Through the lens of Thursday
[ NATIONAL ]
BSF inducts three Floating Border Out-Post vessels to protect India’s maritime borders By Rajnish Singh
ANI-As the country on Wed was engaged in celebrating 73rd Republic Day, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) inducted a fleet of 3 new Floating Border Out-Post (FBOP) vessels aimed at protecting the country’s maritime borders. “..Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) delivered the 2nd lot of 03 FBOP vessels out of 09 FBOPs for BSF to enable protect our maritime borders, adding a boost to border guarding,” the BSF said. FBOP play a crucial role while protecting maritime borders as they help in demarking borders on waters. These vessels will act as a floating base for the flotilla of fast patrol boats and will supply petrol, drinking water, provisions to the smaller boats and will be deployed on India’s eastern and western borders. FBOP will provide land and riverine security along 3,323 km of India-Pakistan and 4,096 km of India-Bangladesh international borders. A batch of 3 similar vessels was delivered earlier last year and the next batch of 3 vessels will be delivered soon. With the induction of the 3 FBOP vessels, the total number of such vessels has now reached 12. The 3 FBOP’s, with a length of 46 m, are part of a series of 9 vessels being built for the Water Wing of the BSF.
₹ 7 Crore In Fake Money Seized In Mumbai, 7 Arrested
The Mumbai police have arrested seven persons and seized fake Indian currency notes with a face value of ₹ 7 crores after busting an inter-state gang involved in printing and distribution of counterfeit notes, an official said on Wed. Unit-11 of the Mumbai crime branch intercepted a car at Dahisar Check Post in the suburbs on Tue evening, the official said. The police apprehended 4 people seating in the car and interrogated them. While interrogating the 4, the police got information about their 3 more aides. Accordingly, a police team conducted a raid at a hotel in suburban Andheri (west) and arrested the trio, the official said, adding 100 more bundles of fake currency notes (again in ₹ 2,000 denomination) with a face value of ₹ 2 crores were recovered from them.
Suspected Maoists Trigger Explosion On Railway Track In Jharkhand
Train services on the Howrah-New Delhi route were disrupted for around 6 hours after a portion of railway tracks in Jharkhand’s Giridih district was damaged due to a blast was triggered by suspected members of banned CPI (Maoist) on Thu morning. CPI (M) had called for a 24-hour bandh in Jharkhand to protest against the arrest of its top leader Prashant Bose alias Kishan Da, who was carrying a bounty of ₹ 1 crore on his head, by the Jharkhand Police. Bose was the mastermind behind more than 100 incidents of attack and arson in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Missing Arunachal Teen Repatriated to India By China: Minister
Days after a 19-year-old youth was reportedly found missing in Arunachal Pradesh, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wed said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has confirmed that the youth will be repatriated to the Indian side, who has handed over to the Indian army on Thu.
Former Punjab DGP under lens after audio tapes leak
Audiotapes emerge of a purported conversation between DGP Sidharth Chattopadhyaya and a dismissed Punjab cop and PO in multicrore Bhola drug racket
PMC Bank Branches To Run As Unity Small Finance Bank Entities
All branches of the crisis-hit PMC Bank will now function as the branches of the Unity Small Finance Bank Ltd with the completion of the takeover. “The amalgamation will come into force with effect from the date of the notification of the scheme i.e. Jan 25, 2022. All the branches of the PMC Bank will function as branches of the USFBL with effect from this date,” the Reserve Bank of India, said in a release. In relief for jittery depositors, all branches of the crisis-hit PMC Bank will now function as the branches of the Unity Small Finance Bank Ltd (USFBL) with the completion of the takeover that also marks the end of a more than 2-year-long RBI-led revival process.
India probes illegal immigration after tragedy near Canada border
Indian police have detained 6 people in a crackdown on illegal immigration after 4 Indians were found frozen to death near the border between the US and Canada last week, officials said on Thu (Jan 27). Hundreds of Indians, mostly from the western states of Punjab and Gujarat, attempt to cross the US-Canada border each year, braving harsh weather conditions in search of a better life and job opportunities. Police in Gujarat said they identified the 4, belonging to a single family after law enforcement agencies on the border provided photographs of passports and other belongings. The 6 detained by police were running a travel and tourism company in the state, he added. US authorities have charged a US man with human trafficking after the 4 were found dead in the Canadian province of Manitoba, a few m north of the frontier with Minnesota.
India takes on China and Russia in a Great Game for Central Asia
PM Narendra Modi to hold a summit with leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan on Thu– days after they met China’s Xi Jinping. India sees a chance to burnish its great power credentials, experts say, but it has far to go to catch imperial past master Moscow and big-spending Beijing
Afghanistan Approach Guided By “Special Relationship” With Its People: India
India has committed to providing 50,000 MT of wheat and lifesaving medicines and one million doses of COVID vaccines to the Afghan people, the diplomat noted. India has said that its approach to Afghanistan has always been guided by its “special relationship” with the Afghan people and New Delhi remains steadfast in its commitment towards much-needed humanitarian assistance to the people of the war-torn country. As Afghanistan’s largest regional development partner, India is willing to coordinate with other stakeholders to work towards enabling the expeditious provision of much-needed humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said on Wed at the Security Council briefing on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. India has said there must be “concrete progress” in ensuring that UN-proscribed terrorist entities do not get any tacit or direct support from Afghan soil or terror sanctuaries based in the region, an apparent reference to Pakistan.
Mumbai terror attack perpetrators continue to enjoy the patronage of Pakistan: India at UNSC
ANI – Underlining threat posed to civilians from terrorism, India on Tue said the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack continue to enjoy the patronage of Pakistan. During a UNSC debate on “Protection of civilians in armed conflict, India said member states are well aware that Pakistan has had an established history of harboring, aiding, and actively supporting terrorists. The remarks by Counsellor in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, R Madhu Sudan came at the UNSC debate on “Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflicts.” The Indian Counsellor made these remarks after a Pakistani diplomat misused the platform provided by the UN to “propagate false and malicious propaganda” against India.
[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]
China supplies mounted howitzers to Pak to maintain arms parity with India
Over the past decades, Pakistan has been able to punch far beyond its weight category with China doing the heavy lifting against India, be it in arms supply or multilateral arms control regimes.
US Navy wants to get crashed stealth fighter back — before China can
The US Navy is trying to retrieve its most advanced fighter jet from the depths of the South China Sea, an extremely complex operation that analysts say will be closely monitored by Beijing. The F-35C, a single-engine stealth fighter and the newest jet in the US Navy fleet, crash-landed on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during routine operations on Mon, the Navy said. The $100 million warplane impacted the flight deck of the 100,000-ton aircraft carrier and then fell into the sea as its pilot ejected, Navy officials said. The pilot and 6 sailors aboard the Vinson were injured. The Navy is giving scant details on its recovery plans for the F-35C, the first of which only became operational in 2019. Though the Navy has not revealed where in the SCS the crash occurred, Beijing claims almost all of the 3.3 million km2 waterway as its territory and has bolstered its claims by building up and militarizing reefs and islands there. Chinese naval and coast guard vessels maintain a constant presence in SCS. The US disputes those Chinese territorial claims and uses deployments like the one the Vinson was on to push its case for a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Afghanistan hanging by a thread; cannot abandon Afghan people, says UN Chief
With Afghanistan “hanging by a thread” six months after the Taliban takeover, the world cannot abandon the country now – for the sake of its people and overall global security, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wed. “At this moment, we need the global community – and this Council – to put their hands on the wheel of progress, provide resources, and prevent Afghanistan from spiraling any further,” Guterres said. He also outlined action for the de facto rulers of the country, the Taliban, calling on the fundamentalists to expand opportunity and security for Afghans, uphold human rights, and demonstrate real commitment to be part of the international community, the UN said in a statement.
Would welcome India’s role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, says the US
“We certainly welcome any efforts to de-escalate and we are in touch with a range of allies and partners on this, but I don’t have any specific conversations to read out that relate to Indian officials,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said at a press briefing on Tue. While India has diplomatically maintained a silence over the matter, it has urged its citizens in Ukraine to register themselves with the Indian embassy in Kyiv. While there is concern about Russia’s “muscle-flexing” and external intervention in national matters, New Delhi does not want to jeopardize its equation with Moscow. As per estimates, 18,000 Indian students were in Ukraine in 2020, but the numbers may have dipped due to Covid lockdowns and classes moving at many places online. However, if it has to take a call, when, say, the matter comes up in the UN Security Council or other such global platforms, the govt is likely to advocate “peaceful negotiations”, “restraint” and “abjuring of violence” as part of formulaic statements. For now, Delhi is hoping that the situation is defused by negotiators on both sides.
(HT)-Chinese state councilor and foreign minister Wang Yi on Thu urged all parties involved in the Ukraine crisis to remain calm and not hype up the tension, in a phone call with US secretary of state Antony Blinken. Wang, according to Chinese state media, urged all sides to cast aside the Cold War mentality and address Russia’s ‘reasonable’ security concerns on the issue. Blinken, according to Chinese media, told Wang that the US and China have both overlapping interests and differences, and the US is willing to manage differences responsibly. The one-China policy of the US has not changed, Blinken said, adding, on the upcoming Winter Olympics, that the US will cheer for American athletes participating in the Beijing Games. While the Chinese Foreign Ministry website read “…. The U.S. side is still sticking with erroneous words and deeds related to China, which have dealt a new blow to bilateral relations.”
Railway Ministry forms high power committee to look into concerns raised by aspirants on NTPC-1 results
ANI – The Railway Ministry has formed a high power committee to look into the concerns and doubts raised by job aspirants concerning the results of the 1st Stage Computer Based Test (CBT) of Centralized Employment Notification (CEN) of Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) issued by Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) on Jan 14-15.
The ministry stated that the Committee would go through the following issues raised by candidates and give recommendations on results of 1st Stage of CBT of NTPC and method used for shortlisting candidates for the 2nd Stage CBT without affecting existing shortlisted candidates and introduction of 2nd Stage CBT.
- The candidates can ALSO lodge their concerns and suggestions to the committee at rrbcommittee@railnet.gov.in, said the ministry.
- The committee has 5 members.
- All Chairpersons of RRBs have also been directed to receive the grievances through their existing channels, compile these grievances and send the same to the committee.
- Candidates are given 3 weeks up to Feb 16, to submit their concerns, and the committee after examining these concerns will submit their recommendations by Mar 4.
Meanwhile, given the students’ agitation regarding alleged irregularities in the Railway Recruitment Board exam, the Railway Ministry has decided to suspend both the Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) and Level 1 tests scheduled to be held on Feb 15 and 23.
Huge Protests, Train Set On Fire In Bihar Over Railways Exam
- A passenger train was set on fire and another was attacked with stones in Bihar in violent protests by students against a railway jobs exam on a day the country celebrated R-Day.
- Visuals from today’s protest in Gaya showed a train engulfed in flames and firemen trying to put it out.
A heavy contingent of police failed to control the protesters, who squatted on railway tracks, vandalized property, clashed with security forces, and targeted several trains, severely affecting services.
The protests involve the RRB-NTPC exam 2021-Students have opposed a decision by the Railways to hold the exam in two stages, claiming that the second stage is unfair to those who have cleared the first stage, results for which were released on January 15.
- Around 1.25 crore candidates had applied for the exams that had advertised over 35,000 posts from level 2 to level 6, with starting pay ranging from ₹ 19,900 to ₹ 35,400/month.
- Around 60 lakh people appeared for the exam.
- Protesters claim only one examination was mentioned in a notification issued in 2019 and accuse the government of “playing with their future”.
- The Railways Ministry has clarified that the second stage exam was mentioned in the notification.
- In Jehanabad town, angry students burned an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on railway tracks and raised slogans against the government.
- The Railways said “mild” force was used after attempts by officials and police to pacify the protesters yielded no results.
- The police cleared the tracks and arrested at least four people in the state capital Patna on Mon.
- Amid rising protests, the Ministry issued a statement warning candidates of being ‘debarred for life’ from jobs in the railways.
Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said (in Hindi) he was with the students against the policies of the BJP govt and urged the protestors to shun violence, and appealed to them to adopt non-violent methods to press for their demands.
However, it’s beyond the understanding that how ‘aspirants’ collected the materials to burn the train? While the protest was going on since Mon why did the train is brunt occur on R-Day?
2 Arrested, 6 Cops Suspended After Clash With Students At Prayagraj Station
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wed arrested 2 people and lodged a case against around 1,000 unidentified persons in connection with the alleged rioting and blocking of the rail track at the local railway station by some job aspirants.
Former Punjab DGP under lens after audio tapes leak
HT-Audiotapes of a purported conversation between dismissed Punjab cop Sarabjit Singh, who is a proclaimed offender (PO) in the multicrore Bhola drug racket, and director-general of police (DGP) Sidharth Chattopadhyaya may land the former state police chief in further trouble, as he is already facing probe in the Prime Minister security breach case.
- It is learned the purported conversation took place on Dec 27 during a meeting between Sarabjit Singh and the then Punjab DGP at the latter’s house in Nayagaon.
- Inspector Satwant Singh, who was recently arrested by Chandigarh Police in the forged signature scam busted last week, was also allegedly present during the meeting.
- Even PO Sarabjit Singh has since been arrested in the same case.
The audiotapes not only reveal how the PO was giving instructions to the DGP for certain appointments in the name of cracking the whip on drug cartels but also how the top cop was allegedly taking instructions on the issue of national security from a dismissed Inspector, who is facing 7 FIRs related to the NDPS Act, including one registered in Madhya Pradesh.
- The conversation wherein Sarabjit Singh allegedly suggests posting inspector Satwant Singh as the Kharar CIA in charge is also part of the audiotapes.
- Satwant Singh was handed the post through the DGP’s orders dated December 28, a day after the purported conversation.
- Despite repeated attempts, Chattopadhaya remained unavailable to comment on the veracity of these audiotapes.
On national security and Bhola-In another alleged conversation, the PO is heard giving instructions to the DGP to carry out operations related to national security.
In one such sentence, the dismissed cop is even heard referring to PM Modi, while allegedly asking the DGP to bring some DSP-rank officer on certain postings and start recovering explosives being pushed from Pakistan.
“(A lot of explosives and arms are being pushed [through Pakistan]. We should start making recoveries from tomorrow. At least, it will open Modi’s eyes),” the PO can be heard, while discussing Khalistani militant Ranjit Singh Neeta’s involvement in smuggling explosives in Punjab and his drug-related smuggling in Jammu and Kashmir.
Another conversation in the audio is about facilitating Jagdish Bhola, prime accused in the multicrore drug racket, with a mobile phone inside the Patiala Central Jail.
“Bhola is in touch with me. He is ready to help us in big drug seizures. I have talked to Sukhi (another person). He will be shifted to the Patiala Jail with Bhola with a mobile phone. He will give us all information by using this uninterrupted mobile,” the PO is heard.
At this point, Satwant intervenes in the purported conversation and suggests to the DGP to bring Sukhi to Kharar on production warrants in another case and later send him to the Patiala jail.
SAD chief demands FIR- Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Mon demanded registration of a criminal case against DGP S Chattopadhyaya, accusing him of taking orders from criminals while functioning as the Punjab police chief.
- Badal said CM Charanjit Singh Channi had gone out of his way to appoint Chattopadhyaya as the Punjab DGP even though he was not eligible to hold the post.
- Questioning Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu’s silence on the matter, Badal alleged the DGP was personally chosen by him to register false cases against the top Akali leadership.
- Chattopadhyay, a 1986-batch IPS officer, remained Punjab’s officiating DGP for 21 days.
- The drug case against former SAD minister Bikram Singh Majithia was registered in his directions.
- He was served a show-cause notice by the home ministry after the PM’s cavalcade was stuck on a flyover for 20 minutes due to a farmers’ blockade in Ferozepur on January 5.
- He was replaced by 1987-batch IPS officer VK Bhawra on Jan 8.
India takes on China and Russia in a Great Game for Central Asia
India has deep relations with all of the Central Asian countries. Kazakhstan has become an important partner in India’s energy security. I express my condoles at the recent loss of lives in Kazakhstan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the first meeting of the India-Central Asia Summit.
- The second goal of today’s meeting is to give an effective structure to our cooperation, which will pave the way for the establishment of a platform for regular interaction among all stakeholders, he added
- The third goal is to prepare an ambitious roadmap for our cooperation, which will enable us to adopt an integrated approach for regional connectivity and cooperation:
SCMP-Until this week the Indian press had been keen to hype up PM Modi’s summit with the 5 Central Asian republics, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
So much so that some reports went as far as to claim that the meeting, to be held on Thu, was a feat that neither China nor Russia – despite their close strategic and economic links with the region – had been able to achieve.
The crowing stopped on Mon when China’s foreign ministry announced that President Xi Jinping would chair a virtual summit the following day to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations with the 5 Central Asian nations.
During Xi’s meeting with the leaders of 5 Central Asian nations, China pledged to provide 50 million Covid-19 vaccine doses and US$500 million for livelihood projects. (1)
[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]
China supplies mounted howitzers to Pak to maintain arms parity with India
In a move that ensures that Pakistan continues to remain locked up in a confrontation with India, Islamabad has received the first batch of Chinese manufactured vehicle-mounted howitzers, DF-17 mobile, solid-fueled medium-range ballistic missile to counter the Indian K-9 Vajra howitzers.
- Beijing is also supplying NORINCO AR-1 300 mm multi-barrel rocket launchers to Rawalpindi so that the Pakistan Army has a reply to Indian rocket launchers.
- The total contract worth is around USD 512 million.
The supply of conventional weapon systems, fighter aircraft, destroyers, and even the inclination to give DF-17 hypersonic missiles to counter India, are all part of Beijing’s long strategy to keep Rawalpindi in a state of permanent confrontation.
- This strategy has paid dividends to the Beijing regime in the past as Indian forces remain alert on its western border with a power that boxes much above its weight category.
- The role played by Beijing in developing Pakistan into a nuclear state along with the covert supply of delivery systems since the 1990s is all well documented.
- Pakistan in 2019 signed a contract with Chinese arms major NORINCO to supply 236, SH-15 155 mm vehicle-mounted howitzers apart from AR-1 heavy rocket launchers.
- In addition to artillery, the contract also includes supply and technology transfer for various ammunition including extended-range artillery shells and guided artillery shells with a range of 53 km.
This supply is to boost the firepower of the Pakistan army all along the western border, especially to heat the Line of Control in J&K in case the existing ceasefire breaks down or to send a message on Kashmir.
- The supply of DF-17 is to pump up Rawalpindi’s ballistic missile system as the hypersonic missile is difficult to track by most existing radars and equally difficult to engage.
- The DF-17 is said to have a combination of maneuverability and high speed that poses significant challenges to conventional missile defense.
- China has tested the DF-17 missile at least 9 times since 2014 and is said to have a 1950 km range with a speed of at least Mach 5.
While India also tested its scramjet-powered Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Cruise Vehicle (HSTDV) on Sept 7, 2020, for the launch of hypersonic missiles, the Chinese supply will force Defence Research and Development Organization to speed up the indigenous project.
Keeping Pakistan under its wing for strategic purposes and reach to the Arabian Sea, China has not only supplied arms to Rawalpindi but has played a spoiler to India’s entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group and has gone to the extent of trying innocent Indians working in Afghanistan listed as global terrorists before the 1267 committee.
It routinely sides with Pakistan in the UN over Kashmir and vetoes any attempt to list known pan-Islamic jihadi groups or their leaders as terrorists by the UNSC.