Indian Navy crew to join Russian sub sea trials in Far East

VLADIVOSTOK, September 4 (RIA Novosti) - A crew of Indian submariners will take part in sea trials of a Russian nuclear submarine in mid-September, a source involved in the trials said on Friday.

Russia's Nerpa nuclear attack submarine, damaged in a fatal accident during tests last November, resumed sea trials on July 10 in the Sea of Japan after extensive repairs that cost an estimated 1.9 billion rubles ($60 million).

The submarine is to be leased to the Indian Navy by the end of 2009 under the name INS Chakra.

The source said the Indian submariners would need to undergo a course of training together with Russian specialists and servicemen.

They will subsequently operate on their own under the supervision of Russian instructors.

On November 8, 2008, while the Nerpa was undergoing sea trials in the Sea of Japan, its on-board fire suppression system activated, releasing a deadly gas into the sleeping quarters. Three crewmembers and 17 shipyard workers were killed. There were 208 people, 81 of them submariners, on board the vessel at the time.

India reportedly paid $650 million for a 10-year lease of the 12,000-ton K-152 Nerpa, an Akula II class nuclear-powered attack submarine.

Akula II class vessels are considered the quietest and deadliest of all Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines.

Kashmiris relish drop in violence

PAHALGAM, India — In a famous picnic spot south of the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, the locals are back in force, having fun in scenes that were unimaginable during the dark days of the insurgency here.

For the first time in two decades, the people on the Indian side of this divided region live in relative peace, with tourists a more common sight and trekkers returning to the Himalayas that form a backdrop to life here.

"We are loving this peace," said Imtiaz Ahmed, one of eight men playing football on the shores of the Lidder river in Pahalgam, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the capital Srinigar.

Used to living in fear with restrictions on their movements, Kashmiris are re-discovering freedom as violence declines in this conservative Muslim-majority region once described by a 17th-century visiting emperor as a "paradise on earth."

While militant attacks still take place -- a grenade and a shooting incident in Srinigar this week left two policemen dead and nearly 30 others injured -- violence has fallen to the lowest level since 1989 when the rebellion began.

According to official police records published on Monday, killings have dropped to one a day from 10 daily in 2001 and a peak of 13 in 1996 when the anti-India insurgency was at its height.

College girls, many wearing make-up and some in Western-style dresses, stroll near the picnic site.

"This place is paradise and it is so beautiful when it's peaceful," said Nayeema Firdous as fellow students chanted Bollywood film songs.

Local tourist officials say they are turning away visitors from state-owned accommodation because they have no rooms left.

During the peak days of militancy, the area was deserted, forcing some shopkeepers out of businesses.

"The rush to Pahalgam is unprecedented," said Rouf Ahmed, a senior tourism official.

The spot has had its share of violence, including four attacks between 1999 and 2001 on Hindu pilgrims trekking that left over 60 people dead.

Six foreign tourists were abducted by rebels near Pahalgam in 1995. One escaped, one was beheaded and four others were never traced and are presumed dead.

Kashmiri violence has its roots in the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 when the Hindu leader of the Muslim-majority region opted to join India instead of Pakistan.

The region is now split between the two countries along a UN-monitored line of control, but both sides claim it in full and have fought two wars over the its control.

The struggle against Indian rule has left more than 47,000 people dead since it began in 1989, according to official figures. Human rights groups put the toll at 70,000 dead and missing.

Security officials acknowledge the recent change, though there are no plans to reduce troop levels.

"The level of violence has come down and there are significant signs of normalcy in Kashmir," says Indian army spokesman J.S. Brar.

He attributes the turnaround to "people's desire for peace and more effective counter-insurgency tactics."

"More and more people are providing us with information about militants," he added.

Many link the decline in violence to a peace process started between India and Pakistan in 2004 to resolve all their pending disputes, including the one on Kashmir.

India has put a pause on the process, however, after last year's deadly Mumbai attacks which it blames on Pakistan-based militants.

In Srinagar, Tariq Dar, a 34-year-old engineer who grew up during the worst of the violence, said the calm was "bringing smiles to all the faces here."

At dawn, he and his friends set out for a daily morning walk in a picturesque area of the city that until recently was out of bounds because of its proximity to the residences of top politicians.

"I had never imagined that this road would be reopened. It signals peace is here to stay," says Dar, who aspires for an independent Kashmir state.

Later in the day, hundreds of residents could be spotted in Mughal-built gardens on the shores of Lake Dal, again enjoying picnics with their families.

The few liquor shops that have reopened are doing brisk business and in the evenings, young men and women crowd restaurants that used to shut by 6pm during the peak of unrest.

After the insurgency erupted in 1989, 51-year-old Abdul Rashid tried unsuccessfully to sell his ornately handcarved tourist houseboat to feed his family.

He is now grateful as visitors return and is leading trekkers up the mountains that were once considered too dangerous to visit.

"Going back to these mountains was my big wish. Thanks to Allah, the peace has made it happen," he said.

In 1988 more than 700,000 foreign and Indian tourists visited Kashmir, but the number declined sharply as the insurgency intensified.

Now the tide appears to be turning again.

In 2007, nearly 450,000 tourists visited, followed by 550,000 a year later. And in the first seven months of 2009 more than 380,000 tourists had already come to sample the pure air and breathtaking views.

Drawing inspiration from Colachal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Officers’ Mess at Pangode Military Station here now is in proud possession of a painting that depicts a slice of history from the annals of Travancore State Forces.Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma of the Travancore Royal Family on Friday presented a painting showing the surrender of Dutch forces before the Travancore State Forces in 1741.The painting, which was received by Pangode Station Commander Brigadier Cherish Matheson, has Captain De Lannoy of the Dutch Navy surrendering to the then Maharaja of Travancore.In a simple function held at Pangode Brigade Officers’ Mess, Marthanda Varma also handed over the crest of the Madras Regiment done in sand and a photograph that showed the lowering of Union Jack in front of the Travancore Forces, when he was 14 years of age.According to Marthanda Varma, it was probably the only instance when the Union Jack was lowered in front of any power other than the King or Queen of England. The 16 Madras Battalion of the Indian Army, presently stationed in Pangode, was created with the merger of Travancore State forces.Marthanda Varma appreciated the efforts of the Indian Army in reviving the forgotten history by conducting a War Memorial Service on July 25 at Colachal.The battle of Colachal was fought between Travancore Forces and the Dutch Navy in 1741 and its significance lies in the fact that for the first time, a leading European military power was defeated by any Asian Power, both on land and sea. Brigadier Cherish Matheson, thanking Marthanda Varma for his magnanimity, said that the painting will inspire the generations to follow. He called it a good omen for the Amphibious Brigade, which is being raised in Pangode.

Centre directs Manipur govt to rein in commandos

New Delhi, Sept 4 (Agencies): Disturbed over protests against alleged high-handedness of police commandos in Manipur, the Centre has directed the state government to rein in personnel of the special force and verify their antecedents before recruitment. Official sources said Home Secretary G K Pillai has directed Director General of Police Y Jokumar and Chief Secretary D S Poonia that complaints against commandos of Manipur Police have been increasing and there was a need to rein them in.

“The Home Secretary directed the DGP to ensure discipline in the commando force and properly verify each personnel before recruitment,” an official said. Pillai had cited the recent unrest arising out of the July 23 incident in which police commandos killed a youth in an alleged fake encounter.

A pregnant woman was also allegedly killed by stray bullets during an encounter, leading to protests by locals. Sources said the Centre was taking the complaints against the commandos seriously and trying to bring peace by pacifying agitating people of Manipur, which is considered to be the most troubled state in the Northeast.

Chandel ex-armymen insist they were cheated by bank

IMPHAL, Sep 4: Chandel District Ex-servicemen’s Association has once again charged the branch manager, State Bank of India Chakpikarong operating from Kakching for defrauding some bank accounts belonging to Army pensioners.

According to a press communique of the Association, there have been many irregularities in terms of transfering of accounts, unauthorised closure of bank accounts and force encentive imposed upon the Army pensioners by the branch manager of SBI Chakpikarong.

The statement disclosing facts and circumstances of different fraudulant activities committed by the said branch manager, mentioned that the balances of A/C No. 11860743467, A/C No. 11860755869 belonging to army pensioners were found fraudulantly transfered to A/C No. 30644212885 belonging to one Chitrabhon Singh, without the knowledge and consent of the pensioners.

Further it alledged that the bank A/C No. 11860745409 of Lh Anghlung, Army pensioner was found closed on February this year without the knowledge and concent of the customer and account balance amounting Rs. 7,333 was pocketed by the very branch manager. To this effect Lh Anghlung was compelled to open a fresh account with the same bank on April 4 this year for the purpose of drawing his pension as he has not recieved pension since February to August. 2009 and the matter has already reported to Pension Adalat, Allahabad.

The statement further charged that at the time of payment of pension, all the Army pensioners were made compulsary contribution of Rs 100 per head per month as incentive. Above this there were many cases that, in absence of pensioner (S) in the bank premises, pensions are withrawn by way of forging their signatures and thereafter the amounts are distributed house to house of the pensioners after deduction of certain amount not less than Rs 300 per head.

The statement also mentioned that a sum of Rs. 15,000 belonging to late Ws Solomon Anal was found withrawn by way of forging the signature of the deceased pensioner on June 30 last being pensions for the three months. In the meantime after deducting Rs. 1000 a sum of Rs. 14,000 was handed over to the mother of the deceased pensioner at her residence by the bank staff.

However, the amount was returned to the bank staff with a direction that the amount should be deposited in the account without further delay for the reason that the pensioner is already dead and the dead cannot go to the bank and withraw his pension. While updating the pass book on August 31 last month it was found that the said amount Rs 15,000 have not be deposited, therefore, SBI Chakpikarong branch operating at Kakching is a wonderful bank where dead can also draw money from his account the statement added.

Further, it is charged that the bank manager of the said bank has refused to paid the pensions for the last month to one of the pensioner identified as Hav Py Runhring who is an account holder, without giving any reason.

Considering all this malpractices committed at SBI Chakpikarong branch operating from Kakching the ex-servicemen’s assocition, Chandel assumbed and claimed that the very bank could have been averted and further drawn the state chief minister for providing adequade security guards for SBI Chakpikarong branch and made it operate at Chakpikarong sub-division head quarter in order to ease the grievances facing by the pensioners and public of the areas.

The statement also further mentioned that, since so called SBI Chakpikarong branch is covered by core banking facilities and above charges of many malpractices can be confirmed from day to day transaction records of the bank from the computer which the bank is using and warned the manager of the very bank not to provoke the sleeping dog, less ligitation against his corruption shall be lodged in the competent court and consequences shall be graved, the statement added.

Military Balance And Partition

A small number of Englishmen (about two lacs) ruled India, a vast country with a population of 400 millions. How could they do it? Their strategy was military control and creation of vested interests bound up with British rule.  The princes and zamindars were given privileges and they wanted the British to rule India. After a few decades of great revolt of 1857, the British became pro-Muslims to convert them to support British rule.  Wavell considered Muslims loyalist like princes.
According to Lord Roberts, the Commander in Chief in the beginning of 20th century, "Respect based on fear was key to rule in India. Remove the fear and respect will soon disappear." British Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury added that British rule depended on resort to force enormously enhanced by reputation of invincibility.  The British kept aloof from Indians. But the racial superiority shown by English Sahibs created revulsion among Indians gradually.  Gandhiji's non-cooperation movements restored self- respect to Indians. They did not feel inferior to Englishmen as they did earlier. The easy Japanese victories in South East Asia and Burma during December 1941 to May 1942 destroyed the myth of European invincibility. The record of British in Malaya and Burma was extremely poor, though the British propaganda kept the truth hidden from most of the world.
During the pre war period, the British had a strategy to suppress the mutiny of Indian soldiers should it occur. The proportion of British soldiers to Indian soldiers was one to two. The British troops were kept inside the country to serve as internal security troops. The greater part of Indian troops was part of field army for service abroad and on the frontier. More effective weapons were with the British and not given to Indians. Commissioned Officers, the brain of the army, were mostly British. All this changed due to exigencies of war and the British desire to save their own blood. To fight against the Japanese, the British created an Indian army of two and a half million men. The Indians had to be given modern arms: number of Indian officers greatly increased, the proportion of Muslims to Hindus changed. Before the war, more than 50% of Indian troops were Muslims. The figure fell to 25% at the war end. The British had become too confident due to their experience in WW I. In the prewar period the British had kept fair number of Sikhs in the group of non-Muslim soldiers, as Hindus mainly were asking for freedom. Thus the British could not militarily control India, even if Muslims joined them. Number of British soldiers in India was still 70,000. When General Wavell traveled with Churchill in 1943 on the way to the US, he rebuked Wavell for creating a Frankenstien by putting modern weapons in the hands of Sepoys. Wavell still believed in the loyalty of Indian Sepoys and disagreed. He thought that Churchill had 19th century mind. Churchill, the politician, was correct. 
Many events happened during WW II and immediately after war end. The "Quit India" movement was very widespread and stronger than 1857 revolt.  This fact was suppressed during the war period by the British. Subhash Chandra Bose raised Indian Nation Army in 1943. Though I.N.A. could not free India by invasion, the British began to have doubts about the loyalty of Indian Army. To teach a lesson to Indians, the British put on trial three Indian National Army officers. This boom-ranged and affected Indian soldiers. Britain, France and Holland had to give up their rule in South East Asia during the war. To justify their own desire for rule, the British wanted their rule restored in S.E. Asia.  They had become too weak to fulfill their wish to rule again Indo China and Indonesia. They could not take surrender from the Japanese at war end.  Britain sent Indian troops there to take surrender from Japanese.  After taking surrender from the Japanese, the British commander used them to suppress the freedom movements there, Congress said that Indian troops were not mercenaries and should not be used to restore colonial rule there.  Commander in chief, Auchinleck feared that Indian troops might not obey orders to fire on the natives. It is important to note that it was Atlee and his Labor government, which sent Indian troops to Indo-China and Indonesia to suppress independence in these countries. This proves that Atlee and Labor Party were imperialist and were not in favor of giving independence to India. The contrary is wrongly believed by millions in India even now. Realizing that Indian troops were no more loyal to Britain, Wavell wrote in December 1945 to home government in top-secret letter a blue print of partition and Pakistan, which was needed in the interest of worldwide British Empire. The aim was to protect Soviet expansion to Indian Ocean in west Asia and oil wells there.
When Cabinet Delegation came to India on March 23, 1946 with partition plan based on Wavell's letter, Wavell wrote to them on March 29 a military appreciation about situation in India, pointing out the weak British position, and the trump card of ability to blockade India to prevent essential supplies like petrol, kerosene etc.  The appreciation was correct. At the same time he started making Break Down plans in case Indian Army revolted.  Wavell wanted to use military force to impose his partition plan if Congress did not agree. British government rejected Wavell's Break Down plans, as use of military to partition India, in their opinion, would have created deep enmity feeling against Britain. It wanted to show that partition was due to disagreement between Congress and Muslim League.  Hence, Atlee decided to replace Wavell with Mountbatten in December 1946. He fired Wavell in March 1947 for repeatedly insisting on adoption of his Break Down plan. (though Azad had incorrectly said that Wavell resigned due to disagreement with British government).
In the mean time, Patel had decided in December 1946, to agree to partition to save India. In January 1947, he and V.P. Menon made a partition plan, which was in the hands of Mountbatten before coming to India in March 1947. On February 17, 1947, Patel told Wavell that he was prepared to let Muslims have Pakistan in Western Punjab, Sindh and N.W.F.P., if they desired it and East Bengal. Final partition was carried out almost according to Patel's plan. Mountbatten was able to show that partition was due to agreement between Jinnah and Congress, though the British were opposed to partition.

Army, IGNOU ink MoU to grant degrees to soldiers

New Delhi: Indian Army and IGNOU today signed an MoU to grant degrees to soldiers, with the aim of providing a second career option to them.

"We have signed the MoU by which we will ensure that all army men who retire from now onwards have graduation degrees, which will enable them to go for a second career and also enhance the amount of workforce in the country," Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor told reporters after the signing of the MoU.


The project named 'Gyandeep', will help to confer a graduation degree to soldiers who join the force just after school. Based on US' community college system, the project is expected to benefit the 1.2 million soldiers in the Army.

The MoU was signed by Army's Adjutant General Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal and IGNOU Vice Chancellor Professor V N Rajasekharan Pillai in the presence of the Army Chief at South Block today.

Under the project, soldiers would be provided with bachelors degrees in arts, commerce, management and various other disciplines, which will be market driven and help them to secure jobs for the jawans.

Under the new arrangement, IGNOU will register Army's regimental training centres and schools as 'community colleges'. The Army-IGNOU Community Colleges will continue functioning as autonomous bodies conducting examinations and their courses.

India may be forced to act: Army Chief

NEW DELHI: Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor has indicated that India is losing patience over frequent cease-fire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control and warned that at some stage it would have to retaliate. General Kapoor also claimed that reports about Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal needed to be confirmed and after that New Delhi could think about reviewing its own nuclear strategy.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function, General Kapoor said that firing across the LoC was part of the Pakistan army’s tactics to push infiltrators through. His comments followed a recent cease-fire violation in the Punchh sector in which an Indian soldier was killed.General Kapoor said India would be forced to take action if cease-fire violations were not checked.General Kapoor, who recently said that Pakistan’s nuclear assets had surpassed the limits of deterrence, said reports about Islamabad’s capabilities needed to be verified. The nuclear rhetoric between India and Pakistan has gone up in recent weeks.There has been talk among Indian nuclear scientists that it might need another test to validate the thermonuclear device, despite the fact that A P J Kalam claimed the test of the hydrogen bomb in 1998 was a success.