Bhagat Singh’s pistol was last seen in Phillaur 47 yrs ago Records show it was transferred to Indore, historians ask govt to trace it

A path-breaking finding on Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
Historians and Researchers on Shaheed Bhagat Singh have finally got  something to cheer. The Tribune has found traces about  the missing pistol used by the great freedom fighter to kill a British Police official John Sanders. The whereabouts of the pistol were not known since 1930. Anyone who can throw some further light (please contact me 9872999203; Jupinderjit Singh, Special Correspondent, The Tribune. Chandigarh)

Bhagat Singh’s pistol was last seen in Phillaur 47 yrs ago Records show it was transferred to Indore, historians ask govt to trace it

Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 7
Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s pistol with which he killed Assistant Police Superintendent John Saunders in Lahore on December 17, 1928, was last seen at the Punjab Police Academy (PPA), Phillaur, on October 7, 1969. 

The automatic .32 bore pistol of Colt US make with butt no. 460-m and body no. 168896, was transferred to the Central School of Weapon and Tactics (CSWT) of the BSF in Indore the same day. However, CSWT officials said the pistol was not exhibited in their museum. 

Earlier in its four-part series, The Tribune highlighted that researcher Aparna Vaidik had, through a rare access to case files of the martyr, found that the weapon was missing. Based on the record of 160 files lying at Punjab State Archives in Lahore, she said the weapon could be either at Lahore Fort, police malkhana, Gwalmandi, Lahore, or the PPA, Phillaur. 

On its pursuit, The Tribune found the records related to the weapon. As per a record register of the PPA, it was among the eight weapons transferred to the CSWT on October 7, 1969. Kuldip Singh, Director, PPA, said no reason had been given for the transfer of the weapon. “Eight weapons, including the martyr’s pistol, were taken to CSWT, Indore, by a BSF commandant as per our records.”

With the latest discovery, it is now known that the weapon was in India at least in 1969. Earlier, as per the records, the weapon was given to DSP (CID) NK Niaaz Ahmad Khan in Lahore on October 16, 1930. Assistant Commandant Vijay Roy, CSWT, said no such weapon was displayed in their museum at present. “We don’t have it there, but we will look into the records. It might have been transferred to another museum,” he said. Meanwhile, historians have termed it an important discovery.

 Gurdev Singh Sidhu, who has also authored a book on the martyr, said:
 “The revelation is an important discovery. We at least know that the pistol was in India and is within our reach somewhere. The Punjab Government should make efforts to trace it..” “If the pistol reached Phillaur, then the other exhibits must also be brought here,” said Harish Jain, Chandigarh-based publisher and researcher on Bhagat Singh.
first published : November 7, 2016 .. The Tribune.

Sarkanda and songs--life and death for soldiers on Indo-Pak border

Here film songs, swaying grass may mean life or death

Jupinderjit Singh at Chicken Neck Point

The tall elephant grass serves as a natural fencing on the Indo-Pakistan border at the famed Chicken Neck point in Jammu region. The average distance between Indian border outposts on either side of Pakistan ranges between 2 km and 15 km. The Chenab, which flows along the north-west side of the man-made fence that abuts the tall grass, makes the land fertile on both sides of the border.

For the gun-totting uniformed men of the Border Security Force (BSF), who maintain a 24/7 vigil on the border in perhaps the harshest working conditions, ‘sarkanda’, as the elephant grass is known in local parlance, and songs, mainly of Hindi movies, may mean life or death at times.

It means life as the dried up ‘sarkanda‘ sticks held together by ropes make up for walls and roofs of the border outposts, which unlike the concrete blocks of Pakistan, are covered with tin sheets only. The grass keeps them warm as the bone-chilling winter sets in. The grass on the opposite side of the fence can have death lurking around. This grass hides the movement of the Pakistani troops and helps terrorists hide for infiltration bids.

There is not much to cheer about at the border where life is always on the edge. Poor mobile connectivity, wild boars, reptiles, snakes, and above all hostility across the fence make survival the top priority. Yet, the place is abuzz with Hindi movie songs played on radio stations. The BSF’s counterpart - the Pakistan Rangers- appear to enjoy listening to Indian songs too which they play on their loudspeakers. Music clearly knows no barrier.

But death lurks around here also. “We have noticed that there is always some movement, some conspiracy when songs are played on high volume. There is always an attempt to smuggle stuff or to push terrorists in our territory,” revealed a BSF source. “So, while we enjoy songs, we remain alert,” he stressed. The “Pardesi, Pardesi” song of Raja Hindustani is the Pakistan forces’ favourite. The Pakistan farmers on the tractors, however, have a special liking for songs from the film ‘Border’. BSF sources revealed, “We are rather surprised as the movie shows Pakistan forces being humbled yet they play it a lot.”

the great Green Wall of pakistan along indian border!!!!!

Pakistan raising green wall along border to blind BSF
Jupinderjit Singh/TNS

Chicken Neck (Kanachak), November 22
While continuing making concrete bunkers along the international border in the Jammu area, Pakistan is erecting a wall of trees to block the view of the BSF. The line of sight has reduced from 2 km to half-a-km or less, where the saplings have grown to considerable height.

With foggy winter approaching fast, the BSF is worried that the blocked sight would aid infiltration in the region. They have formally (in writing) objected to the Pak Rangers, who replied they were just planting saplings for the sake of environment.

Some saplings planted within last year have grown to considerable height in this highly sensitive and strategic border area near Akhnoor. Encouraged by it, new saplings have now been planted on almost all along the border from Kathua to Akhnoor. The new saplings have come especially in the Samba-RS Pura belt, from where infiltration attempts are often made.

Despite four wars and the continuous proxy war against India, this move to use a natural wall of trees to block movement across the border has been observed for the first time.

The Tribune team witnessed the obstruction in the line of sight of the BSF during the day as well as night hours on this border. BSF sources said they pruned some of the trees, whose branches extended to Indian side, but they can’t uproot trees as they were away from Zero Line.

Most of the trees or the saplings are of Sheesham species but at some places the fast growing ‘Arandi’ (Castor) tree were also planted. This tree spreads in a large area fast as it strews seeds all around it.

The BSF is relying heavily on night vision equipment using the thermal imaging or the satellite imaging to keep a watch on the activity in the counterpart area. “It is an issue of grave concern for us. Earlier, it was just the seasonal wild grass ‘sarkanda’ in which militants used to hide before attempting to enter India. The trees would be there for all time,” a BSF official said.

'Chicken Neck' vs 'Dagger'?

India surrounds Pakistan from three sides at the 'Chicken Neck' area, which Pakistan terms as 'Dagger'. Pakistan uses the name to suggest that its land extending into the Indian territory is like a dagger in India's heart. On the other hand, India calls it the chicken’s neck suggesting that it is a weak neck (of Pakistan) that can be twisted anytime.
EOM

( first published in The Tribune Dated : Nov 23, 2011.
photos by Anand Sharma
link : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111123/main4.htm

good morning! this is your health minister Azad calling

CENTRAL HEALTH SCHEMES
Fake beneficiaries exist, admits Azad
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 29
“Good Morning. This is your Health Minister calling. Have you taken benefits under this health scheme of the Central government?” Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad made several such calls to poor and needy people in the last few months to ascertain whether they were real beneficiaries or were just fake entries in the records.

But despite the Azad’s monitoring of the records himself with such calls, corruption in the form of fake beneficiaries has been prevalent in the department. “The result has been mixed,” he revealed to mediapersons today saying the phone numbers of several persons were found to be fake. “In order to check corruption, the Ministry of Health had a few months ago started a system of creating name and telephone based data in which any person who availed of the benefits under a health scheme would be included. I personally monitored it and in four states checked so far, one of them had a lot of fake entries.”

Without naming the state, Azad said it seemed at least a year or more was needed to weed out corruption through fake entries. This candid statement comes from a man who as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir was the first in the country to enact a law to confiscate property of corrupt officials, and had taken on the alleged corruption in the Medical Council of India after he took over as the Union Health Minister.

“I think only constant monitoring through such phone calls at the top level that corruption can be eradicated. I am confident that as all new schemes of the health sector have a mandatory provision for name and telephone data, the probability of fake entires would lessen and end eventually.”

Azad revealed this while announcing a new scheme for the below poverty line people in the country. He said all those BPL cardholders, who undergo treatment in a government hospital for a life threatening disease, would get 100 per cent free treatment. “For ailments other than life threatening ones, a patient would get Rs 20,000 if the cost of treatment was up to Rs 50,000. For medical cost between Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh, a patient would get Rs 40,000 and Rs 50,000 for above Rs 1 lakh cost,” he added.

He said all these schemes would also have a name and telephone database, which he would personally monitor to check corruption.

He warned of strict action against corruption reminding that the Health Department was the only department which one visited during births and deaths. “That is why I have coined a new tag for the department. It is Health Department - from conception to cremation. We are the only department that provides help right from the time a women gets pregnant up to the death of an individual.”

(first published in The Tribune dated January 30, 2011)
link : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110130/j&k.htm#3

inflow in Ranjit Sagar dam to be hit as Jammu prepares to take water from Ravi river. Punjab silent

Survey begins for project to divert Ravi waters
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 14
Days after refusing to give land to Punjab for the Shahpur Kandi project, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has started a survey for a project to divert the Ravi waters before the Ranjit Sagar Dam for filling the incomplete Ravi Canal.

The canal will take water to the ‘parched’ Kandi belt in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts. In what amounts to asserting its rights over the Ravi, which Punjab claims as its own, the state government started a geological survey yesterday to create a link between the Ravi and the Ravi Canal.

Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Minister for Irrigation and Public Helath Engineering, told The Tribune that the survey report to construct the link through tunnels and an open channel to take water from the Ravi began yesterday with geologists and other experts of WAPCOS company initiating it.

“It is a happy day as well as a sad day for me. The scheme of taking water from the Ravi was conceived in the 1970s, but as the Punjab Government kept changing the proposals and did not fulfil any promise to us, our agriculture fields in the Kandi belt remained dependent on rain and suffered drought often,” the minister said.

He said as Punjab had “unilaterally” terminated all water sharing agreements with other states, it had no locus standi to stop us from using the Ravi waters. “While in the earlier project water had to be lifted from the Ranjit Sagar Dam, now it would flow to Vijaypur with natural gravity, as we would lift water from the river upstream only.”

The government plans to generate power from the water by creating “falls” on the way. The canal, with an original stretch of 82 km from Vijaypur near Jammu to the Ravi, was till date completed till Basantpur village, near Lakhanpur, a stretch of 79 km. It was originally planned to go up to the river but the plan had to be revised after the Punjab Government proposed the Shahpur Kandi project in the 1970s.

Under the Shahpur Kandi project, it promised water for the Ravi Canal from the dam lake. As the Shahpur Kandi project never took off, the state government waited for water all these years with agriculture in the Kandi belt suffering badly. Meanwhile, in an agreement with the Punjab Government, the state government started lifting water from the Ravi from downstream the Ranjit Sagar Dam (known as Thein Dam earlier). This did not prove helpful in feeding the Ravi Canal, as very less quantity of water was released from the dam. There was rarely enough water to be ‘lifted’ for feeding the Ravi Canal.

Irrigation Department sources claimed the state always had rights over the left banks of the Ravi and Punjab on the right banks. “They can’t question us using this side of the river.”

They said it was not their problem that the inflow to the dam may decrease and eventually the power generation capacity would be hit. The state government, in fact, planned to generate more than 20 MW from the new ‘link’ they would be making between the river and the canal.

(published in The Tribune, dated oct 15, 2010)

watermelons on Indo-pak border courtsey farmer's sweat

Zero Line

Realigned border fencing brings cheer to farmers

Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Samba, June 18

The Zero Line between India and Pakistan has seen much bloodshed over the years but when a farmer manages to plough this land with his sweat, the produce is often sweet.

Next to the Zero Line, near Majra village in Samba district, the produce is virtually dripping sweet - in the form of watermelons. Most of the fruits this season came from this belt. And all this has become possible only after the Border Security Force (BSF) realigned the border fencing to bring it to the Zero Line from its earlier position of nearly 500 m into the Indian side.

Consequently, the farmers have now reclaimed over 4,650 acres “fenced out” earlier along the 192-km international border from Kathua to Akhnoor. With each acre of this fertile land capable of producing 15 to 20 quintals of wheat or paddy besides vegetables, maize and fodder, the reclaimed land is a major boost to the farmers’ financial condition and the state’s economy.

“The water level is 40-60 ft here and we usually grow three to four crops a year. But due to fencing, we couldn’t cultivate the land between the fencing and the Zero Line while Pakistan farmers had no such problems,” Kulwant Singh, a farmer, said.

“The farmers do not need a kisan card now to cultivate up to the Zero Line.Earlier, they had to prove their identity to go beyond the fencing.The work hours were restricted,mostly between 9 a.m and 7 p.m.But now they can go up to midnight or later also”,said a BSF spokesman.

When asked what if spies or terrorists took advantage of the proximity of the fields to the Zero Line or if Pakistani troops opened fire, the spokesman replied: “There is a ceasefire on the international border. Our posts keep a watch on the activities and no one is allowed to cross it as the fencing is on the Zero Line,” said the spokesman.

Janak Singh, nambardar of Nanga village, said the land was lying vacant for over 10 years.’During and after the Kargil war,there was routine firing and shelling.We could not go near the border.Then fencing came up.As a result, the land left out turned dry or marshy,but now we are ploughing it again”.

He said following a special request of villagers, the BSF sent a guard along whenever anyone went near the Zero Line.”It wasn’t easy for the government and the BSF to convince farmers to reclaim the land”.

The new fencing also keeps away animals coming from the Pakistan side.

When asked about the loss of so many years since the Kargil war, Kulwant Singh, a farmer, lamented: “The state and the Centre, both had promised us compensation of Rs 5,000 per acre but we have not got anything hitherto.”