Fed up of being terrorist, man crosses LoC with wife

 HINDUSTAN TIMES

 http://www.hindustantimes.com/Fed-up-of-being-terrorist-man-crosses-LoC-with-wife/Article1-542032.aspx

A Kashmiri militant crossed over from the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district with his Pakistani bride because he was "fed up" of living the life of a terrorist, police said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Ashraf, who went from Badagaon village in Poonch to Pakistan administered Kashmir for arms training and joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba there, returned on Monday evening with his wife Asma to this side of the LoC, which divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan, a police officer said.

He said Ashraf had left in 1999 along with many others for arms training "but gradually got fed up with his life as a militant".

He got married this March and decided to come back home. Indian Army soldiers allowed him to cross over from Poonch sector, about 240 km from Jammu, when they saw him with a woman. After hearing their tale, the army handed the couple over to the local police. 

"Further questioning is going on. They would have to be produced in court," the officer said.

Chinese intrusions become frequent

 TIMES OF INDIA

 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Chinese-intrusions-become-frequent-/articleshow/5913913.cms

NEW DELHI: China continues to intrude into Indian territory in the real as well as virtual worlds with sheer impunity. Along with mounting cyber-attacks, China persists in needling India all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC).

At least three incursions by motorised armed patrols of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the strategically-located Trig Heights and Pangong Tso lake were recorded during last week, said sources on Monday.

Chinese "transgressions'' into these sectors in Eastern Ladakh this year have registered "a sharp jump'', ranging from 27% to 52%, as compared to the same timeframe in 2009. "Just in Trig Heights area, for instance, almost 30 Chinese transgressions have already been witnessed this year,'' said a source.

Similarly, both the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, two-third of which is controlled by China as it extends from India to Tibet at an altitude of 4,218 metres, record incursions by Chinese foot, vehicle and boat patrols on a regular basis.

This continuing cat-and-mouse game to strengthen its claims over disputed areas is yet another indicator that China has very little intention of softening its posture in the protracted border talks with India to delineate the 4,057-km LAC.

Indian troops, of course, also indulge in similar moves but they are nowhere near as aggressive as the assertive border management policy of the 2.25-million strong PLA, which has already unnerved the Indian defence establishment with its massive build-up of military infrastructure in the border areas.

This flexing of muscles is not restricted to Eastern Ladakh alone. It spreads across all the three sectors -- western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal) -- of the LAC. "Chinese armed patrols, for instance, have intruded in the Asaphila sector of Arunachal as well this year,'' said a source.

Even Sikkim, which India considers to be "a settled matter'' after the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to China in 2003, has not been impervious to incursions across the state's 206-km border with Tibet. The so-called 2.1 sq km "finger area'', the northern-most tip of Sikkim, for instance, is still on China's radar screen.

The UPA government, however, continues to publicly downplay all these concerns. The consistent official line is that the transgressions take place due to "differing perceptions'' of the unresolved LAC, with both New Delhi and Beijing trying to "amicably resolve'' the issue through talks.

But the concern underneath can be gauged from the fact the Border Roads Organisation is now being pulled out of Naxal-hit areas to concentrate on infrastructure build-up in forward areas.

This has become necessary because of the tardy progress in the construction of the 73 all-weather roads earmarked for the Sino-Indian border, with only a dozen ready till now.

Then, of course, apart from beginning to base Sukhoi-30MKI fighters in North-East as well as upgrading airstrips and helipads, India is also raising two new specialised infantry mountain divisions (35,000 soldiers) and an artillery brigade for Arunachal Pradesh.

India also plans to progressively base six surface-to-air Akash missile squadrons in the North-East to counter the threat posed by Chinese fighters, helicopters and drones in the region.

Army officer held in city for child porn

TIMES OF INDIA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Army-officer-held-in-city-for-child-porn/articleshow/5904868.cms

MUMBAI: A 42-year-old lieutenant colonel of the Indian Army was arrested by the cyber crime investigation cell (CCIC) of the Mumbai police on Thursday for allegedly posting obscene pictures of children on an international web site.

The accused, Jagmohan Balbir Singh, who worked in the supply and transport wing of the army, has been remanded in police custody till May 12. A commerce graduate, Singh joined the Indian Military Academy in 1989 as second lieutenant.

The investigation had its origin in Germany. While probing a complaint against minor's pornography in September, 2009, the German Federal Police found that the objectionable pictures were being uploaded from a computer the Internet Protocol (IP) address of which was in India. The German police alerted the Interpol, which through CBI, forwarded the case to the Mumbai police.

"We caught Singh downloading porn clippings red-handed as we entered Singh's government flat at Namdar Manzil in Colaba. Eeven as we questioned him at his home for four and a half hours, the downloading continued. We have also taken printouts of the pictures so that we can use it as evidence in court,'' said an officer.

The police claimed to have seized the hard disk of Singh's personal computer, which contained lots of pornographic material, as well as his two cellphones that also had objectionable clippings. The children in the clippings—as tagged in the title—fall in the age group of three to 15 years. Singh, who is not very tech-savvy, would commit this crime from his residence.

"Singh was acting difficult. To make him confess to the crime, the police asked if his two sons were involved in the uploading and downloading of obscene clippings. Sacred that his sons would be implicated, Singh admitted that he was responsible for the crime,'' said a source. During the interrogation, neither Singh's wife nor his two sons came in the room. Singh told the police that he would download obscene clippings from various sites and then upload them on a specific site.

From one of the two hard disks, the cyber police have got 157 obscene clippings (files) and porn movies. The police will now obtain the mirror image of the two hard disks before it is sent for cyber analysis.

Singh, who is attached with the Western Command of the army that covers Maharashtra and Gujarat, has been booked under Information Technology Act 2000. If convicted, Singh can be sentenced to a maximum seven years in jail and also fined
Rs 10 lakh.

Crime branch chief Himanshu Roy said, "He was not doing it for commercial purpose. We have secured his custody and will question him.'' The police are also scanning Singh's email account to check if he would send/receive such stuff to and from other persons.

Captain N Nambiar, chief public relation officer (Defence), said details were being ascertained from the police. "An application seeking his bail has been moved so that the case can be dealt with by the army authorities,'' Nambiar said.

Originally from Mohali in Chandigarh, Singh had joined the army as he was inspired by his father who was also in the military. He had been posted twice in Jammu and Kashmir and Bangalore and had also served in Ulfa-controlled areas in Assasm.

Singh told the police that he had been on leave since June 2009 to complete his study on Labour Law.

Army orders inquiry into death of officer in fire

THAINDIAN NEWS

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/army-orders-inquiry-into-death-of-officer-in-fire_100360323.html

Jalandhar, May 7 (IANS) The Indian Army Friday ordered a court of inquiry into a fire incident in Hoshiarpur district in which an officer was charred to death and another sustained serious injuries, said officials.
According to defence officials, Captain N. Anand was killed and Major Sudhir Parmar was badly injured after the tent in which they were sleeping was engulfed in flames Wednesday night.

The officials were part of the Vajra corps, which was camping at Miani village in Hoshiarpur district here for the last few days.

“This is a serious issue and demands a thorough probe. Therefore a court of inquiry has been ordered to find out the real cause of fire,” said Naresh Wig, Indian Army spokesperson, here Friday.

He added: “The deceased official was a native of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Parmar is stable and he is recuperating at an army hospital in Tibbri Cantt in Gurdaspur district.”

Police have registered a case in the incident. Sources in the police said the fire was caused due to a mosquito repellent coil and the flames spread because of the strong winds.

Pak wargames to blunt India's strategy

 TIMES OF INDIA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Pak-wargames-to-blunt-Indias-strategy/articleshow/5891362.cms

NEW DELHI: Even as Indian Army refines its 'pro-active' war strategy to mobilise fast and strike hard across the border under the 'cold start' doctrine, Pakistan army is practising its own swift response to counter such multiple offensive thrusts into its territory.

While the massive Indian 'Yodha Shakti' and Pakistani 'Azm-e-Nau-III' (New Resolve) wargames are not exactly being conducted eyeball-to-eyeball across the border, both high-voltage exercises with around 50,000 troops each have entered their final phase this week.

Indian watchers tracking the Azm-e-Nau exercise say Pakistan is validating its "new war-fighting concept", which primarily seeks to "blunt and defeat" India's cold start strategy, as also test its new weaponry, reconnaissance and early-warning capabilities.

Though an "extremely professional" 5.2-lakh force, Pakistan army seems to be slightly rattled by the 11-lakh strong Indian Army's cold start concept. "They are trying different manoeuvres, first in the southern sector and now in the northern one, to counter the multiple thrusts India may launch in the event of a war," said a senior officer.

It's not that the two countries are going to war anytime soon but militaries perforce have to factor in worst-case scenarios, drafting doctrines to deal with them and then validating them through mock battles in realistic settings.

Indian Army's gameplan is to launch self-contained and highly-mobile 'battle-groups' — with Russian-origin T-90S tanks and upgraded T-72 M1 tanks at their core — for strikes across the border within 96 hours, as reported by TOI earlier.

"The aim is to hit fast and hit hard... and keep the enemy guessing," said the officer. This cold start doctrine took shape after it took almost 30 days to mobilise troops on a large scale for Operation Parakram following the December 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament.

The 'Yodha Shakti' wargames in the blistering heat of Thar Desert, with temperatures touching 50 degrees celsius, for instance, are centred around swift offensive manoeuvres by "mission-oriented battle-groups" with airborne forces and lethal firepower "to rapidly dominate the entire spectrum of battlespace".

Army chief General V K Singh will review the exercise on May 8, in which the Mathura-based 1 Corps, one of the three principal 'strike' formations, has come together with formations drawn from places like Babina, Patiala, Hissar and Allahabad.

Incidentally, the Army is now also revising its doctrine to effectively meet the challenges of a possible 'two-front war' with China and Pakistan, as also deal with asymmetric and fourth-generation warfare and enhance strategic reach and joint operations with IAF and Navy, as reported earlier.

Government considering common law for defence services

 THAINDIAN NEWS

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/government-considering-common-law-for-defence-services_100357941.html

I WONDER : COME ON ITS AN OLD TEXT BOOK ANSWER ON "CDS". YOU SAID THIS ONE YEAR BACK TOO. I CAN ONLY QUOTE A OLD SAYING " WHERE THERE IS WILL THERE IS WAY"

 

New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) The government is considering a common law for the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force to ensure effective operational coordination between them, parliament was informed Monday.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony said the draft of the Tri Services Act has already been prepared and was submitted to the ministry for approval from the Chiefs of Staff Committee in August 2009.

“The act is under consideration in consultation with the three services,” Antony said in a statement laid in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

He informed the houses on the status of implementation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Unified Command for Armed Forces recommendations submitted to the Lok Sabha in February last year.

The minister said the proposal to establish a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), as recommended by the Kargil Review Committee (KRC), was “under examination”. The decision on this matter would be taken after completion of the ongoing consultations with political parties, he said.

He said the institutional support and infrastructure was already in place in the form of the Integrated Defence Staff Headquarters to support the CDS, whenever created.

Antony said the government was trying to build consensus on appointment of CDS and had taken up the matter with political parties, but a number of them were had not responded so far.

Armyman killed in police action

 PTI

http://www.ptinews.com/news/636145_Armyman-killed-in-police-action

 I WONDER : I can't believe it. Will army try to find out the truth for the benefit of the family and organisation's IZZAT !!!!!!!!

An army jawan, who along with his accomplice allegedly seized a private car after throwing out its driver from the moving vehicle, was killed in a shootout with police in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh.

The incident happened yesterday when the police tried to intercept the taxi near a barricade at Chola, UP Additional Director General of Police Brij Lal told reporters here today.

Army jawan Kuldeep and Gaurav booked a taxi in Mathura on April 30 and went to Sadabad where they asked the driver to take the car to some place which he refused, Lal said.

The two then overpowered the driver, robbed him of his mobile and Rs 1000 in cash and threw him out of the moving car on the Bulandshahr-Khurja highway.

The driver informed the police who immediately swung into action, the ADGP said.

DA Rates with effect from july 2010

The DA wef 01 July 2010 is likely to be somewhere around 43%-45%.