Preparedness of Indian Army

    The Indian Army chief said to the reporters """Asked whether terrorists, had occupied any Indian village, he said nothing like that had happened, and no Army post or bunker was occupied by the terrorists or their suspected Pakistan Army accomplices. “We are dominating them from all sides, and the terrorists are holed up. It is a broken ground. It is difficult, treacherous terrain. They are stuck in that, and we will take them on. It is a question of time.”  When the reporters asked  Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne agreed with Gen. Singh that it was a “localised” operation, which would be completed soon. “We all monitor such incidents. If the Army asks for any assistance, we are there. There is no need to become hyper.” Then again today 6th oct 15 corps commander said “We are in total control of the operation. The reports of our posts being captured by the infiltrators are absurd,” 7th Oct paper report says ""General Officer Commanding in Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra and General Officer Commanding of the 15 Corps Lt Gen Gurmit Singh have visited the area to review the situation on ground," Officiating Brigadier General Staff (BGS) Colonel Sanjay Mitra said. "
       What is curious about the whole Keran operation is that a max of 40 terrorists have infiltrated which everybody seem to admit.Army Chief says they are holed up in a broken ground and Army is dominating them from ""ALL" sides. Then it should be a simple operation for the Brigade which is  facing this situation but why then the Airchief is offering help? Army has its own attack helicopters and they could have easily used it to neutralize the enemies holed up in a open broken ground.But it is NOT using them may be due to fear it could be shot down as it happened in Kargil. Air chief's offer of help means only one thing aerial fighter bomber support. Does our company or battalion commanders are so in competent  that Corps commander himself is staying   put and seems to be overseeing the operation.
      What the Indian Army is conveying to the world and especially to its enemies? Mere 40 guys however well trained they may be (one can call them anything from BAT to Jihadies) are able to hold on for the past 13 days a brigade of troops while  staying in a open broken ground which is dominated by Indian Army in all sides. How are these Jihadies being supplied ammo and fed? How they are relieving themselves?Why the Army is showing in major news channels some footage wherein our soldiers are shown to crawl and move forward. Where? The news channels may give a good  impression to the ordinary viewers but it does not fool our enemies as well as knowledgeable viewers. The recent claim by corps commander that 12-15 militants have been killed but no arms or ammunition or bodies recovered does not show us in good light to the enemies.How this number is arrived at?
      It was some months back 5 of our Jawans were killed and beheaded. Then the Samba attack wherein 3 Jihadies killed 4 J&K constables at Hira nagar PS and commandeered a truck to take them to Army Public school. It took them more than two hours but as they could not find the Public school in their GPS, they just chose randomly an officer's mess inside Brigade HQtrs  guarded by a single guard and killed the OC. This also raises disturbing questions about Army's preparedness as well as communication links between J&K police, Para Military forces and local Brigade HQtrs. Why nobody from Hira nagar PS informed the local Army Brigade about the attack through a mobile or state communication? Was the Samba attack a diversionary tactic to take children of Army public school as hostages for a later or ongoing Jihadi operation at Shala Batu village?   
        What was the purpose of Shala Batu operation by the Jihadies? They do not come to infiltrate and hole up in open broken ground wherein they can be surrounded on ALL sides by the Army? They must have ensured some supply route for for ammo and food and even replacement for the Jihadi fighters. As this area is within our area why this supply route is not being able to be choked by our massive and superior force? Was there a TUNNEL already dug by the Jihadies?
         The Las dutt forests at LOC has stories which is yet to be told. But some lessons in preparedness can be learnt especially when it comes to change over of Army inits at LOC. It cannot be done in a routine manner as one does in peace station.The SOP has to be changed so that the posts are never left empty even in very peaceful atmosphere. Also some soft targets of Army like wives and Children could be taken hostages by Jihadi groups operating in India for which one must be prepared.
    

The Unknown LEGENDS OF LADAKH

Leh Palace 1964

Chushul village headman with our CP staff

   The recent incursion of Chinese border guards and their subsequent withdrawal has created lot of Media frenzy about Ladakh and ITBP role  and Army's interest in acquiring complete operation control over ITBP.This shows how the Army Staff have NOT read the Colombo proposals  of 1962 which India has accepted. As per proposal 2(c) only civilian posts are to be  allowed to be established  in the western sector.
   The following Officers of Indo Tibetan border force did yeoman service to the nation unsung, un noticed  in very difficult terrain without any security protection against the Chinese. It is just their guts and inner strength as well the unbroken Intelligence Bureaus esperi-de-corps which sustained them. For us  ITBF personnel Shri BN.Mullick's dictum that "" Intelligence officers have no borders""was holy Manthra.
   Mr.Charan singh, DYSp of Punjab police on deputation to IB was the one who discovered first the Chinese Aksai chin road connecting Tibet with Sinkiang and brought some Chinese mile stones on his Pony's back. He became little more adventurous and was taken Prisoner along with some ITBF constables  near Hot springs post and was tortured by the Chinese which left him partially paralyzed in one leg. This day is observed as Police Memorial day on 21st October.
   Mr.N.S Bhatti who was instrumental in re  establishing the Indian ITBF posts  7 main posts supported by another 10 or so subposts which were withdrawn during 1962. Some posts like Track junction, Murgo,DBO were established with just 4 or 5 personnel with signal officer carrying those bulky SAFI sets made by BHEL. But the posts were established by July 1963 with some casualties due to weather. Ladhaki sepoys of ITBF could easily face the weather but then others from plains have to face the weather.Track junction which was at 17,800 feet was the worst where one has to melt  ice throughout the year to drink.
   Mr.Parminder Singh who was in charge of Koyul post impressed Mr.BN Mullick so much with his adventurism like getting a Chinese  pony to our side that he promoted the entire Koyul post by one rank. What was tricky was that the constable cook got promoted as Havildar and created funny situation amongst other constables.But this one single action by Mr. Mullick was talked about amongst every one of ITBF personnel and acted as a great incentive to show similar adventurism. May be this is what made us to see the inside of Khurnak fort or Rezang Lungpa posts of the Chinese which I donot think is possible now.
   Samuel Santhanam who climbed most of the OPs and took snaps.Mr.Lakshmi narayanan,Sd Sehgal, guptha, GK Uphadyaya, Upendra. AKBakshi,CN parthasarathy, KS Rawat,Ponnuswamy,Chatterjee, are some of the names which come to my mind.There were constables like Abdul Razzak,Mathai  who within two months of posting could speak Tibetan fluently though from Kerala on deputation to ITBF from CRPF. Grass cutter Norphel who kept the Ponies fit for recce. I recovered 8 bodies in sleeping bags from inside a bunker at Rezang La and also plenty of empty rounds fired from a LMG nest.The visit of Mrs.Narasimhan along with her husband was a great Morale booster for the entire checkposts she visited as well as the Army units which were posted alongside us.I have already posted in 2009 how the Chinese killed  three of my  constables in cold blood at Dumchele.The link is below. http://captainjohann.blogspot.in/2009/09/indiachina-war-1962lessons-for-2009.html.

  There were many signal officers who have to carry the bulky SAFI sets which never worked properly but has to keep the communication going from check posts to HQTRS. Some like Mr.Dayalu who showed adventurism was selected  to be communication officer for the Everest expedition led by Cdr.Kholi. The maintenance of the communication link in earlier days was done by  police veterans who came on deputation to ITBF from Mysore police,Madras police etc.I want to mention Mr.PM.Nairof Mysore Police and Mr.Ramaswamy  of ITBF who maintained all the check post's communication equipment  by visitng most of the posts..Mr.Purushotham of Mysore Police who was one of those who reestablished the check posts after the Chinese aggression in 1962 got the Police medal.There were others  like Mr.Rangan,Ramdas,Ramakrishnan, Venkatachalam,Gill who did yeomen service silently. ITBF also suffered from lack of proper road transport like the Army which had Shakthimans , Nissan one tonner  trucks and Jonga jeeps with their 4 by 4 drive while ITBF had the Tata 3 tonner which will not start or didnot have the 4 by 4 drive.The Willeys jeep was another poor performer but they were the ones procured from CRPF.
     One cannot forget the wild life of Ladakh especially the Ibex, Mountain goat, wild Horses, Rabbits, and I was fortunate to see the rare legendary Golden Fox in all its majesty only once.The modern digital cameras were not there at that time and I had the Russian Lubitel camera but not enough 120 films which could be processed.easily or purchased. The giant 5 ton Shakthiman trucks crossing over frozen Indus river is a sight to see. The Ink blue Pangong lake is another sight to behold.There were some innovation too with Chinese dollar serving as yeast for setting curd.Many a Hotspring like at chumathang, Hotsprings ,Demochok etc.were so invigorating to take bath.
    The Indian media was crying hoarse about Chinese aggression which shows their complete ignorance or vested interest to provoke some skirmish between the two nations so that American Arms export lobby is benefited.Why the Chinese came inside 19 KMs and not 21 KMs? For Indian media there is no interest to study the Colombo proposals( given below in full), or the 1993 or 1996 pacts between the two nations and what they say. They even do not know the difference between Chinese army or its border guards who are the ones who pitched the tent. They do not even know the difference between ITBP, the role of Army  in peace and war. They never interviewed any officer from the the Ministry of Home or ITBP while the retired Generals and colonels were mouthing their valour and patriotism.Why the Chinese came at this time and why did they withdraw?What is the significance of Chinese Prime Minister's coming visit?These require deep study.Chinese respect strength and Self reliance and that is what India should strive to achieve.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Indian_border_dispute

The Three Musketeers

Dungti check post crew over frozen Indus

Chushul post crew constables Razaak,Mathai with self

Kumaon Memorial for Maj Shaitan singh and his company

captain Johann with Guptha

captainjohann over Chushul runway

captainjohann with constables Phendo,dorje,shivdayal,norphel

Captainjohann with Ladakhi belles

Self,Lakshminarayanan,Ponnuswamy

Self over pony at gurung hill

At an abondones Indian army bunker at Rezang la with thurbine

How Can A Man Die Better?

Than Facing Fearful Odds,

For The Ashes Of His Fathers,

And Temples Of His Gods.”

AVM Pinto's wreath was the last one he laid

before he dies in an air crash.Captain johann

and Guptha

Dungti post across Indus

Leh Bazaar  1964

With my prized 303

Monitoring Sapangur gap Chinese post from Gurung Hill

Osama Betrayal/ Will India be asked to pay the Price

 OSAMA BETRAYAL

              Now that Osama was eliminated by US Navy seals inside Pakistan ,some hard questions face India. The recent visit of Kiyani to Abbotobad, ISI Chief Pasha’s visit to USA to meet with Panetta (without being arrested in spite of Rana trial in Chicago) and of course Kiyani’s meeting in Bahrain with Admiral Mike Mullen and Pakistan Fauzi foundation being allowed to recruit Baloachs for Bahrain national guard. The covert help provided by ISI with nod from Gillani in releasing  CIA man Raymond Davies through courts. What is the reward Pakistan Army extracted for betraying Osama is the question Indian policy makers should ponder as it involves second term for Obama.

  The secret contact which Mr.Man Mohan singh had with Kiyani through special interlocutors which led to Gillani meeting him at Chandigarh also must have weighed in the mind of Service chiefs of India. Did the Indian PMO ask the Indian Army to vacate Siachen? The pressure on Indian Air force chief to select one of the American planes for the MMRCA contract must have been a red rag for him as he had very bitter experience in dealing with arrogance of Americans after the C5 purchase and usage of its avionics that Air force decided to fore go altogether the avionics pod of C5. In the guise of end user agreement, Americans wanted to have complete control over Indian air force and its usage. The clout they wielded in Indian Political circles showed to the Service chiefs, it is also  time to show Indian Politicians where the lakshman rekha is drawn.
  Arabs/Yemenies consider South asian men  as of inferior breed that they are even allowed to see the face and escort unmarried Saudi girls.The 9/11 operation was given exclusively to saudies  though planned and executed by Khalid shiekh Mohamed.After General Musharaff betrayed the Taliban  due to President Bush’s threat should have warned Osama that anything can happen to him from the south asians but he believed may be in the inner circle of GHQ which dealt with Pakistan’s nuclear policy which also provided security to High value Arabs who continue to stay in Pakistan due to marriage and medical reasons after Afghan operation.  Gen Kiyani is not Gadaffi or even Iran’s leader and he is just like Gen Musharaff.
  The spate of writeups by western inspired media and think tanks in India and the statements coming from Indian politcos blaming Pakistan for harbouring Osama  shows the deeper game of
Pakistan/American alliance. It wants the betrayal to be hidden so that Alquaeda backlash doesnot happen in Pakistan as in the case of TTP after killing of Baitullah Mehsud wherein Pakistan Army provided the GPS coordinates of his father in law’s house.
   Siachen, Sircreek and complete control of Afghan policy after withdrawal of Americans is the price India may be asked to pay by the Americans. The Abbotobad operation might have been carried out by US seals but it had covert Pakistani help in the form of providing exact location of Osama,complete blackout of the city during the raid,asking civilians to stay indoor just before the operation.The Fixed wing aircraft which was flying over the ops area and giving AWACS support could not be without Pakistan’s consent. The airbase from where these seals took off in 4 helicopters was inside Pakistan as per many Pakistani mediamen. The whole operation took 2 hours inside Pakistan and not 40 Mts as claimed.
   The Gates,Patreus removal and also Hillary clinton giving a vague tip off during May 2010 about Osama living in Pakistan show Obama was desperate to have this action carried out before the election and also before it got leaked out to Jewish lobby in America. The Times square and Ground zero celebrations by youth of America show Obama’s second term is assured,
  The question is whether India will be asked to pay the price for Osama betrayal in form of Siachen and also change in India’s  Afghan policy. The booting out of American planes from  MMRCA contract shows that Indian Service chiefs are also incorruptible  and it will be difficult for Pro American Politicians in Indian cabinet to sell this line to Indian people with help from Indian media and Indian opposition.