Indian Military

JAMMU: An Army jawan was killed and a BSF jawan injured in separate blasts in Jammu and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Tuesday.
Havaldar Sardar Singh of 19 Raj Rifles was repairing a cooler in Arms Maintenance room in army camp in Kharian area when the explosion took place here yesterday, they said.
The jawan died on his way to a hospital, they said, adding that a case has been registered in this regard.
A FLS team today visited the spot and has collected the explosive sample, Station House officer (SHO), Miran Sahib, Suinil Jasrotia said.
"The blast took place due to some explosive material," he said, adding efforts are on to ascertain the nature of the explosive material.
In another incident, a jawan of 182 battalion of BSF, Lance Naik Dev Singh was cleaning weapons and grenades in forward Border Out Post (BOP) Chak Faqira along the Indo-Pak Border in Samba district yesterday, they said.
As he saw that safety pin of one of the grenade has come out, he threw the device away resulting in the blast, they said.

BHUBANESWAR: Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Monday said some of the IAF helicopters were being used for movement of troops in Maoist-hit areas in different states.

"Some of the helicopters were kept at the disposal of the ministry of home affairs (MHA), which used these in different states...The IAF choppers are being used in Naxal areas keeping in mind the requirements," the IAF chief said at a function in the Sainik School here.

Naik's statement about use of copters came in the wake of the Centre planning to hire 13 twin-engine, armour-plated turbine helicopters from private operators on wet lease for movement of troops in Maoist-hit areas and surveillance purpose.

About 20 choppers of IAF and BSF had already been deployed in Maoist-hit areas, officials said.

JAMMU/NEW DELHI: Two Pakistani aircraft on Wednesday flew close to the international border in the Jammu sector, triggering an air defence alert of the Indian Air Force.
The two low-flying Pakistani light aircraft were detected close to Indian territory and were sighted by BSF troops deployed in the R S Pura Sector in Jammu, Indian Air Force sources said.
"Their movement and approach were picked up by our sensors and radars," they said.
Thought the aircraft were flying in Pakistani territory, it was a breach of agreement between the two sides barring flying of fixed-wing aircraft in 10 km area from each side of the international boundary, they said.
"As per its standard operating procedures (SOP), IAF responds in such situation looking at the level of threat posed by the aircraft," they said, without giving details.
The SOP could range from activating its surface-to-air missile batteries to scrambling of fighter aircraft located close to the area.

[Stratpost]

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India was asked by the Ministry of Defense, in June 2009, to conduct an audit into the facts and circumstances that gave rise to the criminal case against the former Director General of Ordnance Factories and Chairman of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Sudipta Ghosh.

While submitting that the institution of the CAG was neither ‘empowered nor equipped’ to conduct inquiries of a forensic nature, the CAG nevertheless accepted the charge and submitted a report to Parliament last week, that testifies to the acts of omission and commission, based on incompetence, lack of foresight or mala fide intent, that led to the recommendation of a blacklist of companies.

The recommendation for blacklisting Singapore Technologies (ST) arose from the issue of the supply of Close Quarter Battle (CQB) Carbines to paramilitary forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), India’s law enforcement and interior ministry.

ST was indirectly mentioned in the FIR (First Information Report) registered by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) against Sudipta Ghosh and so the ‘transaction with STK was put on hold in June, 2009 by MOD.