Month: September 2020

China’s transgression attempt near the southern bank of Pangong Tso, which was thwarted by the Indian Army was a deliberate move to provoke India, according to American intelligence assessment.

Beijing is infuriated with its local commander withdrawing forces when a physical conflict appeared imminent, added the assessment report.

Washington said Indian troops have prevented any loss of ground, according to a source familiar with the assessment who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Pangong Tso region situated high in the Himalayas is considered to be within India’s territorial control, according to US News and World Report.

The US believes that Indian forces were better prepared to face the Chinese provocation following the deadly violent standoff in June in the Galwan valley, in which 20 Indian soldiers had lost their lives. However, the assessment did not conclude whether Chinese forces were the first to act in a provocative manner in this case, although the US has chosen to side with India due to China’s past provocative behaviour.

American intelligence officials and local analysts have questioned the timing of the latest standoff even as China is seeking to cool tensions or it has given the appearance it wishes to do so and improve its relations with India.

“We are staggered at the timing of the Chinese actions but shouldn’t complain either if Beijing shoots itself in the foot,” according to the intelligence assessment.

Indian officials are slated to meet with their counterparts virtually from the US, Australia and Japan later this month for a summit, which Indian sources say, will likely result in a new intelligence-sharing agreement among the countries.

“The result of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue and its Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement will not only equip the Indian armed forces with the vital intelligence it needs to better understand Chinese military positions and movements, but it will serve as an important step in formalizing a partnership with New Delhi that Washington would like to see grow even stronger at China’s expense,” according to US News and World Report.

The US Defence Department said China has prioritised military spending over the last decade to focus on expanding its capabilities to be operated in disputed regions along its border, including India and Bhutan to contested waterways in the East and South China seas.

“China’s leaders use tactics short of armed conflict to pursue China’s objectives. China calibrates its coercive activities to fall below the threshold of provoking armed conflict with the US, its allies and partners, or others in the Indo-Pacific region,” according to the latest version of the Pentagon’s annual Military China Report, which was released on Tuesday.

The US intelligence assessment stated that Chinese troops this time were building encampments in contested space, a tactic adopted by both sides to gain a foothold they can expand later into infrastructure to support broader operations in the future.

Chinese President Xi Jinping would have known about the latest clashes in advance due to the nature of Chinese military’s decision-making. Xi may have created a “cycle of provocations” and does not know how to extract the Chinese Army without appearing to show weak, according to US intelligence officials.

Analysts at that time believed Chinese troops did not anticipate the mood of the Indian people following the Galwan valley clash. The Indian government subsequently took action, which included banning several Chinese mobile applications.

Talks have been held between the two sides but the outcome has not come out yet. Recently, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi embarked on a five-nation visit in Europe to ease tensions, particularly the growing skepticism of using Chinese telecom major Huawei to help build 5G networks.

“The timing is puzzling given the upcoming US-India talks and what appeared to be some recent – if not particularly successful – efforts to reduce tensions along the border,” Sheena Greitens, associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, was quoted as saying by US News and World Report.

“One effect of the standoff has been to add a sense of urgency to efforts to strengthen US-India ties, especially in terms of defense cooperation. But developments at the 2+2 should not be viewed as a knee-jerk response to this week’s flare-up: There is a long-standing interest in the United States in strengthening ties with India in its own right,” Greitens said. (ANI)

Hours after the Allahabad High Court granted conditional bail to him, Dr Kafeel Khan was released from the Mathura jail.

Dr Khan was charged under the National Security Act for his alleged inflammatory statements at the Aligarh Muslim University during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Notably, the order came days after the Supreme Court asked the High Court to decide and dispose of the petition related to the release of Kafeel Khan in 15 days.

“I want to thank all 138 crore Indians for standing by me during my struggle. I thank the judiciary for giving this order, in which they said that the Uttar Pradesh government made a false, baseless, and fictitious case to keep me in prison,” Khan told reporters here shortly after his release.

In a light-hearted tone he further added, “I also thank the UP STF which did not kill me while bringing me to Mathura from Mumbai.”

Speaking about his future plans right after his release, Khan said that he wanted to go to the flood-affected states of Bihar, Kerala, and Assam and take part in the relief works there.

He also put forth a plea to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, stating “I urge the chief minister to reinstate me in my job so that I can work for the people as a Corona warrior.”

Khan was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in January from Mumbai after he allegedly made inflammatory statements at the Aligarh Muslim University during a protest against the CAA on December 12, 2019.

He was on February 14, 2020, charged under the National Security Act. (ANI)

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has suggested that senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal should resign from the Congress party and join the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Athawale said that the NDA government in the Centre will keep returning to power and that since veteran Congress leaders like Sibal, Azad and others have been accused of colluding with the BJP, they should submit their resignation just like Jyotiraditya Scindia did and join the BJP.

“There is a controversy over the post of Congress chief. Rahul Gandhi has accused Sibal, Azad of working on BJP’s behalf. Therefore, I request Sibal, Azad to resign from Congress. They have spent many years expanding the Congress, but they should exit the party and join BJP now,” Athawale told ANI here.

“If they are being disrespected there they should leave just like Jyotiraditya Scindia did, even Sachin Pilot did so but he reached a compromise. Rahul Gandhi is wrong in blaming people who built the Congress,” he added.

Athawale said that the BJP led NDA would stay in power for many more years, and expressed the hope that it will win over 350 seats in the next general elections.

“BJP is the party of the masses today, people of all castes, sects, and religion are joining BJP. It will win keep winning in the coming elections and eradicate Congress,” the Union minister of state for Social Justice said.

Sibal and Azad were among the 23 big leaders from Congress who had written to interim president Sonia Gandhi for sweeping changes in the party.

Later defending the letter, Azad had said it was no big deal if their letter got leaked and asked if action should not be taken for “indiscipline” against leaders who targeted them.

Azad also said that party leader Rahul Gandhi initially had issues with the letter which was discussed during the stormy meeting of Congress Working Committee held last month. (ANI)

The Chinese government’s oppressive and discriminatory treatment of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the northwest region of Xinjiang is “genocide” and former US Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden “stands against it in the strongest terms”, the Biden campaign has said.

The statement assumes significance as many countries and international organisations have repeatedly criticised China over its treatment of its people in the country, especially in Xinjiang and Tibet.

While Beijing has vehemently denied that it is engaged in human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, reports from journalists, NGOs and former detainees have surfaced, highlighting the Chinese Communist Party’s brutal crackdown on the ethnic community, Axios reported.

Genocide is a serious crime under international law and the US government has adopted the term on rare occasions only after extensive documentation. Some experts said reports of mass surveillance, torture, arbitrary detentions and forced detentions employed by China against Uyghurs amounts to “demographic genocide”.

Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates initially gave the statement in response to a report by Politico, which reported that the Trump administration is planning to formally label China’s actions in Xinjiang as genocide, according to Axios.

“The unspeakable oppression that Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have suffered at the hands of China’s authoritarian government is genocide and Joe Biden stands against it in the strongest terms. If the Trump administration does indeed choose to call this out for what it is, as Joe Biden already did, the pressing question is what will Donald Trump do to take action. He must also apologize for condoning this horrifying treatment of Uyghurs,” Bates was quoted as saying.

Top Trump administration officials have publicly denounced China’s treatment of the Uyghurs and the Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on a number of Chinese officials and entities involved in human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Both the Trump and Biden campaign have hit out at each other over who is “tougher” than China during campaigning for the presidential election.

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo described the ethnic cleansing of the Uyghurs as the “stain of the century” and condemned it as “a human rights violation on a scale we have not seen since the Second World War,” according to the Voice of America. (ANI)

‘Climate Warrior’ Bhumi Pednekar who is known for environment protection initiatives has developed a sustainable garden with her mother at her home and she feels that sustainable farming should be taught to children in schools as a subject.

“Today, I wish I had learned more about growing and farming in school. We have no understanding of how to nurture and grow plants, grains, and crops. It’s taken me a lot of reading and studying of something that should be knowledge received at a lower education level,” the ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’ actor said.

“I really believe that studying our fauna and the cultivation of it should be taught at school so that for the future generations can actually practice farming and growing, as opposed to feeling it’s something very complex and tough and only meant for farmer,” she added.

Bhumi feels the education will make people empathise more with nature and the planet during the critical challenges that the planet is facing due to pollution, climate change, and others.

“Becoming one with nature is therapeutic and makes you empathetic and a more mature, responsible individual. Thus, if it’s started with young adults, I feel it will be very beneficial,” Pednekar said.

The environmentally conscious citizen has taken up climate conservation as a cause to raise awareness among fellow Indians through her online and offline initiative called ‘Climate Warrior’ through which she is mobilising citizens to contribute towards protecting the environment. (ANI)

Ajit K Dubey

In a significant development Indian security forces on Tuesday foiled an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control in the general area of Chumar in Eastern Ladakh, sources said.

This comes close on the heels of Indian Army thwarting Chinese Army’s attempt on the night of August 29 and 30 to transgress into areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso.

Sources said on Tuesday that around seven to eight heavy vehicles of the Chinese army set off towards the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) from their Chepuzi camp.

In reaction, the Indian security forces also made precautionary deployments to prevent any intrusion,” they said. The sources said seeing the vehicles from the Indian side along with troops, the Chinese vehicle convoy returned back towards their bases.

Indian security forces are on high alert all along the LAC to prevent any incursion by the Chinese in any sector, they added.

The Indian Army had earlier thwarted an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso lake near Chushul in Ladakh on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand had said on Monday that on the night of August 29/30, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo.

He said the Indian Army took measures to strengthen its position and “and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground”.

The spokesperson also said that the Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity through dialogue but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity.

A Brigade Commander level Flag Meeting was later held at Chushul to resolve the issues.

Army sources had said that the Chinese Army had tried to transgress into Indian areas using a sizeable number of troops but Indian Army came to know about their intentions and preempted the Chinese attempt and foiled their move.

India and China are in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including Finger area, Galwan valley, Hot springs and Kongrung Nala.

The talks between the two sides have been going on for the last three months including five Lieutenant General-level talks but have failed to yield results so far.

The Chinese Army has refused to withdraw or disengage completely from the Finger area and seems to be buying time to delay its disengagement from there.

While efforts are underway to resolve the ongoing border dispute, India has rejected the Chinese suggestion to disengage equidistantly from the Finger area in eastern Ladakh. (ANI)

India registered 65,081 recoveries in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative number of recovered patients to 28,39,882 and the recovery rate among COVID-19 patients to further high of 77 per cent, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Tuesday.

The number of recovered patients has overtaken the active cases by 3.61 times, the Ministry said.

Meanwhile, India’s cumulative COVID-19 tests crossed 4.3 crores on Tuesday, 1,22,66,514 tests were done in the last two weeks alone, informed the MoHFW.

The states, which are contributing maximum to the overall number of tests include Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra among others. These three states account for nearly 34 per cent of the total testing.

Over 10 lakh tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, it said.

India’s COVID-19 case tally has reached 36,91,167 including 7,85,996 active cases, 28,39,883 cured/discharged/migrated and 65,288 deaths. (ANI)

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted telecom companies, including Airtel Bharti and Vodafone Idea, a period of 10 years to clear their pending adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues to the Central government.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, passing the order through video conferencing, asked the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to decide on spectrum trading as part of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

The top court had, on July 20, reserved its order on the timeline for the payment of AGR dues by telecom companies after observing that the request of telecom companies seeking 15 to 20 years for the payment of AGR dues in a staggered manner was unreasonable.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by the Central government through the Department of Telecommunication seeking the approval of a formula allowing telecom service providers to make annual installments of unpaid or remaining AGR dues in next 20 years or more.

The plea said if the telecom companies face proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, it will have adverse impacts on competition and service in the telecom sector.

The telecom companies, during the hearing, had also sought a period of 15-20 years for the repayment of AGR dues.

On February 14, the Supreme Court had directed telecom companies to pay the AGR-related liabilities to the government by March 17. Thereafter, the telecom companies had partly or fully paid their self-assessed AGR dues to the Central government. (ANI)

The Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) Main for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) has begun with precautions amid COVID-19 on Tuesday, despite protests by Opposition parties and some students.

Before entering the exam halls, the temperature of students was checked and sanitisers were also given to them in Delhi.

“I am carrying my own sanitiser and I had also undergone a temperature check,” said Pranjal while speaking to ANI outside his examination centre at Arwachin Bharti Bhawan Sr Sec School in Vivek Vihar in New Delhi.

Even in Kolkata, candidates appearing for the exam were seen standing in queues while abiding by the social distancing norm at TCS Gitobitan.

In Gorakhpur as well, announcements were being made for the candidates to maintain social distancing and other measures in the wake of COVID 19 spread.

In Kaluchal Chenab College of Education in Jammu, the candidates appearing for the JEE Main exam were standing at a distance for the temperature check and had covered their faces with a mask to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

While JEE has been held today, the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test will take place on September 13. (ANI)