trapped deep under the mud at the landslide site can be rescued, and also to recover the human remains of those who were not fortunate enough to survive nature’s onslaught.
A Defence Ministry PRO said that based on the request from the Kerala Government, the Meerut RVC is sending the canine team with expert handlers to Wayanad.
“These dogs are experts in rescuing people from disaster-struck areas and the canine team will be arriving soon at Wayanad,” the PRO said.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had requested the Army to send its expert canine team to Wayanad after getting reports of several hundred people missing from the area possibly having been washed away in the torrential flow of mud and rocks.
On earlier occasions too, the Army’s dogs have helped the authorities dig out bodies from landslide sites at Kavalappara and Puthumala in Kerala.
Hundreds of dogs are rigorously trained with high accuracy at the Meerut RVC annually to carry out anti-terrorism operations and narcotics detection, and to provide rescue assistance in disaster-struck locations in the country.
