National
IANS Analysis: Four years after Galwan, China sticks to old habits
New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) June 15th marks the fourth anniversary of a significant event wherein India and China experienced military casualties along the contentious 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC), the first such incident since the 1962 India-China war.
Preceding the incident, tensions had been escalating for several weeks in the high-altitude, frigid Galwan valley in the Ladakh region.
China’s actions included the installation of tents and observation posts at patrolling point PP14, an area traditionally patrolled by the Indian Army.
With both sides deploying increasing numbers of troops, the border confrontations took an unprecedented turn when the Chinese attacked Indian soldiers using what the Ministry of Defence described in 2021 as ‘unorthodox weapons,’ including rocks and rods studded with nails or bound in barbed wire.
In response, Indian soldiers engaged in hand-to-hand combat, utilising sticks and clubs, adhering to the de facto border code of not using firearms.
Nonetheless, this deadly clash resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and the capture of 10 more by the Chinese, who were subsequently released following diplomatic and military negotiations.
Despite widespread reports of Chinese casualties and Beijing’s eventual acknowledgment, the initial disclosure did not include specific numbers.
It was not until February of the following year that the Chinese military news outlet, PLA Daily, admitted to the deaths of four Chinese soldiers.
Among them was one individual who purportedly drowned while crossing the Galwan River.
Even after significant efforts by the Chinese government to conceal the number of soldiers killed in its aggressive maneuvers, the disclosure emerged only after prolonged endeavors.
This was evidenced by reports indicating that the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs pressured the families of soldiers who died at Galwan to forego traditional burial rites and in-person funeral ceremonies.
Instead, they were urged to opt for cremation, ostensibly to obscure the precise death toll, citing Covid-19 concerns.
Moreover, the following month saw the arrest of Chinese blogger and former journalist Qiu Ziming, who had raised doubts about the officially reported casualty figures and implied that the actual number might be higher on Weibo. His arrest marked the inaugural case under a newly enforced law, effective March 1, which penalised actions deemed to “infringe on the reputation and honor of revolutionary heroes,” carrying a potential sentence of up to three years.
However, in February 2022, The Klaxon, an Australian newspaper, released the results of a year-long investigation conducted by a team of social media researchers.
Their findings exposed that the Chinese government had significantly underestimated the number of casualties at Galwan.
According to the investigation, up to 38 Chinese soldiers had perished while crossing the turbulent, sub-zero river in the darkness of the night.
The Chinese government’s attempts to distort the true extent of the fatal consequences resulting from its geopolitical and military actions have occurred previously. Renowned for its lack of transparency, the authoritarian regime in China has a history of concealing crucial information.
In the case of the 1962 India-China war, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) took more than three decades to disclose its casualty figures, providing a notably distorted number in 1994.
The PLA reported 722 soldiers killed and 1,697 wounded. Former Army Chief General VK Singh referenced this delay while accusing China of concealing its casualties during the Galwan clash.
This pattern extends to the Chinese invasion of Vietnam in 1979, which was prompted, in part, by Vietnam’s incursion into Cambodia the previous year.
Although the main armed conflict lasted only a month, hostilities continued into the 1980s.
Remarkably, the Chinese Foreign Ministry website omits any mention of this war, instead vaguely stating that relations between the two countries deteriorated during the 1980s and 90s without specifying the reasons. Vietnam claims that 42,000 Chinese soldiers died in the conflict, while some foreign scholars estimate the Chinese casualty figures at 25,000 dead and 37,000 injured. Similarly, the Chinese involvement in the Korean War aligns with this pattern of obfuscation.
It is important to emphasise that the Chinese regime’s structure entails that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) does not act autonomously but rather requires political authorisation from higher authorities.
This observation is supported by numerous instances. For instance, in July 2016, Chinese UN peacekeepers stationed in South Sudan purportedly deserted their positions during clashes between factions loyal to the President and rebel forces.
This abandonment resulted in the displacement of thousands of civilians and instances of sexual abuse.
Coming back to Galwan, the Chinese aggression on the night of June 15 was a plainly premeditated attack, as opposed to a flare-up in the heat of the moment.
This is evinced by the high level of preparedness that the Chinese side displayed.
For weeks before the incident, they had been ramping up infrastructure around the area, leading to objections by the Indian side, eventually ensuing in a consensus agreed on June 6.
However, they violated it by continuing their activities, provoking an Indian delegation led by Colonel Santosh Babu of the 16 Bihar Regiment to demand that they retreat.
This is when they launched their attack, equipped with spiked clubs and other such weapons, shielded with protective gear anticipating retaliation, while a number of Chinese soldiers positioned themselves at a higher ground to strike their Indian counterparts on a relatively lower ground with stones.
Subsequent to this incident, eighteen rounds of Corps Commanders’ meetings were convened, leading to a partial withdrawal of forces and the establishment of military buffer zones.
In February 2021, both parties announced their intent for coordinated disengagement and de-escalation.
However, despite these endeavors, China persists in its refusal to withdraw from the Depsang Plains and Demchok areas, previously within the patrolling domain of the Indian Army, aiming to normalise this as a new status quo.
While the gravity of the Galwan incident may render it conspicuous, an examination of Chinese activities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) reveals it to be consistent with Chinese government policy.
This event was not the inaugural instance of Chinese incitement of unprovoked escalations aimed at altering the de facto status quo at the border, nor was it the concluding one.
As recently as December 2022, hundreds of soldiers from both sides clashed along the LAC and sustained injuries when Chinese forces crossed the border in the Tawang sector with the intention of unilaterally changing the status quo.
Since Independence, the Indian government has consistently pursued efforts to foster harmony with China. This commitment is epitomised by landmark agreements such as the Rajiv Gandhi-Deng Xiaoping modus vivendi, the peace and tranquility accords of 1993, confidence-building measures of 1996, and the Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question in 2005.
Following the assumption of office by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, there were 18 meetings between him and Chinese President Xi Jinping, with five of these comprising visits to China, marking the highest number by an Indian Prime Minister to date.
Despite India’s diplomatic overtures, Chinese aggression and assertiveness along the border have persisted, as evidenced by military and infrastructure advancements at strategic locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Notably, in 2021, the Chinese legislature passed a land borders law mandating coordination between defence and socio-economic development along the border, whose implementation is often observable through satellite imagery along the LAC.
Within this framework, China’s utilisation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor can be interpreted as a blatant manifestation of its strategic objectives.
Regrettably, the toll of the Chinese regime’s persistent revisionist action along the border is endured by soldiers from both nations.
One possible explanation for this could be India’s recent adoption of a more assertive foreign policy stance, exemplified by its multi-alignment strategy, Neighborhood First policy, proactive maritime engagement in the Indian Ocean, and strengthening ties with the United States. These initiatives may have been perceived by China as concerted efforts to contain its rising aspirations. Consequently, the border activities could be viewed as part of China’s strategy to counteract the perceived threat from India.
Regardless of the underlying motivations, it is imperative for both Asian powers to explore avenues for collective growth and cooperation, particularly along the border, to alleviate the burden placed on Chinese and Indian soldiers in what seems to be a zero-sum game.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give certificates to 11 lakh new ‘Lakhpati Didis’ at a special function to be held at Jalgaon in Maharashtra on August 25 (Sunday).
The programme will have nationwide participation through the virtual mode.
The Prime Minister will release a revolving Community Investment Fund of Rs 2,500 crore, which will benefit about 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh women Self Help Groups (SHGs), Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
PM Modi will also release a bank loan of Rs 5,000 crore, which will benefit 25.8 lakh members of 2,35,400 Self Help Groups (SHGs).
Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that people from about 30,000 places across 34 states and union territories including state capitals and district headquarters will join this program through the virtual route.
He said that Lakhpati Didis are women who earn Rs 1 lakh or more per annum. These Lakhpati Didis have not only pulled their families out of poverty but are also becoming role models for the rest of society, the Union Minister said.
“The Rural Development Ministry has already created 1 crore Lakhpati Didis. Now our target is to create 3 crore Lakhpati Didis in the next 3 years. It is heartening to note that one of these community resource persons has created 95 Lakhpati Didis,” Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
He further explained that the Ministry has adopted a structured process to enable the SHG families to earn an annual income of Rs 1 lakh or more.
This includes capacitating National Resource Persons and developing Master Trainers in each state.
These Master Trainers further train the Community Resource Persons on business planning, financing and convergence process.
The cadre of 3 lakh Community Resource Persons, who have been specially trained in business planning and the skilling of SHG members, are doing a great service in this regard, the minister added.
Some of these community resource persons will also be facilitated.
As of now, the Ministry of Rural Development has formed 15 lakh Lakhpati Didis during the first 100 days which has succeeded the 11 lakh target for the period, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
–IANS
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Agartala, Aug 22 (IANS) The flood situation in Tripura, which has been lashed by heavy rains for the last four days, remained grim on Thursday and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) retained its ‘Red alert’ for all eight districts, officials said.
They added that more National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed as the rains and floods continue to play havoc.
Till Thursday, 12 deaths, including that of a 12-year-old girl and a woman were reported from South Tripura, Gomati, and Khowai districts and two persons were also said to be missing.
A Disaster Management Department official said that two more fresh casualties due to the floods were reported from south Tripura and Gomati districts, while around 65,500 people are taking shelter in 450 relief camps in all eight districts.
He said that 17 lakh people were affected in the entire state, which witnessed the monsoon flood in such a catastrophic manner for the first time in several decades.
Chief Minister Manik Saha, who is supervising the disaster management work, spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the second day on Thursday and apprised him of the prevailing scenario.
Home Minister Shah said in a post on X, “Spoke with CM Tripura, Dr Manik Saha, and took stock of the flood situation in the state. The Centre is rushing teams of NDRF, apart from boats and helicopters, to the state to assist the local government in relief and rescue operations. Assured of all possible assistance from the Centre as and when required. The Modi government firmly stands with our sisters and brothers in Tripura during this hour of crisis.”
Later, the Chief Minister while expressing gratitude to the Home Minister said that HM Shah informed him that 11 NDRF teams would be sent to Tripura from different locations in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
He said arrangements would also be made for choppers to airlift stranded people in the flood-affected areas.
“More number of boats would also be sent along with the NDRF teams. The entire state government machinery has been working round the clock to tackle the unprecedented natural calamity. I thank public representatives, social workers and the people at large for cooperating with the state government in this hour of crisis,” CM Saha said.
The central government has provided two helicopters for airlifting stranded people in Gomati and South Tripura districts.
Following the directions of the state government, due to the heavy rain and flooding, all educational institutions remained closed.
An India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said that though a ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall alert has been continued and a ‘Red alert’ has been sounded in all eight districts, the rain is likely to reduce slightly from Thursday evening.
“The low pressure area over north Bangladesh and neighbourhood persisted over the same region on Thursday. The associated cyclonic circulation now extends up to 9.4 km above mean sea level. It is likely to move nearly westwards across West Bengal during the next 48 hours. Additionally, a cyclonic circulation is likely to form over North Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood on August 24,” the official said.
The IMD recorded 233 mm rainfall in Agartala from 8.30 A.M. on August 21 to till 8.30 A.M. on Thursday.
According to Disaster Management Department officials over 1,055 houses were damaged either fully or partially and hundreds of trees were uprooted blocking many important highways.
Landslides occurred in 2,032 places across the state, out of which 1,789 locations were cleared by Thursday evening.
As per preliminary estimates, around 5,000 hectares of vegetable farms and 1.20 lakh hectares of other crop lands are still submerged.
Water Resource Department officials said that most of the prominent rivers in Tripura were either flowing above ‘critical’ or ‘danger’ levels while the state’s main river Gomati has crossed the ‘extreme danger’ level in many places of Gomati and Sepahijala districts, as rainfall has continued.
The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has cancelled 10 local trains in Tripura.
An NFR spokesman said that due to heavy rain railway tracks were damaged in Gomati district, forcing the authorities to cancel these trains.
A Defence spokesman said that following the requisition from state administrations, four columns of Assam Rifles were deployed in different districts and they were working in close coordination with the civil administration to rescue civilians stranded due to floods.
First aid and essential items have been distributed by the Assam Rifles to hundreds of stranded people and those in relief camps.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The Muslim organisation on Thursday criticised the Union government over the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, calling it unconstitutional, undemocratic and unfair as it goes against the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution.
“Amendment bill being brought to Waqf is unconstitutional, undemocratic and unfair. The proposed amendments to the Waqf Act are also against the freedom of religion provided by the Constitution and also violates articles 14-15 and 25 of the Constitution,” said Jamiat-i-Ulama Hind, President, Maulana Arshad Madani while addressing a joint press conference of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and Muslim Personal Law Board at the Constitution Club in New Delhi.
He added that the amendment bill is also the government’s interference in religious matters which Muslims will not accept.
“Under the guise of the amending bill, an attempt is being made to deprive the Muslims of this great country and of its heritage which our forefathers have left in the form of Waqf for the betterment of the poor, destitute and needy people of the country,” said Maulana Arshad Madani.
He said that amendments have been made in the bill without consulting the Muslim religious figures and taking the Muslims into confidence while Waqf is a purely religious and Shariah matter because once the Waqf is applied.
“The donor does not remain the owner of the property rather that property is transferred to the ownership of Allah,” he explained.
Maulana Madani said that while presenting the Amendment Bill in the parliament, it was claimed that it would bring transparency to the work and would benefit the weak and needy people of the Muslim society.
“This bill is proof of the malicious intent of the government and its dangerous plans. If this bill is passed not only the protection of Waqf properties across the country may be in danger but also a door of new conflicts will be opened and the status of those mosques, tombs, buildings, imam badas and lands which are Waqf properties or which are located on Waqf land will be made doubtful,” Maulana Madani said.
He added that instead of the Waqf Tribunal and Waqf Commissioners, all powers under this bill will be transferred to District Collectors.
“By increasing the number of members of the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards, their status is also being changed and the door is being opened to appoint non-Muslims in it as well. This bill will also remove the requirement of being Muslim for officers and members,” he said.
Maulana Madani said that this is not a Hindu-Muslim issue but a constitutional problem and this bill is also against Muslim religious freedom.
He said that the Shrine Board, which was formed for the maintenance and protection of Hindu religious places, had a clear explanation that Jains, Sikhs or Buddhists would not be its members.
He questioned that if Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists cannot be members of the Shrine Board, how can the nomination and appointment of non-Muslims be justified in the Waqf Board?
“While Jainism and Buddhism are not considered separate from Hinduism, they are considered a separate sect. If they cannot participate in the shrine board even if they are Hindus on the basis of being a sect, then why is the nomination and appointment of non-Muslims in the Waqf boards made mandatory?” Maulana Madani asked.
He said that there are laws in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh etc. that those who manage the affairs of the Hindu religion’s property must be Hindus.
“Just as no other religious group can interfere in the religious affairs of Hindus, Sikhs and Christians in the same way, the management of Waqf properties should also be done only by Muslims. We do not accept any such proposal in the endowment system,” he added.
He said that it is clear that the intention of the government is not pure and through this bill, its purpose is not to bring transparency in the work and to benefit the Muslim community but to deprive Muslims of their Waqf properties and to weaken the claim of Muslims from the Waqf properties.
Maulana Madani said that an endless series of new conflicts can start in this way and taking advantage of the weak legal status of Muslims in the amendment bill may make it easier to occupy Waqf properties.
He added that we are not talking about one or two amendments but most of the amendments in the bill are unconstitutional and dangerous and destructive for the Waqf.
“This bill is also an attack on the constitutional powers given to Muslims. If the Constitution has given religious freedom and equal rights to every citizen then some special powers have also been given to the minorities living in the country. And the amendment bill negates all these powers completely,” he said.
Maulana Madani added that under the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, it has been suggested that Section 40 of the current Act should be removed while the 2006 Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf and Justice Sachar Committee reported that a large number of Waqf properties are illegally occupied while the incumbent government is also referring to the same Sachar Committee report.
“Despite this, it has been suggested in the 2024 bill that the State Waqf Board shall not be empowered to identify properties which are illegally occupied and to try to recover them. This proposal of the government is very harmful to the existence of endowments,” he said.
He added that during the last ten years, the minorities of the country, especially the Muslims, were put on the margins, and to make them believe that now, as citizens, they have no rights and powers, many laws have been forcibly brought and implemented.
“This Waqf Amendment Bill is also one of them by passing it in any way there is a conspiracy to forcefully apply it on Muslims, which we cannot accept,” he said.
–IANS
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National
Calcutta HC questions Bengal govt's 'late realisation' to probe financial irregularities at RG Kar
Kolkata, Aug 22 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Thursday questioned the decision of the West Bengal government to set up a special investigation team to probe the alleged financial irregularities at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata when the controversial former principal Sandip Ghosh was in charge of the institution, even as the state health department was informed about the irregularities last year.
A single-judge bench of Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj made this observation while hearing a petition by the whistle-blower in the matter — former deputy medical superintendent of RG Kar — Akhtar Ali, who had sought the High Court’s intervention to seek protection in anticipation of security threat for being vocal against Sandip Ghosh.
On Wednesday, Ali also filed a public interest litigation seeking a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar.
During the hearing, Justice Bhardwaj observed that “from the inclusion of senior police officers in the special investigation team, it is evident that the matter is serious, and wondered why the team was constituted a year after the matter was brought to the notice of the state government”.
The state government counsel argued that the petition has been deliberately filed at this moment amid the recent incident of the rape and murder of a woman doctor in the R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital.
The state government counsel also questioned why the petitioner remained silent for one year after the complaint was not acted upon as claimed by him.
The Calcutta High Court also directed the state government counsel to present a detailed argument on the formation of SIT on Friday.
The West Bengal government earlier this week announced the formation of a special investigation team comprising four senior IPS officers and headed by an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police to prove the allegation of financial irregularities at RG Kar since 2021, when Sandip Ghosh was the principal there.
Opposition parties have already claimed that the formation of SIT by the state government was nothing but an eyewash, and it had been created not with the intention of revealing the truth behind the financial irregularities, but rather with the motive of destroying evidence in the matter.
–IANS
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Bhubaneswar, Aug 22 (IANS) Amid the furore over two deaths caused by the consumption of spurious liquor in Ganjam district, Odisha Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan announced on Thursday that a probe by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner into the hooch tragedy will be initiated soon.
At least 23 persons from Moundpur, Jenapur, and Karabalua in Chikiti block had consumed country liquor from an unlicensed shop on Monday evening. They later fell ill and were admitted to a nearby hospital, where two of them died during treatment on Wednesday, prompting Harichandan to direct the officials to take all necessary steps to stop the illegal trade of liquor in the state.
Speaking to mediapersons, Harichandan said, “An RDC-level probe will be launched in this matter within the next couple of days. Action will be taken based on its report which will be submitted within two months. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will soon take the decision in this regard.”
He also vowed that the network of illegal liquor trade in the state will be completely destroyed within a year.
“As many as 217 illegal liquor manufacturing units have been identified in the state which will be demolished soon. Instructions have already been issued in this regard. Around 117 persons have so far been arrested following raids in different districts,” Harichandan.
He also assured the people that no illegal liquor unit will remain in existence in the state.
The Minister said the Excise Superintendent in Berhampur, Pradip Panigrahi, has been transferred for negligence in duty on Wednesday, while the government has also suspended Excise Inspector Ramesh Chandara Mohanty and Sub-inspector Prasanna Kumar Jali for similar lapses.
The deceased have been identified as Jura Behera and Lokanath Behera from Jenapur village, who died at the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
The opposition BJD has also the issue in the state Assembly on Thursday, demanding resignation of the Excise Minister.
–IANS
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