They visit the Golden Temple to offer prayers
Indian men’s field hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh (left, top) and his teammates pay obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Sunday. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Neeraj Bagga
Amritsar, August 11
Ignoring downpour, the family members, fans and politicians accorded a warm welcome to the members of the bronze winning Indian hockey team from the 2024 Paris Olympics as soon as they came out of the departure lounge of Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar on Sunday morning.
As many as 10 players from Punjab were included in the hockey team which clinched the second bronze medal in succession. Out of them, nine players arrived in the holy city today. These players were captain Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Hardik Singh, Sukhjit Singh, Gurjant Singh, Shamsher Singh and Jugraj Singh.
The coach of the team and the family members of the players were also with them.
After successful participation in Exercise Udara Shakti 2024 at Malaysia, the Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent returned to India, on 10 Aug 24. The joint air exercise was conducted in collaboration with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) from 05 to 09 August 2024 at Kuantan, Malaysia. The IAF participated with Su-30MKI fighter jets.
During the exercise, IAF’s Su-30MKI fighter jets engaged in air combat missions alongside the RMAF’s Su-30MKM fighters, enabling the crew of both air forces to familiarize with each other’s operational protocols, thereby enhancing interoperability, commonality and overall effectiveness in Su-30 aircraft operations. Aimed at bolstering operational efficiency, technical experts of both Air Forces engaged in exchange of their maintenance practices.
PIB Press Release
Paris, August 11
The ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will take some more time to deliberate on Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against her disqualification from the women’s 50kg free-style final of the Olympic Games and will announce its decision only on August 13.
The 29-year-old was disqualified for being 100gm overweight at the time on weigh-in on Wednesday. The much-anticipated verdict on her appeal was earlier due to be announced on Saturday evening.
However, in a chaotic turn of events, the Indian Olympic Association first stated that the verdict will be out on Sunday before issuing a clarification to say that the outcome will be known only on August 13.
“The ad-hoc division of CAS has extended time for the Sole Arbitrator Hon. Dr Annabelle Bennett in the Vinesh Phogat vs. United World Wrestling & the International Olympic Committee matter to give a decision till 6-00 p.m. on August 13, 2024,” the IOA statement read.
“The reference to August 11 in the earlier communication sent by me was to the time given to all parties to present any additional documents before the Sole Arbitator,” it added.
The body apologised for “the confusion and inconvenience caused”.
The Games will close on Sunday with a ceremony at Stade de France, which was the venue for track and field events.
The CAS ad-hoc division, set up especially for dispute resolution during the Games, had accepted Vinesh’s appeal against her ouster on Friday.
Srinagar: Rashtriya Rifles and Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) Police have initiated an operation in the Kapran Garol area of South Kashmir’s Kishtwar range, following intelligence reports of terrorists infiltrating the region, officials said on Saturday.
The operation, which began on the nights of August 9 and 10, targets terrorists believed to be responsible for recent incidents in the Doda region, they said.
PRO (Defence), Srinagar said in a statement, said that it had been earlier confirmed through human and electronic means on 05 August 2024 that terrorists responsible for atrocities and incidents in the Doda region on July 24, had sneaked across the Kishtwar range into the Kapran Garol area in South Kashmir.
“Rashtriya Rifles and J&K Police have ever since relentlessly tracked these terrorists and precise operations were launched on the night of 09 & 10 Aug 2024 in the area East of Kapran, in the mountains, where these terrorists were reportedly holed up,” PRO (Defence) Srinagar said.
According to the statement, on August 10, at approximately 1400 hours, suspicious movement was observed and, on challenging, was immediately responded to by indiscriminate, desperate and reckless firing from terrorists in which two Army personnel and two civilians, in the vicinity were injured. The terror antecedents of the injured civilians are being ascertained.
“The area is above 10,000 feet in high altitude and has thick undergrowth, large boulders, Nallahs and re-entrants that pose a serious challenge to operations. Security forces are moving deliberately and are in the process of hunting down the terrorists. Operations will progress through the night,” the PRO (Defence) added.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
Jaishankar said a total of 91 Indians were recruited into the Russian Army, and 14 of them were discharged or had come back to India. About 50 Indian nationals serving with the Russian military had approached Indian authorities seeking help to be discharged
New Delhi: Russia said on Saturday that it had stopped recruiting Indian nationals into its armed forces in April this year and that authorities are working for the early discharge of Indians who “voluntarily contracted for military service”.
The Russian embassy in New Delhi outlined the position on Indians serving in the Russian military a day after external affairs minister S Jaishankar informed Parliament on Friday that the two sides have differing views on the status of 91 Indians recruited into the Russian military.
Jaishankar said in Lok Sabha during question hour that India takes the matter very seriously and has pressed Russia to ensure the release and repatriation of all its citizens serving in the Russian armed forces. Eight Indians have been killed so far while serving with Russian units on the frontlines of the war with Ukraine.
“Since April this year, the ministry of defence of the Russian Federation has stopped admission of citizens of a number of foreign countries, including India, to military service in the Russian Armed Forces,” the Russian embassy said in a statement.
“The agencies concerned in both countries work in close coordination for early identification and discharge of Indian nationals who voluntarily contracted for military service in Russia,” the statement said.
The embassy said it was responding to requests from the media to comment on Indian citizens in service in the Russian armed forces “as there have been unfortunate instances of casualties among them in the course of the special military operation in Ukraine.”
“The Embassy expresses deep condolences to the Government of India and the families of the deceased,” the statement said. “All contractual obligations and due compensation payments will be fulfilled in full measure,” it added.
The embassy said the Russian government has “at no point of time been engaged in any public or obscure campaigns, more so in fraudulent schemes to recruit the Indian nationals for military service in Russia.”
Jaishankar had on Friday outlined the differing views of the two sides on the matter: “The problem…is that the Russian authorities maintain that these Indian nationals entered into contracts for service with the Russian Army. We are not necessarily subscribing to that.”
He further said many Indians recruited into the Russian military were “misled,” and they were “told that they were going for some other job” and “then deployed with the Russian Army.”
Jaishankar said a total of 91 Indians were recruited into the Russian Army, and 14 of them were discharged or had come back to India. Sixty-nine Indian citizens are currently awaiting release from the Russian Army.
Besides the eight Indians who died on the frontlines of the war with Ukraine, several more, recruited as support staff such as cooks and helpers, have been injured.
Jaishankar said he had raised the issue numerous times with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised it with President Vladimir Putin when he visited Moscow in July. Modi received an assurance from Putin that any Indian national in service with the Russian Army will be discharged and released.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a criminal case against 19 individuals and entities for their alleged role in recruiting Indian nationals for the Russian Army. Two accused were arrested on April 24 and two more on May 7.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 10
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Undeterred by delay in the deliveries of the existing lot of Tejas fighter jets, India is looking at testing a prototype of a more powerful and next version of the jet — Tejas Mark 2.
A high-level review meeting chaired by Samir Kamat, Chairman, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on Friday laid down targets towards realisation of the first fly worthy prototype of Tejas Mark 2, an upgraded version of the existing Tejas Mark 1A, having a wider array of weapons and a more powerful engine.
Various stakeholders — all those associated with testing of the fly worthy prototype of Tejas Mark 2 — gave their status report on the progress. All DRDO labs involved in the development of systems and subsystems of the jet were present. The Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification and National Flight Test Centre under Aeronautical Development Agency were also part of the meet.
Kyiv, August 10
A swift Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region was the largest such cross-border raid by Kyiv’s forces in the nearly 2½-year war, exposing Russia’s vulnerabilities and dealing a painful blow to the Kremlin.
The surprise foray has prompted thousands of civilians to flee the region as the Russian military struggles to repel the attack.
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For Ukraine, the cross-border raid offers a much-needed boost to public morale at a time when the country’s undermanned and under-gunned forces have faced relentless Russian attacks along the more than 1,000 kilometre front line.
A glance at the Ukrainian raid and its implications.
How did the Ukrainian attack unfold?
Kyiv’s troops poured into the Kursk region from several directions early Tuesday, quickly overwhelming a few checkpoints and field fortifications manned by lightly armed border guards and infantry units along the region’s 245-kilometre frontier with Ukraine.
Unlike previous raids conducted by small groups of Russian volunteers fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, the incursion into the Kursk region reportedly involved units from several battle-hardened Ukrainian army brigades.
Russian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian mobile groups comprised of several armored vehicles each quickly drove dozens of kilometres into Russian territory, bypassing Russian fortifications and sowing panic across the region.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think-tank, said Ukrainian forces have managed to push up to 35 kilometres deep into the region. “Ukrainian forces appear to be able to use these small armored groups to conduct assaults past the engagement line due to the low density of Russian personnel in the border areas,” it said in an analysis of the raid.
The Ukrainian forces have widely used drones to strike Russian military vehicles and deployed electronic warfare assets to suppress Russian drones and derail military communications.
While small Ukrainian mobile groups roamed the region without trying to consolidate control, other troops reportedly have started digging in around the town of Sudzha about 10 kilometres from the border and in some other areas.
How has the Russian military responded?
Caught off guard, Russian troops failed to mount a quick response to the incursion. With the bulk of the Russian army engaged in the offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, few troops were left to protect the Kursk border region.
The Russian units along the frontier consisted mostly of poorly trained conscript soldiers, who were easily overcome by elite Ukrainian units. Some conscripts were captured.
The manpower shortage prompted Russian military command to initially rely on warplanes and helicopter gunships to try to stem the Ukrainian attack. At least one Russian helicopter was downed and another one was damaged by the advancing Ukrainian forces, according to Russian military bloggers.
Russian reinforcements, including elite special forces units and hardened veterans of the Wagner military contractor, later started to arrive in the Kursk region, but they so far have failed to dislodge the Ukrainian forces from Sudzha and other areas near the border.
Some of the newly arriving troops lacked combat skills and suffered casualties. In one example, a convoy of military trucks carelessly stopped on the roadside near the combat area and was pummelled by Ukrainian fire.
The Russian Defence Ministry declared Friday that Ukraine lost 945 soldiers in four days of fighting. The claim couldn’t be independently verified. The ministry didn’t offer any data on Russian casualties.
Jammu, August 11
An encounter took place between security forces and terrorists in a remote forest in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir early on Sunday, officials said.
The gunfight took place for a brief period when police assisted by army and paramilitary forces launched a search operation in Nownatta, Naageni Peyaas and adjoining areas following information about movement of terrorists, they said.
The latest encounter comes a day after two army personnel — Havildar Dipak Kumar Yadav and Lance Naik Praveen Sharma — were killed and six others, including two civilians, were injured in a fierce gunfight in Kokernag woods in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Pankaj Sharma
Nahan, August 11
Lance Naik Praveen Sharma, a 26-year-old soldier from the Habban region in Rajgarh subdivision of Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmour district, was martyred in a fierce encounter with terrorists in the dense forests of Kokernag, Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir.
The encounter, which began on Saturday afternoon, involved Praveen, a native of Palu village in Habban, who was part of Operation Rakshak—a mission aimed at neutralising terrorist elements in the region. Late in the evening, the Indian Army delivered the news of his martyrdom to his family.
Praveen served in the First Para Regiment, a unit known for its bravery and expertise in some of the most dangerous operations undertaken by the Indian Army. The operation in Kokernag, one of the many aimed at eliminating terrorist threats in Jammu and Kashmir, was marked by intense fighting. Despite the challenges and risks, Praveen displayed extraordinary valour and made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation.
The Sirmour district administration was informed of his martyrdom. They promptly reached out to his family. Efforts to retrieve his mortal remains from the operation area were initiated on Saturday afternoon. The army has communicated that Praveen’s body will be airlifted to Chandigarh, from where it will be transported to his ancestral village in Habban for the final rites. The station headquarters in Nahan has been tasked with making all necessary arrangements for the soldier’s last journey.
