Padma Shri Kaur Singh 69, once famous as the biggest boxing legend in India has now been forgotten as the glory faded and is living in the difficult time where he is struggling to repay a Rs 2 lakh loan he borrowed for his cardiac treatment.

Kaur Singh is the only name in the history of Indian boxing that has fought against the greatest boxing legend Muhammad Ali and withstood him in 1980, in an exhibition match in New Delhi.

Singh joined the Indian Army as havaldar in 1971 when he was 23 and gained popularity during the 1982 Asian Games winning the gold and also won two consecutive matches in 1984’s Los Angeles Olympics just before his retirement. Honoured with Arjuna Award in 1982 and Padmashri in 1983, the former boxer clinched various laurels in the Army as well.

However, the champion was eventually left with a fate like most Indian sportsperson during his financial crises when he was diagnosed with Cardiac ailment two years ago.  The only help he did receive was from the Army which provided Rs 3 lakh for his treatment but the amount fell short so he further managed a private loan of Rs 2 lakh, now repaid.

“This year, I had to borrow Rs 2 lakh again for hospital expenses in Mohali. The amount escalates to an additional Rs 50,000 within a span of 6 months as interest and my income is not tenable to repay the debt. I don’t know how I will return this encumbrance,” he told the Times of India.

The boxer though derives a pension but his treatment expenses do not seem to settle, he is still in debt of Rs 2.5 lakh facing similar crises again. Moreover, the helplessness is of the fact that Kaur never even received the Rs 1 lakh cash reward announced by the Punjab Government in 1982 after he got gold in New Delhi Asiad.

A TOI report quotes him: “I was promised Rs 1 lakh which might be equal to Rs 20 lakh in contemporary times. Rs 8000 is just the expense of my monthly medicines. The visitation fees of the doctor, other life supporting expenditure at hospital sometimes accounts for much more.”

Losing faith in the system and taking care of his ailments and bedridden wife Baljeet Kaur, he now discourages his son into taking sports as a career.

Indian Army on Rescue Again

The Army once again emerged as the godsend after reading media reports, helped Singh with an amount of Rs 5.27 lakh being paid to the Mohali private hospital.

“Kaur Singh is an army pensioner receiving a monthly pension of Rs 33,000 and was entitled to unlimited medical support through Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).”

The Western Command headquarters of the Army also confirmed to bear Rs 8000 a month for Kaur’s treatment, as spoken to the TOI.

This proves that the Army is always standing tall for the heroes of the country.

The post How Indian Army Rushed to Save Forgotten Boxing Hero who once Fought Muhammad Ali appeared first on DefenceLover.

Indian army crossed the LOC to avenge the death of four soldiers who were killed in a similar way by Pakistani army.

Pakistan army killed four Indian troops, Indian army crossed the LOC to plant IEDs across the border and killed three Pakistani soldiers in firing across the LoC. As reported, incident happened in Rawalkot sector of Pakistan. It was a retaliation which was much required after the Pakistani army targeted the army patrol at Brat Gala at around 12:15 pm which resulted in injuring of three soldiers.

After the Uri attacks, this will be the first time when army crossing the LoC has come under public discourse.

An army spokesperson briefed the media, “Major Moharkar Prafulla Ambadas, Lance Naik Gurmail Singh and Sepoy Pargat Singh were grievously injured during the ceasefire violation and succumbed to injuries. Two other personnel also sustained injuries and are under medical treatment”.

He further added, “The incident started when Pakistani troops targeted the Army patrol at Brat Galla in Keri sector at around 12:15pm in which the three soldiers were injured fatally”.

Major Ambadas belonged to Maharashtra and is survived by his wife Avoli Moharkar, and Lance Naik Gurmail Singh belonged to Amritsar and survived by his wife and a daughter.

“Major Ambadas, Lance Naik Gurmail and Sepoy Pargat were brave and sincere soldiers. The nation will always remain indebted to them for their supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” an Army statement said.

The Indian forces have been avenging even the single drop of blood of any Indian soldier. The ambushes by Border attack team of Pakistan has been increased in past one year and Indian army is alert and focused to not fall prey for any ambushes.

The post Indian Army Crosses LoC, kills 3 Pakistani Soldiers to avenge the Death of Jawans appeared first on DefenceLover.

Last night in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Indian Army killed a 47-year-old dwarf terrorist of Jaish-e-Mohammad who stepped with a limp and plotted several terror attacks in the country for JeM.

The terrorist was named Noor Mohammad Tantray alias Noor Trali alias Peer Baba alias Chhota Noora and he was 4 feet tall designated as commander of JeM. He was responsible for the attack on BSF camp near Srinagar airport in October. Also, for the attack on state Minister Naeem Akhtar’s cavalcade on 21 September in Tral. Noor was on parole after getting convicted to life imprisonment in 2011 and was shifted to Srinagar’s central jail. The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir had extended his parole.

But his parole proved years of the cat-mouse chase. Since he had taken parole in 2015, Trali revived the activities of the organization aggressively, especially to help the number of trained soldiers bringing in the valley from Pakistan, the information is released by intelligence sources in Delhi.

He was pursuing JEM’s role in Kashmir by planning and assisting large attacks on security forces. In addition to contributing to the last year’s terrorist attack on the basis of Uri Army, the Trali recently created several types of attacks on the highways to make a rescue route for the terrorist on the security forces.

Trali was killed by the forces in the house in Samboora village. SP Vaid, the director general of Police stated that the specific intelligence input gave the information about his residence. The dwarf terrorist was staying with his two or three other militants in the house. Only Trali was killed in the gunfire while other got escaped.

As soon as the village Samboora and Kakpora got the news of the killing of Trali, protest with stone pelting on security forces was started. This lead in suspending the internet services in the valley.

His supporters in the village gave him a spectacular funeral which was attended by hundreds of residents including terrorists. His body was covered in the flag of JeM and around his dead body, eight rounds of funeral prayers were organized. Delhi court in 2011 called him the merchant of death and that he was. He was given gun salute also by the militants.

As per the charges of Intelligence Bureau, the merchant of death was the key member of JeM who collected finances in Kashmir for JeM. Also, he was the Chief of stay, logistics and operational activities of a large number of terrorist in Kashmir.

Retired IPS officer of Delhi Police, Ashok Chand, who first arrested Tantray and four others with a consignment of arms and ammunition in Delhi, said, “Tantray was always a dangerous man. We arrested him in August 2003 when JeM terrorists were bringing arms, ammunition and explosive material in wooden boxes of fruits and vegetables by trucks from Kashmir to Delhi. We found 10 hand grenades, 10 grenade shells and one under barrel grenade launcher hidden in boxes apart from over Rs 19 lakh.”

The court sentenced him and four other JeM terrorists to life imprisonment and while awarding him the sentence, the additional sessions judge RK Gauba had stated, “These foot soldiers of forces inimical to India and bent upon sabotaging the peace and tranquillity here besides posing a serious threat to its unity, sovereignty and integrity, have to be neutralized.”

The additional sessions judge also had said that “In order that they are suitably de-fanged and blunted so as to be of no further use to the enemy, it is imperative that these merchants of death and destruction are locked away for their remaining lives, which is the course permissible in the statutory prescriptions provided for a large number of offences committed by them.”

The post Indian Army Kills a terrorist who was nicknamed ‘Merchant of Death’ appeared first on DefenceLover.

In a shocking event, the certain classified Army documents from an infantry brigade in Jalandhar, Punjab found missing. The documents believed to be related to operational matters of the brigade and found missing around a week ago from the headquarters of an infantry brigade. To search the documents and to find the reason behind missing of the classified documents, Indian Army has launched a high-level investigation.

The sources close the Army about the missing documents informed to The Indian Express, “The documents were in the custody of the General Staff Officer Grade 1 (GSO 1), of the infantry brigade, who is an officer of the rank of Lt Colonel. The documents were reportedly kept in an almirah in the office of the GSO 1 from where they went missing.”

The Army to investigate the missing of the documents and the Military Intelligence to find the reason out of which and what circumstances these certain classified documents gone missing has launched an internal investigation.

Under the investigation, MI has been questioning to all who have served and frequented the office in the last few days. MI also questioned to the team of civilians who look after the routine maintenance activities of the office area. As per the reports, there has been little headway into the probe till now.

When to confirm the source’s report, Army Headquarters were being contacted, it confirmed that the documents have gone missing from the brigade headquarters in Jalandhar, Punjab. They continued by saying that the investigation has been started already but the exact chain of events which is the missing of documents was not yet known.

The officer from Headquarter said, “The feedback from the brigade is that these documents were dated and not very recent. However, they were still rated as classified which means that they were to be kept in safe custody.”

The infantry in Jalandhar from where the documents get missed belong to 11 corps of the Army is also headquartered in the same city which comes under the Western Command headquartered in Chandimandir. The corps of the infantry is responsible to keep their eyes on the area along the Indo-Pak border. They control two division such as Ferozepur-based Golden Arrow Division and Amritsar-based Panther Division. The documents related to the corps of this infantry have gone missing.

The post Indian Army’s Classified Documents Have Gone Missing From Army Brigade In Punjab appeared first on DefenceLover.

Captain Harshan of 2 Parachute Regiment had promised his parents to soon take up his long pending leave and would come home to them and his two siblings in Thiruvananthapuram, away from all the blood battles of Jammu and Kashmir . Radhakrishnan Nair Harshan was a man of his words and he did return to home, only was carried in a casket.

The 25- year old captain has always been different from people of his age and his journey from a very young age with a passion of getting into the army is how one should live life, on their own terms.

When children start to dream about a secured career, Harshan dreamed of joining the Indian Army. Even at Sainik School he was exceptional in both studies and extracurricular activities.

Harshan appeared for NDA interview but failed the first time, much to his disappointment and was asked by his father to peruse engineering. The young boy, however, could not give up on his dream and again tried for NDA without anybody’s knowledge and succeeded this time.

After finishing the NDA course, he joined the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. During his commissioning in the Indian Army, Captain Harshan took his mother to the Balidan Mandir at IMA to show her the names of the brave martyrs and the messages to their mothers. He asked his mother to be proud of him if his name happens to appears there.

Completing his training in Kashmir in 2002, Lieutenant Harshan was sent to Israel for special weapons training. In 2006, Captain Harshan was posted to Baramulla, Kashmir and with his Red Devils Unit caught a terrorist and collected a cache of weapons.

The interrogation led Harshan to conduct a combing operation on infiltration at Kupawara near the Indo- Pak Border which was an unfruitful attempt. He then applied for leave to visit his home on March 20 just when he was he got information about spotting terrorists in Kupwara.

The mission was successful this time with Harshan and 20 men capturing the terrorists. The Red Devils were returning when a sudden gun shot hit Captain Harshan in the thigh while he continued to fight back.

Though injured himself, Harshan kept charge and killed three terrorists saving the lives of his men but the champion was again shot in the neck from a sniper by Lashkar-e-Toiba militants.

“I had known him all the four years that he had been in 2 Para. I had not met another officer like him in any Special Forces formation. So quiet and so soft spoken that we often have to really prod him to speak up, yet so good at his job that he was handling the entire training of his formation by himself,” says Lt Colonel S Srivastava, second in command of Harshan’s battalion. 

Captain Harshan is the youngest officer to receive the Ashok Chakra, the highest honour awarded during peace time, posthumously. Like he said, his name is now inscribed at the Balidan Mandir at the IMA and as he hoped, we are all very proud of the brave heart.

The post Awaited At Home, Returned In A Casket- Captain Harshan, The Youngest Recipient Of Ashok Chakra. appeared first on DefenceLover.

Legend has it that a peculiar case of a maverick British army officer was brought to the notice of Field Marshall Montgomery, during the Second World War. Monty, as he was known, saw the file and smiled. “Mad. Quite mad”. This officer was of Scottish descent, and that, to many, seemed like explanation enough. The matter ended there.

David Sterling was “mad, quite mad”, and from this madness, or genius, there being marginal difference between the two, sprung the idea of a small group of men, vehicle mounted, who would drive into the desert shooting up German aircraft, while they were parked in the airfield. The Second World War was raging, and ideas were in short supply.

Claude Auchinleck, the then Commander-in-Chief of the British forces, blessed this mad enterprise. A small unit was born. It created merry hell for the Germans. Sterling would appear at airfields riding Jeeps, shoot up many aircraft as he and his men could, and vanish. On a warm July night of 1942, his team drove 18 Jeeps to the Sidi Haneish airstrip in Egypt, and destroyed 37 aircraft, all in one night. Ervin Rommel, the Desert Fox, called him The Phantom Major. The legend grew.

David Sterling was the father of the elite SAS or the Special Air Service. And the SAS is the father of modern Special Forces. In the world of motion picture driven, testosterone fuelled Special Forces narratives; people throw about names like Seal Team and Delta Force. Not many realize that in many ways, when it comes to good old killing, there is still no one better than the SAS. In public imagination, SAS loses out; one of the many disadvantages of not being from the Hollywood country.

Lt Col Megh Singh was an Indian Army officer who was once Court Martialed and demoted to the rank of Major. After successful raids into Pakistan in September of 1965, he was again promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Originally from 3rd Battalion, Brigade of the Guards, he strongly believed that a small group of men, highly trained, motivated and equipped could create absolute havoc inside enemy territory. He believed in this theory so much that he walked up to Lt. Gen. Harbaksh Singh and presented him with this proposal. Soon, Lt. Gen. Harbaksh Singh also believed.

Since the force was ad-hoc, it was named after its founder Lt. Col. Megh Singh. It was called “Meghdoot Force”. After the war, the government was so impressed with the performance of this ad-hoc unit, Lt. Col. Megh Singh was directed to raise a special mission unit. On 1 July 1966, 9 Battalion (Commando) was raised in Gwalior. In June 1967, 9 Battalion (Commando) was split into two, and 10 Battalion (Commando) was raised. In 1969, both these units were re-designated as 9 Para (Commando) and 10 Para (Commando).

1978 saw another addition to the roll of honour. 1 Para (Punjab) was converted to 1 Para (Commando).

As the Para Commando battalions grew in stature, they grew in numbers. Today, Indian Army Para Special Forces stand at nine battalions strong. 1 Para SF, 2 Para SF, 3 Para SF, 4 Para SF, 9 Para SF, 10 Para SF, 11 Para SF, 12 Para SF and 21 Para SF complete this pantheon of devils.

Para SF battalions operate in the shadows. Very rarely do we hear their names mentioned in the media, unless the government specifically wants to drive home a message, like in the case of the surgical strikes.

Para Special Forces are the best of the best of the Indian Army. They are truly unique. Each man is selected because he fits a certain groove that the unit has created and nurtured. When officers undergo probation, they do so with Other Ranks. There is no difference, during probation, between officer and soldier. They shed the “same blood in the same mud”, as the marines would say.

When an officer is selected (less than five percent make it), everyone has a say, including the NCOs and jawans. In Para SF, the men have a right to choose who will lead them. If an NCO who is already in Para SF (and is part of the team conducting the probation) feels that the officer who is under probation does not fit into the unit, he can voice his opinion and his opinion will be honored. The officer will be sent back to his parent unit. Very few are worthy of the BALIDAN badge.

Why is the Para SF different in terms of the way they approach army hierarchy? Simply because they operate in small teams and officers and men spend days on end in operations, cheek by jowl. There is no space for ceremony or rank. Para SF units are also unique in that the NCO is an independent leader. He leads a squad of 5+1 and can direct and lead an operation by himself. He is professionally competent to manage the “fog of war”. Special Forces seek Officer Like Qualities in NCOs; qualities like leadership, initiative, operational integrity and commitment, to name a few.

But this article is not about how good the Para SF is. It is about how badly they are equipped and used.

Unfortunately, our own understanding of our Special Forces capabilities is limited. Many a time, Para SF is used in a tactical role. They are strategic assets. They should not, and cannot be used tactically. You cannot have a Para SF house entry in a CASO (Cordon and Search Operation). That is something that infantry Ghataks must do. Keep Para SF out of day-to-day Counter Terror operations. They are the nations’ trump card. To use them tactically would be to blunt their edge. We have never nurtured our Special Forces, and our attitude is like having a Katana and using it to adorn a wall. Quite frankly, we don’t know what to do with them most of the times.

Special Forces have very little in common with the Para Airborne units, except that they are part of the same regiment and jump out of planes. They need to be de-hyphenated. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Special Forces should not be considered a part of infantry at all. It must be recognized as a separate Arm of the Indian Army, like the infantry, armored corps or artillery.

In the current scenario, and with the Special Forces Command still a few years away, the Para SF battalions, clubbed together as a singular operational entity, must be headed by a Major General rank officer, who must have a direct line of reporting to the COAS. He can have a dotted line reporting to the DGMO.

Another issue that plagues the Indian Army Para Special Forces is the lack of equipment and weapons. They still use the Maruti Gypsy. They use the 7.62 mm Galil sniper rifle that cannot kill beyond 800-1000 meters. They have most of their kit supplied by the Ordnance Factory Board. I don’t wish to dwell upon the OFB, because that needs another article altogether. Their main weapon is the TAR 21 Tavor, a 5.56 mm Israeli assault rifle. It’s a fine weapon, except that it does not have the punch of a 7.62 mm. And that punch is needed. They need good anti-material rifles and long range sniper rifles. They need world-class communication equipment. Best in class mini-subs and underwater demolition technology must be put in their hands. In essence, they need the technology of tomorrow.

We need to free the Para SF from the mind-bending bureaucracy of the Defence Ministry. They need to be able to purchase their own weapons at short notice. It should not take two years for a new rifle to be inducted. It should take two months for the first lot to be inducted. A Para SF unit should be able to order weapons and equipment off the shelf. They should be using modified Land Rovers for movement, and not Maruti Gypsies. The list is long. But know this…if you want our Para SF to perform like the SAS or Seal Team 6, you have to treat them like that. Forget about dedicated satellites and combat drones. I am just asking for the basics.

Special Forces should ideally work in very close coordination with RAW. If they are indeed to be truly successful, the lines between special ops and intelligence must be blurred. SAS works hand in glove with MI 6 and Seal Teams work very, very closely with CIA. In India, we are unfortunately busy with bigger things like turf wars.

While they do go for foreign training, it must be substantially ramped up. Para SF must train regularly with US Army Special Forces, Navy Seals, Sayeret Matkal and with the granddaddy of them all, the SAS. The Spetsnaz is again gaining momentum after a few decades of flux. We could learn from them and also teach them a trick or two.

Para SF needs dedicated airlift capability and helicopters on standby. The Indian Air Force has the capability. All we need is better coordination. The list is long and perhaps endless, because new technology keeps entering the battle-space. They will need to keep upgrading.

If we do this much, India will have a tremendously potent weapon in its hands. It will be like the legendary “Brahmastra” from Hindu mythology. All the Prime Minister of India will have to do is pick up the phone and approve a mission. And Indians will no longer ask questions like, “Why can’t we take out Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim?” And the answer to the question, “Can we get Kulbhushan Jadhav back?” will then have been answered. Special Forces can plan and execute at a ghostly pace.

It will not be long before a senior general from the Indian Army looks at the plan and smiling gently to himself, says “Mad. Quite mad.”

Major Gaurav Arya (Veteran)
17th Battalion, The Kumaon Regiment
Indian Army

Disclaimer: This article does not discuss other special forces like MARCOS and Garud. Till the time the Special Forces Command is formed, such a discussion is of little use. NSG is under the Home Ministry. SFF & SG are under the Cabinet Secretariat, and function in another orbit. While Indian Army personnel staff them, they are not under command the army.

The Article was shared by Major Gaurav Arya on his Facebook page.

The post Why Para SF is Deadly and How They can Become More Lethal appeared first on DefenceLover.

Even after the attack at Air Force station Pathankot, the indian army uniforms are available for as low as Rs 500 in Rajasthan. During Pathankot, the militants were wearing Indian army uniforms and that resulted in confusion and some of our brave soldiers died fighting those militants.

The shopkeepers are breaking all the rules by openly selling the army uniforms and accessories and signs, which are wore by defence personnel. Moreover, these shopkeepers have no licence. The sellers don’t bother to check any verification ID card or keep any record when they are selling army uniform.

Just one year back, Indian Air force station at Pathankot was attacked. The militants were dressed in army fatigues.

Anyone can buy not just the uniform but also boots, jackets, bed rolls, belts and all the signs which are used by defence personnel.

The shops are located near Jai Narayan Vyas circle and Fort Road. In 2016, Punjab Government imposed a ban on the sale of the army uniforms across the state because of terrorists attacks.

Anyone who was interested to buy the uniform had to submit a self-attested copy of his ID card and also his phone number. The record was duly maintained in the record register of the shopkeeper.

After the Pathankot attack, the army has asked civilians to not wear army uniform and the shopkeepers were told to not sell any combat uniform. It is illegal to do so.

“All traders and shopkeepers interested in selling Army uniforms may approach the local military authority and request for shops in units/cantonments approved areas/shops,” the army official said.

Anyone from private security agency and police are not authorized to wear the army combat and that leads to false alarms.

Army appeals and requests the public to refrain from wearing army combat, in the interest of national and own welfare.

The post Indian Army uniforms Available for Rs 500 in Rajasthan appeared first on DefenceLover.

Garud Commandos, an elite special force belongs to the Indian Army is the youngest elite special force in the country. The force killed around eight terrorists in its last brief in Jammu and Kashmir and achieved success in the mission. Now, the elite special forces are raring to go for direct encounter terror mission in the state.

Garud Commandos’ major operation sited during the attack at Pathankot air Base. During the attack by the Pakistan-backed terrorists at Pathankot Airport, Garud faced one of his first major operations, expanding its numbers to meet its needs during peace and handed him the roles of wartime.

As per a senior Garud official in his interview to Mail Today, “Two of our teams are already in operation in Hajin area of Jammu and Kashmir and they would be replaced by two other units soon. This is going to help more and more of our troops get exposure to real action.”

In the Pathankot attack, the special force successfully met the operation and after that, the Army and IAF had agreed together to assign operation to the Garuds in counter-terror missions in the valley Kashmir. Two teams were attached to the 13 Rashtriya Rifles. Since a few week, Garuds began operating in close coordination with the Army. Apart from operating with the Army, they kept developing their intelligence network in the valley.

In October, the Garuds were assigned its first major operation in Rakh Hajin area of Bandipore and they achieved big success in a direct encounter with terrorists of Lashkar-e-toiba. To deal with a team of six to seven terrorists who were trying to escape from a house, which could be established before the crowd, Sergeant Milind Kishore and Nilesh Nain murdered two of them before being martyred.

However, the wounded terrorists somehow managed to elope but the Commandos pursued them. With the report of intelligence, the Special Forces traced hidden terrorists in a house in Chandargeer area.

In the following encounter, the elite special force killed six terrorists. Corporal JP Nirala’s bravery was the major factor behind this successful operation. He used his Negev LMG to eliminate three terrorists and pinned down the other terrorists.

Another official of Garud Commandos said, “The troops are highly motivated by the acts of valor of our fallen buddies and want to be given more roles in counter-terror ops in Kashmir.”

Another officer said, “More than 30 percent volunteers return within weeks of training. Most find it tough to survive the 16-18 hours-a-day life during which they are prepared both physically and mentally to earn their Garud badge.”

However, as of now, only 26 officers from different branches have been qualified to join the elite force.

The post Garud Commandos To Get More Operations In Kashmir appeared first on DefenceLover.

India and America have one way to fight terrorism and the American ambassador is also think so. Lately, American ambassador Kenneth Juster arrived India and has found defence and counter-terrorism ‘a key pillar’ of Indo-Us cooperation.

Thursday, 11th January marked as the day of his first speech in New Delhi where in his speech, he said, “In little more than a decade, US defence trade with India has expanded from virtually nothing to over 15 billion dollars and includes sales of some of America’s most advanced military equipment.”

The American ambassador also hinted the wish list of US for the next wave of arms selling to India which includes, “fighter aircraft production; and the co-development of next-generation systems, including a Future Vertical Lift platform or Advanced Technology Ground Combat Vehicles.”

The senior official has publicly mentioned the proposal to co-develop helicopters and this is the first time something has been presented by any official. He also backed the offer of Lockheed Martin to build the F-16 Block 70 fighter in Indian and also Boeing’s offer to build its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter for the Indian Navy. The proposal included to co-create combat helicopters (Future Vertical Lift Platform) or unmanned ground vehicles (Advanced Technology Ground Combat Vehicle).

Such discussions have been taken place on within the Defence trade and technology initiative (DTTI) which is a high-level US-India joint forum so far. DTTI forum is for overcoming bureaucratic hurdles and exploring new initiatives. According to the ambassador, the co-development of autonomous combat vehicle would provide a major impetus to the relationship of India and US.

The US ambassador Juster is very well known the limit for extending trust through co-development projects as he has been working on the relationship of India and US since 2000, “I want to emphasize that the United States is more than just another [arms] supplier… We seek to assist India’s efforts to build up its indigenous defence base and capabilities, as well as enhance the interoperability of our two forces as major defence partners in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Juster while explaining that both countries together organize single-service practice together said, “It is time to consider a multi-service exercise, perhaps focused on humanitarian aid and disaster relief… [in order to] increase our comfort, ease, and confidence in working together.”

Russia is the only country with which India is in a tri-service exercise Indra. Also, three wings Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force had sent troops to participate in tri-service exercise Indra 2017 with Russian military in October 2017.

The US ambassador demanded to increase military-to-military exchanges to familiarize the operations between the two countries. “Over time, we should expand officer exchanges at our war colleges and our training facilities, and even at some point post reciprocal military liaison officers at our respective combatant commands,” he said.

Washington is encouraging the capital city of India to build the position of a senior military officer, who is responsible for South Asia: Hawaii’s US Pacific Command (PACOM) headquarters, and the Central Command in Tampa ( CENTCOM) Florida.

As per the Kenneth Juster, there are five pillars namely defence and counter-terrorism; economic and cultural relations; energy and the environment; science, technology and health; and regional cooperation that tied India and US in a relationship.

“India and US both have a strong interest in promoting peace, security, and prosperity… [by] supporting Afghanistan’s National Unity Government and helping build that country’s democratic institutions,” Juster said about US’s growing disenchantment with Pakistan and changing approach in Afghanistan.

The post US Wants To Make Indo-American Helicopters, To Make Ties Stronger appeared first on DefenceLover.

Pakistan challenged the statements of army chief Gen Bikram Rawat saying, “test our resolve”. General spoke that Pakistan’s nuclear bogey will be thoroughly if the situation escalates to a war

“Very irresponsible statement by Indian Army Chief,not befitting his office. Amounts to invitation for nuclear encounter.If that is what they desire,they are welcome to test our resolve.The general’s doubt would swiftly be removed, inshallah,” tweeted Pakistan’s foreign minister Khawaja Asif.

Pakistan’s foreign minister’s office was also too busy during the day tweeting to justify themselves and their nuclear progress. They said the Indian army chief has made an irresponsible statement and they feel threatened. 

They also said that they will not take this lightly and they are capable of defending Pakistan.

Pakistan has a short range missile Nasr which they feel that it can encounter the missile made by India.

All we will say is, we are proud of our Indian army chief who knew what to say to tickle of series of tweets from Pakistanis.

The post Pakistan Challenges India for a Nuclear War, Says Test Our Nuclear Might if You Want appeared first on DefenceLover.

In India, the organ donation isn’t the thing that everyone is interested in. People don’t realize the importance and the need of other people who die due to non-availability of the organ. While death takes you away, your organs can stay and save another life and this has been realized by Indian Army.

To give a boost to the donation of organs, an entire Indian Territorial Army(TA) unit has taken the pledge to donate their organs lately.  The TA 123 Infantry Battalion is a voluntary unit of the Indian Territorial Army which was established on 1st November 1956 by Lt Cool Zorawar Singh. The Indian Territorial Army is affiliated to the Grenadiers Regiment of the Indian Army.

The pledge of the organ donation by the Indian Territorial Army has been made applied in New Delhi. The applications of the unit of the organ donation have been submitted to the Armed Forces Organ, Retrieval and Transplant Auth i.e., AORTA, Army Hospital (R&R).

Colonel GS Chundawat, VrC, the commanding officer of the unit while speaking to ANI, “This is done with the support of the Research and Referral (R&R) hospital of the Armed Forces. Every soldier of the Unit has pledged his organs in writing. After the R&R issues a card to every volunteer.”

Their pledge to donate organs will be an inspiration to the citizens as army men spend Ttheir lives to protect the country while they are alive and they are ready to help the countrymen even after they will not alive.

Organs such as bone tissues, kidneys, eyes, heart, liver, small intestine, skin tissue, and veins are donated for the motive to transplant the organs of the needy people. The organ donation proves a miracle for the society and for the people who need it. The organ donation is a noble cause and by donating organs, donor saves the life of recipients.

The donation of the organ is encouraged throughout the world to promote organ donation, the country’s government has established various systems to encourage people to donate their organs. However, the demand for organs is still very high compared to their supply.

The TA take the pledge to donate organs. It is the unit which was established on October 9, 1949, by C Rajagopalachari who was the Governor General of India at that time.

TA is a voluntary, part-time civilian army that provides the opportunity to get military training to the citizens of our country and to provide military service with peace and war during the army’s regiment. Territorial Army performs the role to help civilian officials to provide regular services in regular duties, relieving the regular army, dealing with natural disasters, and in situations where there is an impact on life or threat to the safety of the country.

The post This Unit Of Indian Army Pledges To Donate Their All Organs, Salute! appeared first on DefenceLover.

To maintain peace in the valley, political initiative and military operations must go hand-in-hand. On Sunday, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat stated that to bring peace in Jammu and Kashmir, political initiative and Military operation must go in one direction. To prevent cross-border terrorism in the state, the military invasion has been supported by General.

According to him, the armed forces serving in Jammu and Kashmir cannot be status quo(existing state of the affair) and must indulge in new strategies to handle the situation.

Gen Rawat while speaking to news agency PTI told that there was no room for ramping up the heat on Pak state, “The political initiative and all the other initiatives must go simultaneously hand-in-hand and only if all of us function in synergy, we can bring lasting peace in Kashmir. It has to be a politico-military approach that we have to adopt.”

For a sustained dialogue in J&K, the government appointed former intelligence bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma as special representative in October 2017. Gen Rawat said, “When the government appointed an interlocutor, it is with that purpose. He is the government’s representative to reach out to the people of Kashmir and see what their grievances are so that those can then be addressed at a political level.”

Army Gen Rawat further said that “Yes, you cannot be status quoist. You have to continuously think and keep moving forward. You have to keep changing your doctrines and concept and the manner in which you operate in such areas.”

According to him, an overall operation was needed to handle the issue in Kashmir and the Army will have to deal with the situation by new strategies and new tactics. While looking the last year, the Indian Army too an aggressive anti-terror policy in J&K. Also, responded to all the cease-fire by Pakistan.

The Army Gen also said, “Military is only part of the mechanism to resolve the Kashmir issue. Our charter is to ensure that the terrorists who are creating violence in the state are taken to task and those who have been radicalized and are increasingly moving towards terrorism are prevented from doing so.”

About the youth joining terror group, he said some you the are joining terror groups and at the same time army is maintaining pressure on terror groups. He also said, “But at the same time, we have to also reach out to the people.”

While talking about the change in the situation in Kashmir, he said, “I am only seeing a marginal change in situation for the better.”

“I do not think it is time to become overconfident and start assuming that the situation has been brought under control because infiltration from across the borders will continue,” the Army Gen said. As per the official data, the LoC remained volatile last year. 860 incidents of ceasefire by Pak has been reported.

However, India is also effectively answering the firing of Pakistani and even crossed the Line of Control (LoC) to teach lessons to the Pakistani soldiers on several occasions as part of tactical operations.

The post Will Ramp up Heat on Pakistan on Terrorism, Says Gen Bipin Rawat appeared first on DefenceLover.

It was not easy. But if you can dream it! Work for it. And You can achieve it! Recommended in 4th attempt after 3 screened out attempts!

Hello to all future GCs and LCs, I am Saswat Dalai from Balasore, Odisha. Taking about my famiy, my parents are professors and my elder sister is working in TCS as IT analyst. So hailing from a complete Civilian background and from a state where there is not much interest for getting into defence, yes… It was difficult to make people understand and believe in your dreams. But I did it and I achieved it. I was recommended by 17 SSB Bangalore in SSC Tech-50 for OTA commencing from April 2018.

This was my 4th SSB Attempt and in all three previous attempts I was screened Out from Bhopal, Allahabad and Bangalore (33 SSB, 19 SSB and 24 SSB respectively). I really respect those people who come with the same josh even after 10-12 unsuccessful attempts. But one thing I learnt over time is, SSB process is something you learn a lot about yourself and that nobody can teach you and when you return home after a SSB experience you are never the same person that you used to be.

So My 4th attempt was different from other three attempts. I did meditation and that helped me a lot in my introspection process and if my SSB friends remember I used to write mistakes that I have made and I try to rectify them to become a better person. This time I went with the hope to get Screened in at least because it was kind of a frustrating feeling after getting 3 times Screened out one after other(March, June, July). In my whole SSB preparation phase, I am thankful to my family especially my elder sister who stayed with me motivating and helping me in my preparations, some true friends who believed in my dreams and always kept telling me I can and I will do it one day and the almighty for my success.
Now comes one among the best ever experiences happened to me ever in my life.

20th October, 2017:

It was raining heavily in Bhubaneswar when I started for Bangalore by Prasanthi Express early in the morning. When I started my journey I didn’t expect anything I just wanted to get selected in and didn’t want to come back early this time. I had given IB exam on 15th And after that didn’t get much time for preparation so was thinking that I shouldn’t had given IB as I wasted my time. Train journey was a boring one. I met one guy though who was also going for the SSB.

21st October, 2017

I reached Bangalore. I stayed in my friend’s flat where I stayed last time when I came for SSB in Bangalore. This time I told them on that day I don’t know why I am feeling I will clear it this time only. (Might have told to stay positive). They are the ones who always supported me throughout the journey.
22nd October, 2017:
I went to the Selection Centre South directly and waited in the canteen for the bus to come with the candidates from railway station. 193 candidates reported in total and only 2 were freshers. We got 17 SSB as our board and I was little happy as 17 is my favourite number being my DOB. We got our documents verified, Got chest numbers and Briefing by the officials were completed by evening. I got chest number 27.

23rdOctober, 2017:

It was screening day. Most awaited one. I just prayed God that this time however I had prepared at that particular time I will give my best and rest depends upon you. Because we should not worry about something which we can’t control So We should do our Karma and Rest depends upon the almighty! The OIR was easy, I did all and I think 98 or 99 were correct out of 100 for sure. Next was PPDT.

We got a picture where it was a village background with some huts in background and 4 women were there. Two of them were carrying something on their heads and talking with the other two women and one person was in background whom I had taken as my central character and made that as a male character. I made a story with the theme of “Selling of handloom and terracotta products and Entrepreneurship.” Then after 10 minutes they called our group for narration and discussion. My story was different from others and Most of them made story on some village problems like water or drought or something else. I defended myself in discussion with strong reasons and took the group towards making a common story.

NOTE: In PPDT, Perceive the picture with a detailed observation. While narration Keep your voice loud and clear and stay confident at your body posture. While discussion Try to put your points by staying cool calm and composed. And Keep smiling in the most adverse of situations. Prepare for the worst and Hope for the best.

26 candidates including me were screened in from a total of 193 candidates reported. And we were divided into 3 groups. Documentation process and filling up PIQ form were over by evening and we were provided new accommodation. I got a new chest number of 11.

24th October, 2017:

It was Psych day. 1st part was TAT. I wrote all good stories which can happen in real life and projecting my OLQs. 12th Story I had 2/3 my own life experiences in mind where I have shown the best of my OLQs. I wrote one story depicting how we worked for one documentary. 2nd part was WAT and I did 59/60 and wrote most high weight sentences and some factual or neutral sentences. One word I couldn’t write was “Mend”. I couldn’t remember the meaning and hence couldn’t apply there. We were given a small break. And the 3rd part was SRT. We were given a booklet of 60 situations and I did 32/60 which was the lowest among my friends at SSB perhaps! But I knew quantity doesn’t matter and quality does! SD was not actually a test I can say! It was description of self in 5 paragraphs and I stayed honest and wrote what I got to know from my family, friends, teachers and my previous employer TCS people. Overall I can say my Psych assessment was okay and I was happy as I gave my best with limited time preparation.

NOTE: In Psych, Try to project your own OLQs. So before that know yourself and know your strengths and weaknesses. In SD stay honest and never ever contradict anything. If you are caught with a contradiction anywhere there is a very low chance that they take a liar into Armed forces. (My own opinion).

Around 20 people had their interviews on the Psych day and 6 of us were left to be interviewed on 3rd and 4th day of SSB.

25th October, 2017:

It was 1st day of GTO and I was praying God that I should get some topics in GD and Lecturette which I know because my preparation for GTO was not good. 1st task of GTO Day 1 was Group Discussion and we discussed on “In which field Human has advanced the most? Nuclear energy/Solar energy/Communication” and “In India everywhere you will find garbage. Who is responsible for it? Indian Mentality/Administration/Education system.” Discussion was good because in our group all of us were screened in for the first time. But in GPE it was a fish market and didn’t arrive at a common solution. But I took advantage of few microseconds and tried to take group into a feasible solution.

After that 3rd task was PGT. As I was the most lightweight in my group, so my teammates always used to send me forward and I was constantly giving workable ideas and was working with my teammates to cross the obstacles as soon as possible. In HGT also we completed the task in quickest possible time. The next task was Group Obstacle Race/Snake Race. Till then we built a good co-operation among ourselves and planned accordingly how to arrange during race. Our war cry was “Bharat Mata ki Jay”, I think I was shouting at the top of my voice in it. It was full of fun and unforgettable memories.
One is how I got trapped in Spider Web and how I sat on Chest No 17’s shoulders when I asked him to lift me up. These moments I am going to cherish for a lifetime.  And Yes, I forgot in GPE when GTO asked to give the group solution for GPE, Chest No 14 suggested Chest no 15 to give the solution and he gave the solution as “Sir 1st we will send three of our members to help the Pujari to collect woods for Havan! GTO was laughing inside!”

The last task of the day was Lecturette. I got 4 topics in my card and honestly I didn’t have any idea till 1-2 minutes of preparation on which topic I am going to talk. But I chose “Sting Operation.” And gave a confident talk for 2.5 minutes. 4 people had their interviews on that day and only two of us had interviews on 2nd day of GTO.

NOTE: For GD and Lecturette, Read a lot and acquire knowledge as much as possible. For Group tasks, never be a passive member. Work as a team. Same case happens for Snake race. Help people and moreover enjoy the tasks.

26th October, 2017:

In morning, we had a good warm-up for 2nd day of GTO. 1st task was Individual Obstacles. The evening before GTO day 2, I was little confused about whether I can do Tiger leap or not. But I am really thankful to the Navy service candidates there who had a good time with us in those evenings and gave us a lot of information as well motivation. In IO, I started with Screen Jump, but accidentally I didn’t jump and it was a filmy style accident over sand there. Though I did only 6/10 obstacles, I enjoyed them. Till now I remember how Chest no 18 was teasing me after IO. “You don’t drink, you don’t smoke Still you did only 6? How?!” Because all of my groupmates did 10 or 10+ obstacles and for a moment I was thinking maybe I am not going to get recommended because of this. I just wanted to perform well in rest tasks and in my interview.

Next task was Command Task. During interaction GTO asked me “Why you left your job at TCS”, “why don’t you want to be a professor like your parents?” I answered both question calmly “Sir, I don’t like to do an easy job from 9 to 5” I called Chest No 9 and 16. Our GTO was like he was not allowing us to complete it. He stopped me also and asked the solution and I made him understand. I think one small mistake I made there in CT is I stopped commanding in the mid and took little more time to take a decision. The last task of GTO was FGT. It looked very easy for me and I gave the solution and while everyone of us was crossing the obstacles and then GTO stopped us and asked “do you all think you can cross this way?” We agreed and then I even don’t know why our GTO made us stand in a semi-circle and gave a small speech stating our performance was not impressive and in the mid of his speech he also stated that “..In this age group of 20-24 you are doing 5-6 obstacles and you think you can clear SSB. Even if you clear and reach academy you will not be useful to society or nation.” I knew well he was pointing me in this as he saw how I didn’t jump in screen jump and fell. After his 40 minutes of speech is over, the CHM told me to go to interview in the same GTO dress. (For this reason I didn’t do Double ditch in IO because accidentally if I fall in water, Still I have to go to interview in same dress!

NOTE: In IO, It’s a test of stamina. True. But it’s also a test of speed of decision. So choose wisely which tasks you need to complete 1st. In CT, Choose your subordinates well. Know their potential and call accordingly. In FGT, Same thing as PGT and HGT.

Interview:
When I reached for interview, the attendant asked me if I can change and come in 15 minutes. I came back and I had been sent for interview. It was the board president of 17 SSB and He was also Commandant of Selection Centre South. When I entered the room, He greeted me and asked me about my 2nd day GTO experience. He also asked me about my hometown Balasore and asked why it’s famous. When I replied “Famous as Missile city of India”, then he started asking questions about missiles. He asked most questions from my PIQ form. Perhaps he asked 20-25 minutes about Photography. Then he told “it’s something very different from everyone else’s PIQ. What is this E-Sports?” Then, he asked questions like okay which games you do play? What is the scope? What are your achievements? He asked me one question which was asked me in conference too, “How playing Counter-Strike helped you in SSB and how it will help you being in Armed forces?” About E Sports, he asked several questions for again 20-25 minutes. Then He started asking questions about painting, football and family. He also asked questions like what you know about Indian Army, Which regiment you want to join, Being an engineer can you join PARA SF, If Yes; how, ideally which regiment you should join, What you know about Corps of Engineers, What is the role of Corps of Signals, What is EMF and how it’s used in battlefield. Apart from this he asked me about national issues and to which national issue I will give more weightage. He also asked me about international issues that I know. 3 questions were there which I couldn’t answer during my interview viz. Qatar issue, Turkey issue and Manipur issue. The interview lasted for more than 1 hour 30 minutes and at the end the interviewer asked me about two of my strengths and two things I want to improve and also wished me good luck for the conference.

NOTE: As I have learned in the SSB coaching is “Sach Sach Bol” So Stay honest and don’t lie unnecessarily. You may invite trouble for yourself. Even if you lie, stay clever. And know what you have written in PIQ. The interviewer may put you in stress. Stay confident, cool, calm and composed and keep smiling because they need such a guy who when action is required can show true leadership and can excel in the job assigned.

27th October, 2017:
Conference day! In the morning everyone got ready for the final showdown. Every one of us posed for a group photograph and it was such a memory for a lifetime. Until we were not called we were just interacting about how was the experience and some of us were going thru the answers which they couldn’t tell in interview. The situation there was partly optimistic partly tensed. In the morning I went to the Sarv Dharm Sthal (Mandir) there inside SSB premises and just prayed God that I and you both of us know very well with this preparation whatever best possible could have been done I have given it.

Now if I clears it well, if I does not it’s okay. Just give me strength to prepare better for next time. I want to mention here one more thing happened that day morning which I will remember always. In my room of 7 people, 3 of us were in same group and knew each other very well.(Me along with Apporva and Gunjan) Rest people were repeaters from Group 3. One guy among them was Mandeep who got recommended with me later came to me that morning and told “Though we have not interacted much but you are a true and honest guy. I like your attitude buddy. All the best.” I wished him the same. And then CHM Sir came and made us understood how to behave inside conference room. After that Deputy President Robertson came and gave a short briefing and wished all of us good luck for the conference.

Conference started and when I was in the last chair waiting to go inside the conference hall, I had to wait for around 15-20 minutes and then I was called. I went inside and greeted the president with a Good Morning and stood at ease position. He asked me to sit and asked me “Saswat, You have told me in interview that Counter-Strike has helped you in SSB, make them understand how it has helped you and how it will help you being in armed forces?” It was a Friday and they were in camouflage uniform except 2-3 ladies. (Perhaps they were from DIPR). I stayed confident and answered the same by adding one two additional points with proper eye contacts with the officers there. Then the president asked me “Now you have to give two suggestions.” I was not prepared for this and I told “Sir if the washroom backside will be more clean It will be better. And if the candidates mess timing can be extended upto 9.30 PM It will be better.” He asked why 9.30? To which I replied “Sir, Actually I missed dinner yesterday as I was reading in Library till 8.15 after that I was reading in café.” He told you are here to give your SSB. Library is just a recreation facility. You are not here to study and become a scientist.” I smiled and told yes Sir. He asked some usual questions and then wished me all the best for results.

At about 11.45 AM we were called for Results declaration and everyone was so nervous. Everyone was expecting Mandeep to get recommended as his conference went for 20-25 minutes. My friends were saying I am going to be recommended as my Psych and Interview went well. I was like I never expected I would come this far. It’s okay whatever happens happens. ☺ Col Roberson came and told you people are better than the previous batch as previous batch was washed out. But from your batch at least one guy is recommended. So gentlemen are you ready for the results?

And he is Chest no 11!
For a moment, I was like what’s this happening. Perhaps this is a dream. Because I dream a lot. And this is such a big old dream. For 10 seconds or so, I was not standing up until when Chest No 10 turned back to call me. I stood up, went forward and called my name loud “SASWAT DALAI” Sir. I was continuously tapping my feet slowly on ground to feel if it’s really happening or is it a dream?! I was so happy and those moments can never be expressed here with mere words. Then Col Robertson shook hands with me and also the CHM Sir. I stood aside and then Col Robertson told “Okay wait. There is another guy who also got recommended. He is Chest No 25!”

Mandeep Rana! Expected! He was so happy as it’s his 11th attempt and He came from all the way from Sweden to give his SSB.

Later we became good friends and gave our medicals. He was declared fit where as I got a TR for being 2kg underweight and later cleared it at Command Hospital, Kolkata. Now waiting for the merit list and Preparing for next CDS for Indian Navy and TGC 127 for Army.

SSB is 3-dimensional process and unconventional way of testing procedure. But if you will understand the dynamics of what they want, you will be recommended easily! See, at the end of the day it’s all 99% hardwork that you put and 1% luck that the almighty hold in his hands. So do your karma and do not worry about the things which is not in your control. I don’t know how my story will help you. But always remember nobody but you and only you are responsible for your victory and as well your loss. So work hard. It’s such a goal worth fighting and suffering for. Stay honest to yourself and to your goals and Work for it even on your worst day. The results will speak for you. Remember, What you think (Psych-Manasa) must correlate with What you tell (Interview-Vacha) and that must correlate with what you do (GTO-Karmana). Always think if it’s easy, It won’t be amazing. If it’s amazing, It won’t be easy. Even I have fought a lot of battles to reach here and still fighting for my dreams. Because leaving a good project in TCS(Cyber Security ) and a job offer as ETO in Merchant Navy in Great Eastern Shipping with a salary of 1.25L per month and that too hailing from a civilian background it was not easy. But it was never impossible and I achieved it. Because Respect matters for me. And after all it’s not a job it’s a way of life. I have made some really good friends during my stay at B’lore SSB and I wish all of them to get recommended as soon as possible and we will serve the nation together.

So, if anyone of you need any help regarding SSB, You are free to ask me anything. It will be a pleasure to help you because ultimately our nation is getting more officers. So try to learn from small things in life. It helps! Cheers!

Jay Hind. Jay Bharat.

The post Recommended By SSB in 4th Attempt- Worth fighting to wear Stars on Shoulders appeared first on DefenceLover.

Risking the life for the country, for the fellow citizens, for own colleagues is only made possible by the soldiers who are 24×7 ready to sacrifice their lives to safeguard the country and its citizen from the external threats. It takes a lot of courage to look into the eyes of death and defeat it with the ever standing courage. And what we do, we just sit and applaud their efforts made by the real heroes of the country. They remain our hero even after they attend martyrdom.

Today, let’s applaud the courage of one of the soldiers of the Indian Army Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami. The soldier who sacrificed his life while battling militant.

Goswami was born in the beautiful valley of Lalkuan in the district of Nainital, Uttarakhand. He joined the Special Forces elite Para Commando Unit, the 9th Battalion of Parachute Regiment in 2002. He had the family background of Indian Army as his father was the one who served in Indian Army.

Lance Naik Mohan Goswami with his strong presence gained the reputation of being one of the toughest soldiers in the elite. He was also a part of many successful counter-terrorist campaigns in Jammu and Kashmir and for all operational missions undertaken by his team.

Within 11 days, Lance Goswami was actively involved in the three counter anti-terrorist campaign initiated in Kashmir in September 2015. The first operation was organized in Khurmur, Handwara, in Jammu and Kashmir, where a long gun battle took place between the terrorists and the commandos. After that, three Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were killed. After this, he volunteered himself for the second back-to-back operation in Rafiabad in Kashmir.

It was on the night of August 23, when the technical Intelligence team came to know that a group of militants entering the Qafirkhan heights and moving towards Uri and Rafiabad areas. At the height of the Rafiabad area, the special forces found in a natural cave hidden terrorists. In a fierce firing, then three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed and Sajad Ahmad alias Abu Ubaid Ullah was captured by the soldiers.

Then Lance Goswami volunteered for his third back to a back operation launched in the dense forest of Hafruda in Kashmir. The force came to know that a group of militants had been hidden in the village. Lance Goswami was a part of an ambush in Haphruda forest at Kupwara district. There started the gunfight between the four Commandos including Lance Goswami and terrorists. Lance Naik Mohan came to rescue his injured colleagues.

With the help of his colleague, Lance and shot dead one terrorist. When he felt a threat to his team, he took over the charge. He took the attack of the enemy by fire in an attempt to save his wounded soldiers. He was then shot in the thigh, keeping in mind, not about himself, he killed another militant and injured another. He was then shot in the stomach fearing about his own wounds, Lance Naik Mohan threw himself on the last terrorist and killed him.

In the 11 days, Lance Naik Mohan save the lives of three of his colleagues, killed four terrorists, neutralize 11 militants, and capture one alive. Lance Naik Mohan Goswami made supreme sacrifice in the highest tradition of the Indian Army.

On the Republic Day 2016, he was honored with India’s highest peacetime gallantry award Ashok Chakra by the then President of India Pranab Mukherjee. His wife received Rashtriya Rifles posthumously to Lance Naik Mohan.

Lance Naik Mohan is survived by his wife, daughter, and mother Smt. Radha Devi. The soldier will be known for his courage and valor. His legacy will live on forever. The way he showed the patriotism for his country and savior for his colleagues can never be forgotten. He defended and saved the country until his last breath. He became a true inspiration and a motivation to everyone.

A big salute to the Lance Naik Mohan Goswami by the team of DefenceLover.

The post This Indian Army Jawan Killed 11 Terrorists In Just 10 Days appeared first on DefenceLover.

A Baloch activist today appealed to India for help in getting independence for Balochistan, the way, he said, it did for Bangladesh.

Abdul Qadeer Baloch, the vice-chairman of “International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons”, said China will not be allowed to “lay a single brick” in the Pakistan’s restive province. China is building the Gwadar port, which falls in the province.

“We request the Indian government to extend its sympathies with Balochistan and help us the way it did for Bangladesh,” he said, at an event organised by the Delhi Study Group.

Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by area, and is rich in resources. It has been witnessing insurgency since its accession to the country.

Source- Economic Times

The post India should liberate Balochistan like it did for Bangladesh: Baloch activist appeared first on DefenceLover.

For the love of the country, they gave their everything with a smile. Col MN Rai as we all know the name,  was martyred in a gun battle on 27th January, 2015 with militants in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. He left his three kids behind, Richa, Alka and Aditya. We all remember the brave Richa saluting his courageous father to pay her last respect to his mortal remains on that fateful day.

On the 3rd martyrdom day of Col M N Rai, his daughter Richa wrote this for DESH. Keeping in mind her tender age and emotions on this day, we are not editing or correcting the grammar of this write up. This portrays her innocent mind and heart. We love you Alka, Richa, Aditya and we promise to be with you in your ups and downs. We are so proud of you three and your father Col M N Rai. Desh is ever grateful to him and you for the sacrifice.

“So let’s start with my childhood days which were the best memories of my life with my dad. When he used to teach us swimming in funny ways. I miss all the Sundays with my dad when he used to make Maggi, toast, some bread pieces with soft drinks. He had never refused to our small wishes. If we would hide our wishes from him, he would make out from our faces and make the wishes come true without telling us that he has done that.

I have been always noticing that he has never asked us anything or tell or whenever we met him, he would only ask that what did we wanted. Once on a Friday afternoon when me and my sister came from school, we had lunch and we went for rest.

After some time a call came to mom that Papa was in hospital cause he got a bullet in his head. My mother got scared. She sat near the mandir of the house and started to pray. Her crying caught my elder sister Alka. She went to her to keep her calm.

I was in my bedroom playing with my doll house and then suddenly my Mama came inside the room and started to cry. And then one by one everyone came inside. I was a little puzzled. I started asking everyone about the matter but no one answered me anything. Then suddenly my cousin brother came and took me in his laptop and took me to the neighbour’s house and I never knew why. The next day I went back home and in the drawing room I saw my dad’s dead body in the front. I got really shocked.

After some months I went to a new school at DPS after shifting in Pratap Chawk at Delhi. Over there I started studying hard to bring good numbers and make friends.”

Kind courtesy of Group Desh on Facebook. Every patriot should join the group.

We salute the immense sacrifice of the family and Colonel M N Rai for the country. Jai Hind.

The post 11-year-old Daughter of Martyr Col MN Rai Writes Letter Remembering Her Hero Father appeared first on DefenceLover.

Against two Indian Army Soldiers, FIRs have been lodged for opening fire. In response to the complaint registered, the Indian Army argued that the duo opened fire in the desperate situation.

On Saturday, the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir showed cracks after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti succumbed to her coalition partner and vowed to investigate the logical conclusion in the case of the killing of two youths in the firing of the army.

In the gunfire by Army soldiers, two youths named Javiad Ahmad Bhat and Suhail Javaid Lone were dead. And in the stone-pelting, seven Army men were injured which includes junior commissioned officer.

As per the NDTV reports, a source told that “A brick or heavy stone was hit at one of the JCO. He sustained head injuries and fell unconscious. The crowd came within 7 meters of the soldiers. They tried to snatch the unconscious JCO. Some of them may have said, burn the soldier. The soldiers are trained to shoot to kill.”

Also as per the claims of Army, the FIR mentioned the Army major for killing two civilians in the firing incident happened in J&K wasn’t even actually present at the spot of the incident. The Army has started the investigation. Says the source, “The Major was not present at the site of the incident. He was around 200 meters away from it… He was in the vicinity of the spot.”

The police have lodged FIR on Sunday under IPC section 302 i.e., murder and 307 i.e., attempt to murder against the Army men of Garhwal unit 10. Another Army personnel mentioned in FIR is the Major who led him to the spot.

Yesterday, J&K police chief S P Vaid said, the registered FIR is the beginning of the investigation and the version of Army will be taken into the account in the investigation.

While, on Sunday, a defence spokesman said, the fire was opened on a mob who tried to lynch a junior commissioned officer and tried snatching his service weapon, “An Army administration convoy was passing through Ganovpora when it came under the unprovoked and intense stone- pelting by a group of 100-120 stone-pelters. Within no time, their number swelled to 200-250 persons.” He added, “The crowd surrounded an isolated portion of the convoy consisting of four vehicles.”

On Sunday, BJP MLA Ravinder Raina who is from Nowshera came forward in support of the Army’s action and stated troops opened fire in self-defence when a mob was stone-pelting and injured Army men, “Whatever the Army had done is in the ambit of law and in self-defence.”

However, the Chief Minister of J&K said, “Immediately after the incident took place, an FIR was lodged against the guilty and Shopian’s Deputy Commissioner was ordered to conduct a magisterial probe and submit a report within 15 days.”

The chief minister also called on Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who, according to her, shared her pain and assured of proper steps. She stated, “The Army as an institution has done a great job but the grace of an institution only enhances once the black sheep within are identified and weeded out.”

The chief minister Mehbooba also said, “Incidents like Shopian remind us that we cannot afford confrontation at any level and there is an urgent need to engage in meaningful dialogue at all levels. There is no alternative to dialogue within the state and between India and Pakistan because it is the people of Jammu and Kashmir who are facing the brunt of this acrimony and paying in terms of human and material losses.”

The post Stonepelters Wanted To Burn Injured Army Officer, He Fired In Self-defence appeared first on DefenceLover.

Sometimes we might have this question, but let’s see what is the real reason behind this.

There are many theories regarding why there is a culture of boozing in the Indian Army. The most popular one is that it is a legacy of the British who introduced this vice as a means to ‘control’ the Indian soldiers and to motivate them to fight for the crown in the great wars especially in far off lands from Africa to the thickest jungles of Burma.

This theory is obviously Bull Shit. As the British Indian Army comprised of diverse regiments most of whose histories predate the arrival of the British and such culture existed in many such outfits much before the British ‘formalised’ the system of ‘rum issue’. In fact, if anything they can be credited with establishing a formal system of ‘disciplined’ drinking wherein only a controlled quantity (usually 1 to 2 pegs), would be issued strictly under the watchful eyes of an officer who made sure no one was consuming excess of what is ‘authorised’ and the same would be recorded in a ‘rum issue register’, a system which continues to this day in the Indian Army!

So, why exactly is this done?? The answer lies in the fact that soldiers too need relaxation/ entertainment in their lives, don’t they? But the dictates of military discipline require that this too is ‘controlled’ so as not to create any untoward incident. And surely no one wants a drunk soldier handling a weapon with live ammunition!

So, Here’s how it’s done:—

Liquor (usually Rum) is issued on specified days (2 to 3 days in a week) to jawans.

A ‘Rum issue Register’ is maintained which has a list of ‘drinkers and ‘non-drinkers’ pasted on the front page.

Strict limits are laid down (usually not more than one to two pegs/ one beer per individual).

Liquor is issued in a central place under the supervision of an officer or a JCO.

The officer/ JCO (usually the duty officer of the day), ensures that liquor is issued only to those individuals who are on the ‘drinkers’ list and not are NOT planned for any military duty like sentry duty/ driving.

Jawans receive a meagre amount (I think it is Rs 60 nowadays) per month as ‘rum allowance’ to pay for this liquor.

Although limits are not laid down for officers and JCOs, who have their own Officers/ JCOs Mess which has a bar, but even their consumption is kept under check by the commanding officer, who usually checks the registers maintained for this purpose once in a while.

Nobody is allowed to get drunk. In fact, ‘intoxication’ is a serious offence under the Army Act punishable with imprisonment and even Court Martial in extreme cases.

It is prohibited to consume alcohol from any other source and any violation is dealt with strictly and swiftly.

Any individual developing an addiction to alcohol is medically downgraded and provided treatment and if that fails, he is medically boarded out/ invalidated out of the Army.

Absolutely NO alcohol is served in operational areas like on LOC in Kashmir, and other border areas or other active areas. Anybody violating this rule is usually Court Martialled.

Contrary to popular belief, absolutely NOBODY is forced to drink in the Army!
However, There are some occasions on which it is customary to share a drink like during regimental celebrations. But the limits are strictly enforced.

There is also a tradition to welcome an officer or JCO to their respective mess by offering a drink during the ‘dining in’. However, if someone is a teetotaller, he is offered a soft drink/ juice.

There is also a tradition of dipping the ranks of an officer or JCO when he/she is promoted to the next rank (known as pipping). The officer or JCO is then expected to finish that one glass of liquor. But even in this case it can be a glass of coca cola, in case the officer/JCO is a non-drinker.

All officers, JCOs and jawans are authorised to buy some bottles of subsidised liquor from the Unit CSD canteen (popularly known as ‘quota’) ONLY while proceeding on leave (other than those living with their families where they are posted). So while serving in unit, the above mentioned procedure of liquor consumption is strictly implemented.

So, contrary to popular belief, There is, in fact NO tradition of excessive drinking in Indian Army. The drinking is strictly controlled and adequate safeguards exercised to maintain the discipline as well as health of all individuals.

(PS: There are always aberrations that will inevitably be there in such a huge organisation and these are dealt with accordingly but by NO means such exceptions are common or tolerated.)

This answer is written by Jay Maan on Quora.

Another writer, Akash Bhat feels that there are broadly three reasons for liquor consumption in the forces :

– Survival
– Force of habit
– Tradition

Of course, it’s more than understandable if one leads to the other but , every case of liquor consumption can be summed up in here.

Tradition:

Upholding traditions has always been an integral part of the armed forces and it ranges from the uniforms, to the regimental songs etc. One such tradition is how they welcome the newly commissioned officer.

I remember being told about one such tradition where in a YO in 3 JAKLI has to consume 3 glasses (large ones) of rum, vodka and every spirit available. No points for guessing that they used to pass out for days on end after this but, it still remains a tradition.

Force of Habit:

Given the social setup of the armed forces since their inception , having a drink with fellow officers and seniors is a day to day activity. This in turn leads to formation of a habit (mostly) irrespective of the nature of posting one is in.

I remember having read an answer by Col.Nehru on quora citing the age long tradition of the Sikh units to drink until midnight and then have dinner which leads to unfit soldiers and officers.

Now, I don’t know if I’m the only one seeing this but , this is more than enough to cause a habit to embed itself.

Survival:

Now I think enough been said already about how it is important for our soldiers to survive in harsh climate and I don’t see the point of repeating it other than agree to it completely.

It’s a tough job and it takes a mental , physical and emotional toll on a person. If alcohol helps them manage it better than before then I’m all for it.

But, I’d like to point it out that there are countless servicemen who do not drink while going through the same toil and turmoils of the military life .

It’s an individual’s decision but, as far as army goes I don’t see the point of banning alcohol although some prudent regulations would be much appreciated.

The post Why isn’t liquor banned in the Indian Army when it is not good for health? appeared first on DefenceLover.

Madam,

I am a fourth-generation member of an armed forces family, married into another 4th generation armed forces family, therefore, even before I begin my letter I would like to bring to your notice that nothing I say today comes without deep thought and a feeling of seethed agony to see how our brave men and women in the uniform are being treated by the civil dispensation in your state.

My letter to you today is written in my capacity as an Army wife and not so much as just another pained citizen of India. I would like to know that despite the countless times the country has demanded evidence from men from our fraternity regarding their effectiveness and humanity, what has been your contribution as a politician and the incumbent Chief Minister in ensuring that troops are looked after in a way that they feel motivated to serve you and “brethren” in the valley despite living a life marred with constant humiliation, stress and a an “awaam” that is not only thankless but also hostile.

What steps have you taken to reign in or at least counsel the gentry who leave no stone unturned while comparing a martyr like Lt. Umar Fayyaz with a murderous terrorist like Burhan Wani? Is that not the greatest disrespect to the memory of someone who made the ultimate sacrifice for the Motherland?

I would also like to ask you and by extension the Government of J&K exactly how many FIRs the State Police filed when Operation Clean Up was launched in the early months of 2017 to bring back peace in an otherwise upturned valley?

Was it convenient then to let the armed forces do their job because your fragile political career depended on it? Or is it easier now to prosecute an entire regiment because you need to win the “hearts and mind” of the stone pelting minority?

I am seeking these answers today on behalf of all those women who are sitting far away from the tumultuous events of the valley wondering if today their loved ones are safe from both grenades and stones? And while they are ceaselessly watching your back, I need to know if you are watching theirs? Because, clearly, the events since January 27th are not hinting at a State Government willing to grant our men and women in uniform the support needed to serve their country and the people of J&K with the dignity expected of the Indian Armed Forces. A few months back it was Major Gogoi, today it is Major Aditya, tomorrow it could very well be any of our husbands or brothers, what do we do then?

Did it ever strike you as ironical Madam, that the case against Major Gogoi which was so enthusiastically supported by the more liberal factions of our great country, took place during when he was on election duty defending the Kashmiri people’s right to vote, and used his Army Jeep and thinking on his feet found the best possible solution to send a message to instigators of violence that they would not get in the way of the conduct of free and fair elections on his watch.

Sure his method was unconventional, but he was pushed into a corner and he worked with what he had and tied the offender to his Jeep to iterate his point, but why did everyone stop at that? Why did no one notice that the Major also ensured that no violence broke out and voting remains unaffected till the very last vote was cast? Major Aditya before being termed a “murderer” in the FIR, is a decorated officer who has proved his mettle during his tenure in the RR with four kills of Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorists to his name.

Your State Journalists and Politicians are quick to call uniformed men rapists and murderers, but then how do you explain the need to turn to these very “murderers” when the water rises in the Jhelum and there is panic across the valley. Will you please explain to me that what exactly are our “irrational” men doing in Siachen where even nature has given up?

Will you please also care to elaborate the need for the State Government of Jammu & Kashmir to turn to the “marauding” Indian Army to set up Goodwill schools in the valley or run Skill Training sessions for the “Kashmiri Awaam”, because from where I am standing, I see a young world kick boxing champion Tajamul Islam, the student of a local Army Goodwill School, being motivated by our jawans to kick hard and fight like a champion and conquer the world. Is it just us or do you too feel the pride when 9 students coached by the Super 40 Class organized by the Army crack their way into the prestigious IITs of the country?

Our men serve the nation without a flutter of self-conscious worry, I have yet to come across an officer or a jawan who would flinch at the news of being posted to the RR, for them that is the utmost honor to serve & protect the dignity of India from where it matters, the Frontlines. But what kind of an example are you setting by prosecuting an officer of the Indian Army who only chose to act in order to save the lives of his fellow soldiers. How come the police hasn’t registered an FIR against the stone pelting blood thirsty mob causing extensive damage to government property and personnel? Do you think you are any less accountable to the wife of the JCO who got hit on the head and was almost set on fire? Is a stone pelting, violence inciting youngster of more worth that the men who seek to protect and empower everyday life in the valley even if it comes at the peril of their own? I would want to know exactly what has been their contribution towards the constructive social upliftment that hasn’t already been undertaken by the Army? This is the same Indian Army, Madam, which pulled out a terrorist at the end of an encounter and took him to the hospital despite suffering fatalities of their own. Or have you chosen to forget that? Of course you have.

What is it about their selfless service and unparalleled commitment to the nation that scares you, your administration? Need I remind you, that it has been a result of the relentless presence and action of the Armed Forces that tourism has managed to make a comeback in the valley, where the bulk of your economy depends on tourists from across the country and beyond. Do you for a second feel that they would feel safer in the presence of your recently pardoned stone-pelters than they would knowing that there is an Army outpost nearby looking after their security.

It took the likes of Bollywood close to two decades and more, to feel “safe enough” to return to Gulmarg for work, making it possible for your state to reclaim its spot as a favoured tourist destination. Now I really hope Madam, that you alone are not taking the credit for the booming pony business in valley, after all, the visitors are relaxing only because there are those silent ADP marches, ROP routines taking places somewhere in the backdrop.

I can assure you, Madam Chief Minister, it takes a certain amount of courage to sit by the phone every day waiting for the call to come in assuring us that all is well where our men are posted, but it takes even more gumption for most women from our fraternity to live with the knowledge that someday that call may not come. So, I need to know from you just what are you prepared to say to all the women sitting away from their loved ones when things go south and it was your action that let those men down.

I would like to know from the administration of your state exactly how do you justify to the 70,000 plus men who made Operation Rahat a life saver for the citizens of the valley and beyond, that their hard work counts for nothing compared to your efforts to appease 2000 odd stone pelters, who I am sure will not think twice before lynching another policeman outside another mosque or try to set ablaze another olive green vehicle because in their eyes their government understands their murderous intent but does not acknowledge the dedication of the men sworn to guard you all with their lives.

These men too have a life beyond the borders, they too have families and aspirations of their own. And as someone who has grown up with olive green in their blood, I demand that you tell me how is my brother or a brother officer expected to fight with dignity for your safety when you will not even give him the scope to protect his own life and those of others who look up to him as their leader, and are willing to take the bullet should the need arise.

You may feel the need to write to the Central Home Ministry if a terrorist is getting ill-treated in Tihar Jail, but how many times have you tried to write a heartfelt letter to the father of Captain Saurav Kalia who was tortured and killed because he chose to remain loyal to the nation till his last breath.

Madam, you have a lot of soul searching to do and I hope the next time you feel safe enough to venture out on a political rally, you remember to thank the men who keep you safe even as you decide to walk all over them. It is indeed shameful that you are choosing to prosecute a brother officer for not giving in to a diabolical crowd. Its time you answer us as well for Maj Aditya has a whole family backing him up and we call this family the Indian Army and we need your answers too.

I hope better sense prevails soon.

Jai Hind
Malvika S. Lamba

The post Dear Mehbooba Mufti, Soldier’s Wife has a Message for You appeared first on DefenceLover.

Lot of things happen when the war is going on and some went unnoticed. Kargil war is full of such incidents. Today we share about a colonel in Pakistani army who was applauded by the Indian army and then he was awarded by the Pakistani army. However, it should be noticed here that Pakistan army denied completely that there was any role of them in the Kargil War. However, they announced the awards later and it is actually a shame that the country deny its soldiers.

Let’s continue with our story now. Karnal Sher Khan was a captain in the Pakistani Army. Karnal Sher Khan attained martyrdom during the Kargil war in the heights of Gultary region, Kargil. Captain Sher Khan was later awarded Nishan-e-Haider by the Pakistan Army.

But what if I tell you that he got this medal because of Indian Army? Pakistan denied the involved till 11 years of the Kargil War. When the war was going, when the Pakistani soldiers body was handed to Pakistan, they did not accept them. Later they accepted the bodies. Pakistan army’s Captain Karnal Sher Khan, has a same story but now he is remembered with great pride, courtesy The Indian Army. Pakistan officially announced in 2009 the involvement of Pakistani army in Kargil and all the soldiers were awarded.

The Indian army’s citation for Karnal Sher Khan was as follows-

He was very courageous. After a fierce battle, we had recovered the Tiger Hills on July 4 and for the next four days, were gradually advancing to recover other features — the Helmet, India Gate and Rhino Horn. Soon after the soldiers of 8 Sikh recovered the feature on July 7 around 8 am, Captain Karnal Sher with just a handful of Pakistani soldiers, launched a swift counter attack,” said an officer of the 8 Sikh, liberal in his appreciation. “It was suicidal for Sher to launch the attack in broad daylight because we could see his movements. Yet in the highest of military traditions, he launched the attack. It is a disgrace for any army to be evicted from a post and he wanted to save Pakistani army from that disgrace,” the officer said.

Such was the ferocity of his attack that 8 Sikhs had to be reinforced by a platoon of 18 Grenadier. The Pakistan counter attack was beaten back and 15 of their soldiers were killed. While other Pakistani soldiers tried to run away under the onslaught of Indian guns, Captain Sher rallied around his men, encouraging them to fight on. The Indian side too suffered casualties but the determined Sikhs beat back this assault too.

At least 10 more Pakistani soldiers were killed. Sher fought till the end till a hail of bullets snuffed life out of him. Even as he fell, his finger was curled around his gun. “We are a professional Army and respect another professional soldier, even if heis from the enemy side. And we would feel happy if a soldier like him gets recognition for his bravery.

According to a report in The Indian Express, The Indian army had written many times to the Pakistan army about the bravery of Sher Khan.

“Captain Sher won the respect of Indian officers defending the Tiger Hills feature and the adjoining hills, with his courage and brilliant attack. The officers of both ‘8 Sikh’ and ’18 Grenadier’ watched the brave Pakistani captain lead a counter-attack to recapture the feature of the western spur of Tiger Hills on July 7,” the report quoted.

Indian army truly professional and giving respect to the enemy soldier wrote a citation so that Pakistan can award their hero. Finally, Pakistani govt. agreed and awarded Nishan-e- Haider which is equivalent to India’s Param Veer Chakra after ten years.

Captain K Sher Khan’s brother Sikandar Sheikh was quoted saying-

“Allah ka shukar hai ki humara dushman bhi koi busdil dushman nahi hai. Agar log kahen ki India busdil hai to main kahunga nahi kyuki usne aelania keh diya ki karnel sher hero hai (No enemy is a coward. I won’t call India coward because it proclaimed Sher Khan as a hero).”

He also added when Karnal Sher Khan was awarded, “Ek game hai yeh. Cricket ek game hai, Chakka mara..mara. Ye ek game hai. Cup milna hai bahadur ko. Cup Kernel Sher ko mila.aur wo bhi dushman ke kehne par (War’s a cricket game, but the winner has got the cup awarded by the opponent).

Even after many years of requests, the Indian prisoner of wars still languish in Pakistani jails and they are not released. Their families keep on trying, the only effort we can do is, we all must remember them who gave their all because of us.

The post When Pakistani Army Awarded Their Colonel Due to Indian Army’s Appreciation appeared first on DefenceLover.