KOKRAJHAR STRIKE 1 attacker dies, another flees; BJP govt faces first big test

Utpal Parashar ■ utpal.parashar@hindustantimes.com

PTI PHOTOShops on fire at a market that was attacked by Bodo militants in Balajan Tiniali near Kokrajhar, Assam, on Friday.

GUWAHATI: Suspected Bodo rebels killed 13 people at a crowded marketplace in Assam’s Kokrajhar district on Friday, police said, potentially throwing up the first major militancy-related challenge for the new BJP-led government in the northeastern state.

Sixteen people were also injured in the attack at Balajan Tiniali, nearly 220 km west of Guwahati. Police said the two militants suspected to be from a breakaway faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) arrived at the spot on an autorickshaw along with civilian passengers.

One of the militants was shot dead by security forces who responded within minutes to the attack. The other managed to escape in the melee.

“The style of operation also points to NDFB-Songbijit. We have launched counter-operations to nab the militant(s). Situation in the area is under control,” said Assam director general of police Mukesh Sahay from Kokrajhar.

The outfit, however, denied its involvement in the incident. In a statement issued in Kokrajhar, NDFB-S ‘general secretary’ BR Ferenga also condemned the police for “tarnishing” its image. HT could not verify the authenticity of the statement.

The incident is the first major militant strike in the state since the BJP government led by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal assumed power in May.

Though most of the militant groups in Assam are in talks with the Centre, the NDFB-S and the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent led by Paresh Barua have repeatedly turned down peace overtures from the government.

The NDFB faction involved in Friday’s attack is led by IK Songbijit who split from the parent group in 2012 to carry on the armed rebellion for an ‘independent Bodoland’, the NDFB’s original goal. Though Songbijit was reportedly thrown out of the outfit last year, he still commands a small group of loyal followers, police said. Sources said that he was trying to float a new outfit with a separate identity.

Officials said two women were among the dead which include 6 members of the Bodo community. The condition of two among the injured is stated to be serious.

Television footage showed guntoting security personnel guiding people out of their shops towards safety and smoke billowing out of damaged tin-roofed shanties where the grenade might have exploded.

One unused grenade was recovered from the area while security forces found an AK- assault rifle on the slain militant.

Sarbananda Sonowal, who is in Delhi, denounced the attack and said militants would be dealt with “very sternly”.

He also announced an ex-gratia payment of `5 lakh to the next of kin of the dead, Rs one lakh to the seriously injured and `20,000 to those who sustained minor injuries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too condemned the attack and said the home ministry was in touch with the Assam government.

COLD VIBES: Nawaz Sharif with Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the inaugural session of SAARC meet in Islamabad. PTI

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 4

India did some hard talking at the SAARC Home Ministers’ Conference in Islamabad today, without mentioning Pakistan, and bluntly raised the issue of terrorism and that of justice to the victims of the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks. There were no bilateral talks and sources privy to the developments said Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit was not expected to lead to any kind of thaw in the India-Pakistan relations. Editorial: Another SAARC farceIn his speech, Singh talked about terrorism striking Pathankot, Dhaka and Kabul, thus ensuring that the highlight was on the SAARC region and not just India. He pointed out that “terrorism remains the biggest challenge and threat to our peace. South Asia continues to be deeply affected by this malady”.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Denying reports that the Minister’s speech was “blacked out”, government sources said: “It is the standard SAARC practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media and the rest of the proceedings are in camera.” Singh also took a dig at Pakistan’s recent actions where it referred to slain militant Burhan Wani as a martyr: “It also needs to be ensured that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronised by any state. One country’s terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone.”He made an appeal to the SAARC nations to isolate those who sponsor terrorism: “Those who provide support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or any assistance to terrorism or terrorists must be isolated. Strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organisations but also those individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them.”The Minister said the distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ terrorists was misleading and urged all SAARC member states to adopt ‘zero tolerance’ to any type of terrorism. 

Jammu, August 3

After taking over as the officiating Western Command chief, Lt Gen JS Cheema on Tuesday reviewed security arrangements in the Samba and Jammu areas of the Rising Star Corps, said a defence spokesperson.He said the Western Command chief carried out an aerial and ground reconnaissance of border areas and reviewed the operational preparedness of the formations. He expressed satisfaction at the security arrangements in the region.Interacting with troops, he praised their contribution towards thwarting the nefarious designs of terrorists and anti-national elements. Lt General Cheema also exhorted the troops to remain vigilant, especially in the light of the Independence Day, the spokesperson added.The Western Command is managing the second line of defence on the 198-km-long international border from Jammu to Kathua district. — TNS

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 3

The one-man Judicial Committee of former Chief Justice of the Patna High Court L Narasimha Reddy, set up by the Centre to look into implementation of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) formula for ex-servicemen and address anomalies arising thereof, will hold public meetings and hearings on the issue.The committee will hold meetings with the retired service fraternity at 19 places across the country and the first public hearing is scheduled to be held at Chandigarh on August 17, it is learnt.While the implementation of OROP was announced by the government last year, many ex-servicemen said the orders issued were not in line with the accepted definition of OROP, thereby denying them the full benefits.A major sore point with the veterans was that their representatives were not involved in the decision-making process and there was no formal system through which they could directly approach the committee and submit their views. The committee was set up in December 2015.The committee’s mandate includes putting forth recommendations on whether to extend the benefit of OROP to reservists, whether the decision to grant benefits of assured career progression under OROP needs to be modified and whether pension tables for more than 33 years of service are to be formulated.The committee will also examine the pension equations between regular officers in the junior rung and their equivalent ranks in the Army Medical Corps, Army Dental Corps, Remount and Veterinary Corps, Territorial Army, Emergency and Short Service Commission officers and honorary ranks.

Shaurya Karanbir Gurung

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 24

India’s Mi-17 1V helicopters, used primarily  for disaster rescue operations and transportation of troops to remote areas, are finally going to Russia for a major overhaul.Mi-17 1V is a product of Kazan Helicopters, which also carries out the overhaul. A major overhaul means not only repairs or change of engine, but also avionics and hydraulics. For the Border Security Force Air Wing, this comes four years after the choppers started getting grounded in Delhi for running on outdated parts.BSF’s Mi-17 1Vs are based out of Delhi because the hangars are better equipped. This reduces their capacity to work outside Delhi, as they have to undergo maintenance after every 50 flying hours.Four of BSF’s six Mi-17 1Vs were grounded in 2012. The fifth gave away in January last year and the last one was grounded last month. At present, all require a complete overhaul.The situation is equally bad for the Indian Air Force. It has four squadrons of Mi-17 1Vs, each having 12 helicopters, meaning a total of 48. Most are grounded as they have reached the overhaul stage.The BSF, on its own, does not have the resources to overhaul the Mi-17 1Vs and looks to the IAF for help. However, the Air Force expects it to strike a deal with the manufacturing firm on its own. These machines were bought along with the ones procured by the IAF in 2003.Other than the four squadrons of IAF’s Mi-17 1Vs, the remaining have been converted to Mi-17 V5. “The Mi-17 1Vs cannot always be sent to Russia. Because it is not practical to establish a servicing facility in India for the 1V, it will be eventually be phased out,” said an official, adding that a base repair depot for overhauling the Mi-17 V5 will be established in Kanpur.

LAST SEEN AN-32 lost height rapidly from 23,000ft, about 280km off Chennai

NEW DELHI/ CHENNAI: An Indian air force plane carrying 29 personnel went missing over the Bay of Bengal on its way from Chennai to the Andaman Nicobar Islands on Friday, triggering an expansive search involving helicopters, warships and a submarine.

The Russian-origin Antonov-32 plane disappeared about 280 km off the coast of Chennai from where it had taken off at 8.30 am. It was due to arrive around midday at Port Blair — about 1,400km away — which hosts India’s only tri-service command.

The plane was flying 12 air force personnel, one each from the army, navy and coast guard and eight civilians, some of them family members of soldiers. It also had a crew of six. The medium-lift plane, upgraded last year, can fly for four hours and 15 minutes without refuelling.

“The aircraft was observed to have carried out a left turn with rapid loss of height from 23,000 feet,” an Indian Air Force (IAF) official told Hindustan Times.

IAF officials said the missing plane made its last radio contact at 8.46 am and it was last seen on the radar at 9.12 am.

At least four planes, including two P-8I long-range maritime surveillance aircraft, helicopters and 13 warships are scouring the sea looking for the plane.

AN-32 missing; 29 on board

Massive search operation on to trace Chennai to Port Blair plane

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 22

An Indian Air Force transport plane, AN-32, with 29 people on board was reported missing over the Bay of Bengal this morning. The Navy, IAF and the Coast Guard have launched a massive search operation.The plane was among the 64 AN-32s in the IAF fleet that were upgraded and re-equipped under a $400 million contract by the parent manufacturer in Ukraine. The plane, based at Sulur (Coimbatore), had developed defects thrice since July 2, sources confirmed.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The remaining 40 planes of the AN-32 fleet are to be upgraded from next year at the IAF’s “1 base repair depot Kanpur”. As many as 104 AN-32 aircraft were imported from Soviet Union in phases between 1984 and 1991. The upgrade of these planes, between 25 and 32 years old, is being done to extend their life, allowing the last batch to fly till 2035.The plane had taken off at 8.30 am from the Tambaram air base, Chennai, and was scheduled to land at 11.30 am at the Port Blair naval base in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.The plane was on a routine flight, carrying men and material to Port Blair, and all those on board were either service personnel or civilian staff of the services.The plane last made radio contact with the Chennai Air Traffic Control at 8.46 am, 16 minutes after the take-off. Its radar signal was last seen at 9.12 am. The pilot did not radio the location or sound “Mayday” (crisis) before it was reported missing.A submarine, equipped with the system to pick up signals from the locating beacon of the aircraft, has been diverted to look for the plane.Navy’s P8-I surveillance aircraft has also been pressed into service along with the Dornier surveillance planes of the Navy and the Coast Guard. These carry powerful sensors and send live imagery to the control room.Besides, a dozen naval warships and two Coast Guard vessels have set sail.The IAF has dispatched a C-130-J and an AN-32 for search. The Chennai-Port Blair IAF “courier” flight flies thrice a week.Those on board included six crew, 15 personnel from the IAF, Army, Navy and Coast Guard, and eight civilians who were family members of the personnel. One of the passengers was a woman IAF officer married to a Coast Guard officer based in Port Blair.Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is likely to visit Tambaram air base on Saturday.

(With agency inputs)

Not new to midair scare

• Soviet-origin AN-32, said to be a sturdy plane, has been involved in several fatal crashes and instances of structural failure
• In 1994, the navigator’s bubbler, which allows him to look at the terrain below, shattered, sucking him out over the Himalayas
• A few years ago, the cargo ramp of an AN-32 on Leh-Chandigarh circuit with 42 on board burst open at 25,000 feet
• An AN-32 fatally crashed in J-K in 1986; and mid-air collisions were reported near Ludhiana in 1992 and Assam in 2012

SRINAGAR: Army chief General Dalbir Singh reviewed the security situation in Kashmir on Wednesday and appealed to the people to maintain peace while calling for strict vigil along the Line of Control (LoC).

PTIChief of Army Staff Gen Dalbir Singh having a word with army officers during his visit to the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps on Wednesday.

The Army chief also complimented the troops on ground for showing maximum restraint even in the face of grave provocation besides appreciating the synergy being shown among all security agencies that has resulted in successful counter-terrorist operations, an Army spokesman said.

“The Chief of Army Staff reviewed the security situation in Kashmir during his visit to the Srinagar based 15 Corps,” the spokesman said. He said the Army Chief was briefed by the Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D S Hooda and Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen Satish Dua on the situation along the LoC and the hinterland including the measures instituted to ensure close coordination with all security and other government agencies towards maintaining peace in the Valley.

The Army chief, accompanied by the Northern Army and Chinar Corps Commanders, also visited the Kupwara Division in north Kashmir and Awantipur based ‘Victor Force’ where he was briefed on the operational preparedness as also the initiatives taken by Army in collaboration with civil administration to alleviate hardships being faced by the populace due to the prevailing unrest, the spokesman said.

Protesters clash with security personnel in Srinagar on July 14, 2016. — AFP

New Delhi, July 14

Hitting out at Pakistan for trying to internationalise the killing of Hizbul militant Burhan Wani, India today  reiterated that Kashmir was an internal matter and that Pakistan had no locus standi. India accused Pakistan of sending terrorists into its territory and fanning discontent in the Kashmir valley.At the United Nations, India’s Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin said Pakistan used terrorism as a state policy towards the “misguided end of coveting the territory of others”.His strong remarks followed Pakistan’s PR Maleeha Lodhi describing Wani as a ‘Kashmiri leader’.Pakistan had summoned the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad on Monday and raised the Kashmir issue.Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup today said the Indian envoy told Pakistan that Kashmir was India’s internal matter and that India had rejected the demarche issued in the matter.“Terrorism is terrorism and no amount of justification on part of Pakistan is going to change that,” Swarup said. Dismissing reports that India planned to summon Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit, he said this being an internal matter, India saw no reason to involve Pakistan.  On a dialogue with Pakistan, he reaffirmed that India never shied away from talks. However, he said it was incumbent upon Pakistan to create the right atmosphere as “talks and terror cannot go hand in hand”.  — TNS

Bilawal calls up Mirwaiz, vows support

• Srinagar: Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto called up Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Thursday and expressed ‘solidarity’ with the Kashmiris, the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference said. “Spoke to @MirwaizKashmir & expressed condolences, condemnation & solidarity withpeople of #Kashmir,” Bilawal wrote on his twitter handle. TNS

Vanita Singh, widow of Ranbir Singh, shows a letter written to the President and the Prime Minister to know the cause of her husband’s death. Photo: Indervesh Duhan

Sat Singh

Tribune News Service

Bhiwani, July 13

Ranbir Singh of Indian Navy died in 2015 while he was on a 45 days’ official tour on INS Teg in Mauritius. Officials attributed the death to brain haemorrhage, but his widow Vanita Singh (36) refused to buy this theory.“After repeated requests and an RTI plea, Navy has failed to tell me in writing the cause of my husband’s death,” she told the media here today.Vanita is a mother of two children.“On July 25, 2015, Navy officials told me that my husband was seriously ill in Mauritius. They took me to hospital, where his body was lying, on July 29,” Vanita said, adding she was told verbally that Ranbir died of brain haemorrhage.She said her husband was physically fit before leaving for Mauritius. “When I saw the body, there were injury marks on his head. That made me suspect foul play.”Ranbir of the district’s Kadma village had joined Navy in 1995. He was posted as the Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO) at the time of his death.Vanita claimed she did not receive support from the Navy in bringing back the body. “There is a protocol to bring the body back home. In my case, I had to arrange everything.”On her struggle, she has written to the President, Prime Minister, Defence Ministry and Navy Admiral, demanding that the cause of Ranbir’s death should be made public, but all in vain.But she is determined. “I will put more efforts to get a court of inquiry conducted, as knowing the cause of my husband’s death is my right,” she added.

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 12

Chairing a high-level meeting on the situation in Kashmir within hours of his return from the four-nation Africa tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today appealed for “calm and peace.” He is believed to have expressed “unhappiness” over the media coverage of the violent protests following the killing of Hizbul millitant Burhan Wani and the latter’s portrayal as a “hero”. The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh, NSA Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, among others. The PM was briefed on the Wani encounter, the subsequent violence and Pakistan’s response to the terrorist’s death. The issue of a Rs 80,000-crore package recently announced for Jammu and Kashmir was also taken up.Sources said Home Ministry officials expressed concern over the situation in the Valley in the next two days. Separatists intend to observe July 13 (tomorrow) as “Martyrs’ Day” and there is every possibility of emotions running high after the Friday prayers the following day.Rajnath is expected to make a statement on the violence on the first day of the Parliament session (July 18). He was to visit the US for the ‘Homeland Security Dialogue’ scheduled for next week. Sources said it would not be “possible for him to embark upon the US visit” in view of his “busy schedule in Parliament” and that the new dates had yet to be worked out. He was also to travel to Pakistan for the SAARC Home Ministers’ conference in August, but the visit is “highly unlikely” now.