All stories by David Devadas
Coming Up: Women Power in J&K
Rediff.com31 Dec 2020Women will have a decisive say as chairpersons in seven of Jammu and Kashmir's 20 districts.
What J&K poll results means for BJP/NC/PDP
Rediff.com25 Dec 2020What the election demonstrated is that the BJP has a stranglehold on most of the Hindu votes in the Union territory, observes David Devadas.
How India can win future wars
Rediff.com30 Oct 2020Future, even present, wars -- at least those involving such tech giants as China -- include hi-tech battlefields, which a Pakistan-obsessed India has not sufficiently prioritised. Today's generals plan on how to disrupt an enemy city's power supplies, rail networks, airports, ports, and government departments, not just by bombing or torpedoing them; they also examine the option of tripping up the computer networks that run these, notes David Devadas.
Will India face a China-Pakistan war in November?
Rediff.com17 Oct 2020The Indian Army's Northern Command would be stretched if all three of the corps under it -- based in Leh, Srinagar, and Nagrota (near Jammu) -- were to face hostilities, notes David Devadas.
J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha gets down to business
Rediff.com12 Aug 2020Some of the BJP panches and councillors who attended the meeting with Manoj Sinha said they were not impressed with what the new lieutenant governor told them.
Why Modi chose Manoj Sinha as J-K lieutenant governor
Rediff.com8 Aug 2020'Sinha's skills at resolving contradictions will be required to smoothen the functioning of the bureaucracy which has been so fractious that it tripped up even a seasoned bureaucrat like his immediate predecessor, G C Murmu,' notes avid Devadas.
How the army taught the Chinese a lesson
Rediff.com28 Jul 2020The Chinese probably thought that brutal assault was a knock-out, but they had not counted on the ingenuity, loyalty and courage of battle-trained Indian officers and jawans.
Something bigger is afoot than just shifting the LAC a couple of km in Ladakh
Rediff.com27 Jun 2020The government must figure out what the Chinese game plan is and thwart the endgame before it is upon us, possibly in early winter, advises David Devadas.
How Bihar Regiment's bravery at Galwan stunned China
Rediff.com18 Jun 2020A senior officer confirmed that the Indian soldiers fought valiantly and with tremendous grit "till the last", even to the extent that half of them died in battle, reveals David Devadas.
The general defending Ladakh against the Chinese
Rediff.com8 Jun 2020Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, who commands the 'Fire and Fury' 14 Corps, has the experience and talent to face down the Chinese challenge. The general is a rare combination of thinker and tough-minded doer, observes David Devadas.
250 days after 5/8, tense summer ahead for Kashmir
Rediff.com11 Apr 2020'Terrorists are killing ordinary citizens, huge crowds brave a pandemic to attend militant funerals, and artillery is booming on the LoC.' 'This April seems like a run-of-the-terror-mill Kashmiri spring: Violence is emerging like a prickly new bud,' warns David Devadas.
AAP's use of Hindu symbolism is a sign of the times
Rediff.com14 Feb 2020As the campaign peaked, AAP leaders evidently realised they had to deflect their chief opponent's attempts to polarise the electorate over religious identity, explains David Devadas.
Many questions about rogue cop Davinder Singh
Rediff.com29 Jan 2020Why did RA&W hire a man with a questionable record, wonders David Devadas.
Communication blockade strikes at the heart of Kashmiri life
Rediff.com3 Sep 2019'Those who have not lived and imbibed the social and cultural patterns of Kashmir cannot quite fathom the importance of inter-personal communication in Kashmiri society,' says David Devadas.
Govt's arguments valid, but have little to do with Article 370
Rediff.com16 Aug 2019A lot of the factors towards which the government has pointed to justify its moves on Jammu and Kashmir are in fact valid. Only, most of them have little to do with Article 370, says David Devadas.
Undoing Jammu and Kashmir's integration
Rediff.com7 Aug 2019The new legislation on J&K puts a cloud over the state's constitution, through which the state became `an integral part' of India, says David Devadas.
The Dragon in the Valley
Rediff.com17 Jul 2017It has been obvious that the Sino-Pak axis would conspire to weaken India's sovereignty in Jammu and Kashmir, if not wrest Kashmir, says David Devadas.
It's time for the government to cut its losses
Rediff.com4 Mar 2016'In order to restore things to even keel, the government would be very well advised to cut its current political losses and work towards healing wounds across the nation. It still has its work cut out. It will have to work very hard to repair the political damage among Dalit and tribal communities,' says David Devadas.