The Indian Panorama

Tag: Demchok

  • Varanasi college bans ‘outsiders’ after Hanuman Chalisa-namaz row

    Amid escalating tensions at the Uday Pratap College here over a mosque located on its premises, police on Thursday restricted outsiders’ entry to the campus, allowing only students with valid identity cards. The move follows unrest after students recited Hanuman Chalisa when namaz was being offered near the mosque. Seven men were briefly detained after the row on Tuesday, December 3, , according to the local police.
    Student leader Vivekanand Singh on Thursday, December 5, said, “Police personnel are stationed at the college gate, checking identity cards to ensure that no outsiders enter the campus. A group of students is also monitoring the gate.”
    He added that no one came to offer namaz on Thursday and that additional precautions will be taken on Friday during the “Jumma” prayers.
    In a related development, students of the college have formed a “student court” and sent an 11-point letter to the Uttar Pradesh Waqf Board, demanding a response within 15 days regarding the status of the mosque and its ownership.
    India, China hold 1st diplomatic dialogue since disengagement
    India and China on Thursday held the first meeting of a key mechanism for handling border affairs since the disengagement at Demchok and Depsang, and agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity on the disputed frontier in line with bilateral agreements and protocols.
    The meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs in New Delhi “reflected on the lessons learnt from the events of 2020 in order to prevent their recurrence”, the external affairs ministry said in a readout.
    Both sides “agreed on the need for effective border management and maintenance of peace and tranquillity in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached between the two governments”, the readout said.
    This was the 32nd meeting of the WMCC since its creation in 2012, but the first held since the two countries reached an understanding on October 21 that paved the way for disengagement of front line forces at Demchok and Depsang and resumption of patrolling at these two “friction points” on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
    The military standoff on the LAC since April-May 2020, and a brutal clash at Galwan Valley in June the same year that killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops, had taken bilateral ties to their lowest point since the 1962 border war. Source: HT

  • LAC situation stable but unpredictable: Army Chief

    Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Thursday said the security situation along the northern borders (with China) was stable but remained unpredictable. Addressing a press conference ahead of Army Day (Jan 15), the Army Chief said: “We have resolved five of the seven friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.” The pending friction points are at Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh, sources said. General Pande praised the troops on the ground for being able to maintain a “robust defensive posture” to prevent the adversary from changing the status quo along the LAC, the de facto boundary with China.

    On China’s aggression, the Army Chief said there was a slight increase in the number of troops of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) facing the Eastern Command. “Their (Chinese) troops which came for training have remained,” the General said, adding that “we have adequate deployment and we have the reserves to meet any challenge.” The Army has decided to go in for transformation in five key domains. These include force re-structuring and optimisation; modernisation and technology infusion; manpower management like Agnipath; jointness with other forces; and refining own systems and processes.

    General Pande said 2023 would be the year of transformation and the force had laid out a specific roadmap aiming for certain outcomes that could be achieved. “This process will continue beyond the current year.”

    On modernisation, General Pande said: “As of now, 45 per cent of our equipment is vintage, 41 per cent is of current technology and some 12 to 15 per cent is state-of-the-art. “By 2030, we aim to have 45 per cent equipment in the state-of-the-art category and 35 per cent of current technology.”