RPF tells security forces to leave Manipur

Imphal, September 06, 2009: The proscribed Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) � a political body of the PLA � has told the 'Indian Army' to leave Manipur while stating that the outfit wants them to return alive to their near and love ones at their respective places.

Stating that the nature of war in Manipur is political one, a statement issued by the RPF's department of publicity chief, GM Changjou asserted that the war waged in Manipur is a liberation war of the deprived and suppressed people.

It asserted that the RPF,its armed wing, the PLA, and the people neither wanted nor claimed even a pin-head size of 'Indian land'.

The RPF statement pointed out that it is natural that there would be a winner as well as a loser in a war.

It reminded that the 'security forces' have more concerns for their families.

They counted their fingers when they would be granted a leave in a year.

This is the weakness of the security forces.

The statement claimed that cadres of the outfit are imbued with a sense of patriotism.It is the characteristic of a war that both the opponents are pitching to defeat each others.

But the intricacy of a war happens when it comes to the question of valuing and respecting the International laws.

GM Changjou claimed that the RPF has so far shown and maintained respect to the International laws.

The enemy has known this stance of the outfit and they tried to take advantage of it.

It pointed out that there have been several instances wherein the 'Indian soldiers' resorted to committing atrocities to civilians and robbing the chastity and modesty of womenfolk.

Stating that the RPF/PLA did not want the security forces' dirty linen to be washed and rotted in the virgin land of mother Manipur, the statement urged them to leave Manipur safely for their respective places, where their kin are eagerly waiting for their safe return.

It tells the 'Indian army' to leave the state when there is still time.

Further, the RPF statement claimed that some casualties might have been suffered by the 34AR personnel in an encounter with the 253 A Coy of the PLA that took place in Ukhrul district on September 5 around 3.30pm.It asserted that the outfit did not suffer any casualty.

Changing climate new adversary of India's armed forces

New Delhi: A warmer world that threatens to change the battlefield and impact the capability of the military on land, sea and air is the new adversary of the Indian armed forces which are worried that the seriousness of the issue is yet to register at the government level.

"While global warming will have common effect of more pressure on the logistics and increased wear and tear of weapons, it will also have force-specific impact. The government needs to involve armed forces in studying its reasons and impact," a senior armed forces official told IANS, requesting anonymity.

The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau which have large-scale military presence are among the areas most susceptible to climate change effects. The rapid melting of glaciers in the region would call for new deployment plans for the Indian Army manning the Siachen Glacier.

"Demilitarisation of the Siachen Glacier is out of question; so, its accelerated meltdown will call for coming out with a new deployment plan," said a senior Indian Army official, wishing to remain unnamed as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The Indian and Pakistani forces have been standing eyeball to eyeball since 1984 at the Siachen Glacier, the world's highest battlefield at 22,000 feet, where guns have been silent since a ceasefire in 2003.

Occupying the 76-km-long glacier, which has been melting faster due to global warming, is a huge logistic exercise and the changing climate will only increase the pressure on logistics.

According to a recent study "Security Implications of Climate Change for India" published by think tank Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), artillery gun platforms in the high altitude region that have become ice pillars would melt rapidly, making redeployment "a necessary but demanding task".

"Unexpected melting (in the Himalayan region) would make troop movements extremely dangerous and the dumping zones and (makeshift) helipads may crumble with rapid snowmelt," the report says.

"Besides triggering flash floods and a slew of disasters downstream, the melting would also result in severing of communication lines," the army official added.

The Indian Navy is also concerned about the way changed climate patterns will shape the Indian Ocean region, creating issues of maritime boundaries, exclusive economic zone, port operations, shallow water operations for submarines and naval tactics.

"Climate change will alter the battlefields with rising water level submerging low-lying islands, the change in water temperature of a place affecting the sea flora and fauna and also affecting the deployment tactics for submarines," said a senior official of the Indian Navy.

"The melting of snow in the Arctic Ocean may benefit China by giving them access to the Pacific Ocean and to warm ports," he added.

The Indian and Chinese navies have been trying to outdo each other for greater influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), which is of utmost strategic importance to them for security of energy supplies. Climate change will also change the dynamics of the IOR.

"Take the example of the Maldives, a low-lying small island ecosystem. It is vulnerable to climate change and may be submerged due to rising sea level. Given the friendly bilateral relations between India and the Maldives, in all likelihood India will have to absorb many of the displaced Maldivians," the official added.

Military aviation will also be affected by the change in climate patterns as the performance of the aerial platforms and munitions varies with weather conditions.

Weather support is critical for all aerial operations, reconnaissance, para-dropping missions, transport operations, search and rescue and combating. Climate change is predicted to increase the severity and frequency of extreme weather events such as storms, which will have their effect on aviation.

1 in 3 hand grenades is a dud: Defence survey

NAGPUR: Imagine a scenario in which an Indian soldier's life and the life of his mates depends on a grenade — may be the last one with the jawan — to stop an advancing enemy. He takes the pin out and lobs it. But, instead of hearing an explosion, the jawans are met with a hail of bullets.

Unthinkable? Think again. A recent official survey of weaponry being used by soldiers guarding our borders reveals that about 30% of hand grenades used by jawans don't explode — which means an alarming one in three is a dud. The survey, carried out by weapons experts from the Army and defence organisations, is based on interviews with jawans posted in border areas.

Sources with access to the survey report did not share the exact figures and causes of failure citing secrecy involved with defence projects, but preliminary investigations have shown that it's not unusual for detonators used in the grenades to surpass their shelf life by the time they reach the hands of a soldier in a conflict zone.

It's the detonator that separately triggers the blast in the grenade. The grenade, a crucial weapon in a soldier's armoury, is often used as the last resort to thwart the enemy in close quarter battle. Grenades supplied to the Army are made by ordnance factories under Indian State Ordnance Factory Board.

"Soldiers said the grenades often go blind — meaning they don't explode in purely technical terms — putting them in a precarious situation," said a source. Defence experts and ex-servicemen say this is an old problem that has never been properly addressed.

Col (retd) RSN Singh of 'India Defence Review' says the figure of 30% duds is stupefying. Singh, who retired from the Infantry six months ago, says, ‘‘A soldier normally carries four grenades in a counter-insurgency operation. Even a single dud can prove disastrous as it would leave the soldier vulnerable. Such duds can shake a soldier’s confidence.’’

Defence expert Col (retd) U S Rathore says India still uses World War-II vintage hand grenades. He says there are chances that the detonators are susceptible to chemical degradation and adds that terrorists have far superior Belgian grenades that explode in 2.5 seconds compared to the four seconds it takes for the Indian grenades.

India may have made an indigenous nuclear submarine. But it appears its defence establishment is yet to make a fail-proof grenade. Incidentally, a grenade can be propelled through rifles or an under-barrel grenade launcher (UBGL). But the Insas rifles used by the army don’t have launchers for grenades; soldiers have to carry the old 7.62mm rifles for that.

Saddled with Insas, Army wants new AK-47s

NAGPUR: The indigenous 5.56x45mm Insas (Indian National Small Arms System) rifle has been the standard assault weapon for the Indian Army since the late 1990s. However, the jawans using it in counter-insurgency operations find it ineffective.

As part of the new Army doctrine, the gun is meant to incapacitate the enemy, rather than kill. Insas has a smaller calibre, which means it has less power. This is because — and it’s the official view — injuring an enemy can lead to enemy soldiers getting engaged in tending the wounded, thus yielding a tactical battlefield advantage.

The technocrats who interacted with soldiers in the forward areas were told that this theory does not work with terrorists who, apart from attacking in small numbers, are never bothered about evacuating their injured. Hence, the soldiers say, they want to shoot to kill, rather than maim.

The soldiers also spoke about practical difficulties in using Insas. It’s accurate but not as rugged as the AK-47 used by terrorists, they say. Also, its sling often snaps while firing, making it fall during manoeuvres. The sling also obstructs the rifle’s sight. But most of all, the size of the sling never took into account the bullet proof jacket worn by jawans. As a result, it falls short and is uncomfortable to hold. This hampers quick reaction. Insas also does not have a rapid fire feature; it shoots only three rounds in a single burst.

‘‘The barrel overheats with continuous firing. The magazine cracks even on falling, which is common during action. Oil spillage while firing is also major trouble,’’ said a source quoting soldiers. ‘‘Zeroing (adjusting the sight for aim) has to be done each time the rifle is opened to clean or for any other reason. Lack of proper zeroing hampers the working of night vision device,’’ said the same source.

The total additional weight — around 40 kg with bulletproof jacket and signalling equipment — that a soldier carries is also a matter of concern, as is the colour of the rifle: they want it in brown which offers better camouflaging. On the positive side, Insas’s transparent magazine helps soldiers keep a count of bullets.

Former director general of infantry, Lt General Shanker Prasad, said Insas is antiquated and the Infantry needs a modern rifle. The Army has repeatedly asked for new assault weapons, but nothing has moved. It’s learnt that forces are now expecting new indigenously developed AK-47 rifle said to be an improvement on the original.

IIT teachers' body rejects HRD solution on pay package

NEW DELHI: The All-India IIT Teachers’ Federation, in a meeting on Sunday, has prepared a rejoinder to the representation given by the HRD ministry (MHRD) to the IIT directors on the matter of pay hike on September 2.

In a day-long meeting at IIT Delhi, attended by the faculty representatives of all IITs, except IIT Guwahati, it was decided that the MHRD representation, which reportedly managed to make the directors happy, actually had some ‘misleading’ facts.

The faculty representatives have also decided to give 10 more days to the MHRD to organize their meeting with union HRD minister Kapil Sibal and respond to the memorandum submitted by them on August 24. Prof S S Murthy, president, Faculty Forum IIT Delhi, said, ‘‘We have resolved that our meeting with the minister should be organized within the next 10 days.

Since the memorandum on pay hike was submitted by us on behalf of 3,000 faculty members, the ministry should respond directly to the faculty.’’ He added, ‘‘We will decide on furthering our protests if the ministry doesn’t hold the meeting within 10 days.’’

Murthy said the representation given to the directors had aberrations in the calculation of emoluments and hence, a rebuttal had been prepared. ‘‘Some of our members could access the MHRD representation. They identified some misleading points in it. Some total emoluments were calculated wrongly,’’ Murthy said. He also added that the ministry should not have compared the pay scales of DRDO and UGC with that of IIT faculty.

Kargil toll could have been lower but for DRDO

Former army chief V.P. Malik, who led the army during the 1999 Kargil war, has said casualties in the conflict could have been reduced had the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) “not come in the way” of acquiring weapon-locating radars.

“We had one or two incidents particularly on the weapon locating radar. If the DRDO had not come in the way we would have got them before the Kargil war and that would have definitely reduced our casualties,” he told CNN-IBN.

Asked whether DRDO was “slight boastful” in claims over developing weapons, Malik said: “Well, that has been our (armed forces’) experience over the development of weapons and equipment the DRDO has delivered or not delivered.”

On whether A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, during his stint as the director-general of the DRDO, overestimated the country’s capacity and ability, Malik just said: “I do not want to go more into that.”

Clear air on N-test

Amid claims by some scientists that Pokhran-II in 1998 was not a complete success, Malik said the armed forces were “affected” by doubts over its efficacy and need to be “reassured” by the nuclear establishment on the exact yield of the atomic tests.

Malik also said the statement by Kalam rubbishing the claims of his colleague and defence scientist Dr K. Santhanam, was “unconvincing”.

Santhanam said the tests were a fizzle, which were rejected by Kalam, who said Pokhran-II was a complete success.

“They (armed forces) need to be reassured about the weapon system they use and about the planning of what kind of the yield they have when they hit the target,” Malik said.

The former army chief  dubbed as shocking the recent comments of Santhanam, questioning the yield of the thermonuclear device tested on May 11, 1998.

“Yes, it affects the armed forces. Particularly, because, when they plan the task given to them then they have to know what kind of yield that each nuclear weapon has,” said  Malik, stressing that it was important to remove the doubts.

China intrudes again, we do it too, says India

Chinese troops entered nearly 1.5 kilometres into Indian territory in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir on July 31. Intruding Chinese soldiers painted boulders and rocks with red spray paint, writing the word ‘China’ in Cantonese, official sources said on Sunday.

The Ministry of Defence, however, sought to play down the reported border violation, saying such incidents take place “quite frequently” due to differences in perception regarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi expressed surprise at media reports of the incursions. A press official from the embassy described the reports as "groundless and something which had not happened in either July or at any other time.”

“We are committed to seek a fair and mutually acceptable solution through a peaceful and friendly negotiation," the embassy official said.

A defence ministry official, who did not want to be named, said, “This (incursion) is not a major issue. Incursions or violations of airspace happen from both sides due to differences in perception over the LAC. 

“Painting the boulders and rocks or leaving behind empty cigarette packets or juice cans are the telltale signs left by intruding troops,” he said.

There are intrusions from the Indian side as well. “This is due to the absence of a well defined border. We also go up to the LAC as we perceive it to be,” the official said.

There is no mutually agreed LAC between the two countries. India had proposed an early clarification on the issue but a response from the Chinese side is awaited.

China troops enter India, 'mark' territory

Leh: Chinese troops entered the international border in Ladakh and painted "China” on boulders and rocks in Indian territory, Indian border patrol reportedly found on July 3.

Chinese troops entered nearly 1.5 km into Indian territory near Mount Gya, which is recognised as international border by both countries, PTI said while quoting unnamed defence sources.

The 22,420-ft Mount Gya is located at the tri-junction of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, and Tibet.

Its boundary was marked during the British era and is regarded as international border by the two countries. The red marking were found as deep as 1.5 to 1.7 km of the Indian territory.

An Army spokesperson declined to comment on the alleged incursions, but the Government probably wants to downplay the issue as three Generals are currently visiting Beijing and Lhasa under an exchange programme.

A week ago it was reported that Chinese helicopters came into Indian air space along the Line of Actual Control in Chumar region of Jammu and Kashmir in June.

An Army spokesperson had then said: "there was a report of a helicopter flying in the area south of Chumar, where India and China have differences in perception on the Line of Actual Control. It was reported by grazers."