J-K security officials meet ahead of Obama's visit

From Siasat.com

Srinagar, October 24: Top security officials in Jammu and Kashmir met here to discuss the security situation in the state ahead of US president Barack Obama's visit to India next month, official sources said today.

The meeting of the core group of security officials was held last night at the headquarters of Army's 15 Corps.

The meeting was chaired by General Officer Commanding (GoC) of 15 Corps Lt General N C Marwah and attended by Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda and other senior officers of Army, BSF, CRPF and civil administration.

The officers discussed the security scenario in the Valley with particular reference to threat posed by militants ahead of Obama's visit to India. The discussions focused on the strategy of countering ultras who might attempt to carry out attacks to gain publicity during his visit, according to the sources.

--Agencies

http://www.siasat.com/english/news/j-k-security-officials-meet-ahead-obamas-visit

BSF jawan dies at Badnera Railway Station

From IBN Live

PTI | 10:10 PM,Oct 24,2010

Amravati, Oct 24 (PTI) A BSF jawan, who hailed from the region, died on a railway platform here today when he alighted from a train to meet his relatives, police said. According to the police, 35-year-old Rajaram Patorkar was posted at Tripura in Assam and was travelling in a Ahmedabad-bound train. En route, he alighted at the Badnera Railway Station here to meet his family members as he hails from Dabida village of Dharni tehsil in the district. While getting out of the train this morning, he fell down on platform no. 1 and died on the spot, they said. The jawan is survived by a wife and two children to mourn his death. Badnera Railway Police have registered the case and are investigating further in the incident.

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/bsf-jawan-dies-at-badnera-railway-station/443418.html

BSF shoot dead 1: From Bangladesh press

From bdnews24.com
Dinajpur, Oct 24 — Indian BSF have shot an unidentified person at the Biral border in Dinajpur. 

The body found tangled in barbed fences along the India-Bangladesh border was taken away by the BSF members at 11am on Sunday, BDR said. 

Enayetpur's BDR Border Out Post's (BOP) Nayek Subedar Shamsul Alam told bdnews24.com that the body was taken away by the BSF personnel since no one identified or claimed the body. "Till then no steps can be taken." 

Citing locals he said that the man had been walking around the border on Saturday and the Indian border guards must have shot him for attempting to cross over later in the evening.
http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=176971&cid=2

Pakistan sets up new bunker at border

From NDTV
October 24, 2010

Abdullian:  The newest dispute between India and Pakistan is an 18-foot bunker that our neighbour has put up at the border in RS Pura sector in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Two bunkers and one tower have been raised on Pakistani side, which we have protested against and which we will be taking up in the next conference," said S Chattopadhya, IG BSF, Jammu.

Taking advantage of the ceasefire Pakistan has, of and on, been raising defence structures along the international border, but BSF has taken adequate measures to counter that.

The BSF too has raised several mounds and bunkers. Like a border fence along the 200-kilometre-long international border that has been relocated closer to the Zero Line.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/pakistan-sets-up-new-bunker-at-border-61941?cpBut what is significant is that such actions on both sides have, for once, not raised Indo-Pak temperatures.

The BSF says it is working closely with the Pakistani Rangers to make the atmosphere at the border more amicable. There is joint patrolling and the clearing of wild grass at Zero Line is done with mutual cooperation.

"The body language of rangers used to be very negative and aggressive, now it's very positive. Wherever we go out for patrolling on the border, we inform the Rangers," said Chattopadhya.

Despite some aberrations, ceasefire is holding on the borders for the last seven years. Now, with forces on the borders trying to take steps to improve the relations even more, it's clearly one confidence building measure that has gone a long way. 

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/pakistan-sets-up-new-bunker-at-border-61941?cp

MHA finds loopholes in Airport Metro's security

From zeenews

Sunday, October 24, 2010

New Delhi: The Home Ministry has found loopholes in the security plan of Delhi Metro's prestigious Airport Express line, as it will be handled by private guards instead of specialised CISF personnel. 
A clause in the agreement between the Delhi Metro and a Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium allows the latter to determine the security of the Airport Express line and has debarred the Home Ministry to take over the security of the high-speed Metro line.The ministry has conducted a security audit of the entire 23-km stretch, including its six stations, and submitted the report to the Delhi Metro authorities for its consideration and necessary action. 
"There are some gaps which we want plugged," a Home Ministry official said, without elaborating. 
All other operational Delhi Metro stations and lines are guarded by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, while the security of the Airport Express line has been given to three private agencies -- of which two are still getting themselves registered. 
"It is a matter of concern for us. Rapid mass transport systems are getting increasingly vulnerable to terror strikes. We hope that the people hired to guard the Airport Express line are well trained to deal with any situation," the official said. 
The Metro link from New Delhi to IGI Airport corridor is expected to be operational by this month-end. The six stations in the line are New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Aerocity, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Dwarka Sector-21. 
A Reliance Infrastructure Ltd spokesperson had earlier said that the "security of the Airport line will have personnel having rich experience in police, military and paramilitary and are already on-board and that three private security agencies are on-board to provide trained guards and supervisors (for the network). 
"The project is ready in all aspects and will be operational immediately after a certificate from the Railway Safety Commissioner." 
Reliance has reportedly recruited 10-12 inspectors of the CISF giving them lucrative salaries besides taking over 60 retired men from other forces like the elite SPG, NSG, CRPF and BSF. 
The CISF inspectors opted for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) from the government to join the sensitive project. 
According to sources, the consortium is likely to hire the services of the sniffer dog squad and the commandos of the Quick Reaction Team (QRT) of CISF but the normal security checks would be carried out by private securitymen only. 
PTI 

http://www.zeenews.com/news663400.html

Core group meeting on Kashmir

From the northlines

Udhampur, Oct 23: Lt Gen N.C Marwah, AVSM, Security Advisor, chaired the Core Group Meeting on 23 Oct 2010 at HQ 15 Corps. Besides the DGP, senior officers of the Army, CRPF, BSF and Civil Administration were in attendance. 
The meeting deliberated on the prevailing security environment in the Valley, while taking a holistic review of the joint strategy evolved to restore normalcy in the state. Discussion focused on refining strategy formulated in the last meeting in light of the ground situation and takes the level of synergy between all agencies to the next level to thwart any attempts by inimical elements to destabilize the Valley.

http://www.thenorthlines.com/newsdet.aspx?q=37648

ATVs for BSF

From The Times of India
Oct 23, 2010
Four Italian-make amphibious two-tracked armoured ATVs will be inducted into the BSF within two weeks. BSF's Gujarat Frontier inspector general A K Sinha said the ATVs would make patrolling in the inaccessible terrain of Rann of Kutch easy.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/atvs/speednewsbytopic/keyid-458067.cms

Chidambaram hopes for Indo-Pak ties

From GEO TV

Updated at: 1644 PST,  Saturday, October 23, 2010 NEW DELHI: India’s Home Minister P Chidambaram laid the foundation stone of the Rs 6.22 crore expanded viewers gallery at Joint Check Post (JCP) to Hussainiwala (Punjab). This would facilitate more tourists to visit the Indo-Pak border and witness the famous Retreat ceremony in which Border Security Force Jawans and Pakistan Rangers simultaneously lower the flags of their countries, ceremonially every evening. Chidambaram said that the expanded viewers gallery could accommodate 3,000 viewers and the whole area around the gallery would be landscaped. He added that the new gallery would have a modern canteen, toilets and a children park to attract more tourists. Earlier Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had sought Chidambaram’s intervention in opening the Hussainiwala border for trade link with Pakistan; and a special central infrastructure package for upgrading schools, colleges and roads in the border area. Speaking on the occasion, Chidambaram said that he hoped for improvement of relations with Pakistan, in times to come and subsequent consolidation of trade links with the neighbouring country. “I don’t know when but I do know that a day will come, sooner rather than later, when Hussainiwala border will be opened for trade between India and Pakistan,” said the Union Minister in his address. Relations with Pakistan would improve, he hoped, and people of both countries would be able to travel more freely. “ We are earnest about building a good relationship with our neighbour and trade between the two countries must resume,” he asserted emphatically. He was conscious of the issues in the border areas of Punjab and is in regular correspondence with the Punjab Chief Minister, he added. Sukhbir Badal, deputy chief minister, Raman Srivastava, DGP, BSF, Janmeja Sekhon, irrigation minister, MP and MLAs of Ferozepur district and PS Gill, DGP, Punjab were among those who attended the function. The Union Minister handed over gift hampers to Pakistan Rangers and BSF Jawans. Although the entire stretch of the road up to the venue was dotted with Congress flags, PPCC general secretary Parminder Singh alleged that invitation had not been extended to Congressmen unlike workers of the ruling coalition. However, Congress MLA Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi was given a place on the dias. Reacting to the demand of Badal, the Union Home Minister hoped that "as things improve we could go more than half way to have better relations with Pakistan. Trade must resume with Pakistan. I sincerely hope it will come sooner than later". http://www.geo.tv/10-23-2010/73298.htm

Martyr’s mom gets justice after 10 years

From Bangalore Mirror

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Gangamma Subbaiah, mother of a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan who died while on duty, had to wait for 10 years after the death of her son to get pension from the Ministry of Defence. AS Karuna, a jawan from the 75th Battalion of the BSF’s Yelahanka Centre, died on August 28, 2000 while serving at Ferozpur in Punjab. A native of Coorg, Karuna was taking care of his elderly mother Gangamma. For Gangamma, a widow, what added insult to injury was the refusal of the Ministry of Defence to pay the parents’ pension to her. Her request was rejected in March 2002 on the grounds that an affidavit by the local tahsildar mentioned her annual income from the 17 guntas of land owned by her as Rs 30,000. BSF rules do not provide for pension to parents of dead soldiers who have an annual income of more than Rs 27,000. Another caste and income certificate issued by the tahsildar in November 2002, mentioned her annual income as Rs 18,000. But this was not taken into consideration. Following this, Gangamma approached the High Court of Karnataka, but a single bench judge upheld the BSF’s decision. “Rules are rules, but it was impossible for her to survive on the meagre earnings from the small piece of land she had. So we appealed to a division bench of the High Court,” said her counsel Shankrappa. On Thursday, the division bench of Justice KL Manjunath and Justice B Manohar set aside the order of the single bench and ruled that the income report of the tahsildar of 2002 was correct and hence she was entitled for the pension. “An old woman had to fight for 10 years to get the pension entitled to her son who died fighting for the country. She should not have been put to this hardship. But thanks to the High Court and the judges, justice has finally been delivered,” said Shankrappa. http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/10/20101023201010230759508229d34a8b9/Martyr%E2%80%99s-mom-gets-justice-after-10-years.html

Infiltration bid foiled, three ultras killed in Kashmir

From Deccan Herald Srinagar, Oct 23 (PTI)

Army today foiled an infiltration bid near the Line of Control in Uri Sector of Baramulla district, killing three militants.

"An infiltration bid was foiled by the troops in Uri Sector in the wee hours. So far, three militants have been killed and the operation is still in progress," Defence spokesperson Lt Colonel J S Brar told PTI. The infiltration of militants from across the Line of Control (LoC) has been on the rise recently as the Pakistani handlers of the ultras are desperate to push in as many militants as possible before the onset of winter in Kashmir. Army and BSF, guarding the Loc, have intensified vigil to prevent the militants from sneaking into this side from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.According to intelligence reports, over 500 militants are waiting at various launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to cross over. More than 100 militants have been killed in various operation in the Valley this year even as dozens of infiltration bids have been foiled in the last 10 months. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/106807/infiltration-bid-foiled-three-ultras.html

BSF Sports

From The Times of India

Oct 23, 2010

Jullandhar

BSF Inter Frontier Basket Ball/ Volley Ball/ Gymnastic and Weight lifting Competition -2010 was held at Frontier Headquarters BSF Punjab, Jalandhar, concluded on Saturday. Sportsmen of ten Frontiers of Border Security Force participated in the four days meet. After a grand opening on October 20 in an impressive and colorful ceremony held at Ashwani stadium, BSF campus, Jalandhar Cantt, 630 sports person participated in competition for 13 gold medals.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/speednewsshow/6799639.cms

BSF, Pak Rangers to meet in Lahore from Oct 26-30

From webindia123

Saturday, Oct 23

The Border Security Force (BSF) and the Pakistani Rangers will deliberate on various bilateral issues in their biannual meeting to be held in Lahore from October 26 to 30.

The issues to be discussed in this DGP level meeting would be ceasefire violation, infiltration, rocket firing from across the border, smuggling of drugs and the missing pillars along the border, BSF sources said. The BSF delegation, which would leave for Lahore on the morning of October 26, would be led by BSF Director General Raman Shrivastav.

-- (UNI)

http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20101023/1614945.html