Eight persons remained trapped inside the tunnel since February 22, after a part of it collapsed.
The Supreme Court of India has ordered a progressive reduction in the deputation of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) over the next two years, citing concerns over the delayed promotions of cadre officers. The court's decision aims to address the long-standing grievances of CAPF officers who feel their promotional prospects are hampered by the presence of IPS officers in higher ranks. The ruling also mandates a cadre review of the CAPFs to be completed within six months, addressing the issue of stagnation in the service hierarchy. The court's decision acknowledges the valuable contributions of CAPF officers while also recognizing the need to balance their promotional prospects with the operational requirements of the forces.
Heavy rains across India have led to widespread flooding, causing damage to infrastructure, displacement of residents, and disruption of normal life. Rescue efforts are underway in affected areas.
According to sources the army was all set to conduct operation in the disturbed 'ULFA infested' districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar and Jorhat.
Asim Munir and his brand of short-sighted army officers give no inkling of paying heed, changing course or learning lessons from the past, observes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
'Will Imran compromise with the army? We are all human beings. We all compromise.'
'War is not an answer. War is not a solution.' 'Deterrence is a solution. We should have the stick with us with which we can beat Pakistan.'
The foremost lesson for India today is to beef up its air defence to cater for multiple drone attacks. As seen in Operation Sindoor, we have come a long way, but there's room for getting better. We must develop a robust and almost impregnable air cover over ourselves, asserts IAF veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
At present, the Pralay ballistic missiles can take out targets from 150 to 500 km and are extremely difficult to intercept for the enemy through interceptor missiles.
This would be the first time that the Indian artillery would have these types of 105 mm mounted howitzers and would add to the strength of the formations deployed in forward positions, they said.
The attacks against the Pakistani air force have taken them at least five years back and caused great damage to them and their Chinese and Turkish inventory of weapons.
Rescue efforts to locate eight people trapped in a collapsed tunnel in Telangana continue, with over 500 rescuers working on a war footing. Despite days of intensive search and rescue operations, no breakthrough has been achieved yet. Authorities have dismissed reports of bodies being found in the debris and are working to clear the debris and access the trapped workers. The tunnel collapse occurred on February 22, trapping eight personnel working on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel project. Among the trapped are two engineers, two operators, and four laborers.
'The government has to explain (to the army, air force and navy chiefs) whether they want a punitive strike, a deep punitive strike, or whether they want limited war or an all-out war, will it be a circumscribed war or will it be a shallow attack along the border.'
He said in the last five years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the role of zonal councils has changed from advisory nature to action platforms.
The Indian military also acknowledged suffering some losses but declined to provide the details as the operations are going on.
Over 70 companies of paramilitary forces and more than 15,000 police personnel will be deployed across the national capital for Republic Day celebrations, an official said. The city will be monitored by drones and CCTV surveillance, and cyber-specialist officers will be deployed to oversee operations. Multi-layered security arrangements, including six layers of checking and frisking, barricading, and thousands of CCTV cameras with Facial Recognition Systems (FRS), will be in place.
Government employees in Bangladesh locked down the main gate of the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka, protesting a new service law that allows for easier dismissal of officials for misconduct. The protest, which lasted for about half an hour, disrupted government operations. The employees also threatened to continue their protests until the ordinance was scrapped. Meanwhile, the protest by employees of the Dhaka South City Corporation, demanding the installation of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain as its mayor, has brought administrative services to a halt. These protests, coupled with concerns raised by the business community and the military, highlight a growing sense of unease in Bangladesh over the policies of the interim government.
One person was injured on Friday during the Rath Yatra procession in Ahmedabad, when a male elephant, agitated by excessive noise, broke a barricade and rushed into a narrow lane, officials said.
The Delhi police has arrested an alleged member of Lashkar-e-Tayiba module operating in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara, officials said on Tuesday.
The conveyor belt at the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel in Telangana has been repaired and made operational, making it easier for rescue personnel to shift muck and debris. The belt was damaged following an accident on February 22. Rescue efforts continue on the 11th day of the accident, with a team from South Central Railway cutting the platform of the damaged Tunnel Boring Machine inside the tunnel. The government is exploring the option of deploying robots in the rescue operation to prevent any threat to the rescue personnel.
The Chinese numbers had surged significantly during the summer season as they brought in a large number of troops for summer training. They have now gone back to their rear locations.
'The Pakistanis knew there was only one route up and they could take direct aim at us as we climbed up.' 'They knew they could kill us.'
The body of one of the nine workers trapped inside a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district was recovered by army divers on Wednesday on the third day of the rescue operations, officials said.
Rescue teams working to extricate eight men trapped in a partially collapsed tunnel in Nagarkurnool, Telangana, have retrieved the body of one worker after over two weeks. The body was buried under silt at a depth of about 10 feet and was recovered after more than 48 hours of careful digging. The identity of the deceased is still being ascertained. The search for the remaining seven workers continues.
A 23-year-old man from Surat working as a 'helper' for the Russian Army was killed in a Ukrainian missile strike in a war zone, as per the claim made by his relatives.
Giving details of how she silenced three hostile posts resorting to unprovoked firing on her position during Operation Sindoor, she said, "I had three posts falling in my area. I pinned down the people at all three hostile locations. We hit them with every weapon we had. They were forced to flee their posts."
The Army has significantly bolstered its fire power along the frontier with China by deploying a range of rockets and artillery weapons and plans to procure an array of additional systems, including 100 K9 Vajra howitzers and UAVs, to augment combat prowess.
At a press conference ahead of the Army Day, Gen Pande also said that the troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) have been able to maintain a robust posture to defeat any evil design of the adversary with a firm and resolute manner.
The Indian Army is one of the very few armies in the world that operates tanks at high altitudes up to 16,000 feet, and in large numbers.
Meanwhile, a precautionary blackout has been enforfced in the multiple areas amid the esclating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi revealed that 300 to 400 drones were deployed across 36 locations, with several being shot down by Indian forces using both kinetic and non-kinetic methods.
Punjab and Rajasthan, which share borders with Pakistan, have gone into full alert mode following India's retaliatory missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Punjab Police has cancelled leaves of all its personnel and shut schools in six border districts, while Rajasthan has also cancelled leaves of administrative officials and police personnel deployed in the border areas and closed schools in four border districts.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has assured the nation that India will respond strongly to the recent terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which killed 26 people. He stated that India will not be intimidated by such acts and will take every necessary step to trace those responsible and those who conspired behind the scenes. Singh described the attack as "extremely inhuman" and reiterated India's zero-tolerance policy against terrorism.
The Army on Monday commemorated the 75th anniversary of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers by paying homage to the fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.
The situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China is stable but there is a need to keep a very close watch on it, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said on Friday amid the nearly three-year-long border row in eastern Ladakh.
An autonomous hydraulic-powered robot equipped with special machinery has been deployed to accelerate the search operation for seven people trapped inside a partially collapsed tunnel in Nagarkurnool, Telangana. The robot, equipped with a 30 HP capacity liquid ring vacuum pump and a vacuum tank machine, can remove up to 620 cubic meters of soil per hour using a conveyor belt. This technology aims to expedite the rescue efforts and enhance the efficiency of the operation. State Special Chief Secretary (Disaster Management) Arvind Kumar is supervising the search operation, which involves teams from the Army, NDRF, SDRF, HRDD, Singareni Collieries, a Hyderabad-based robotics company, and others.
"I am totally opposed to army being moved against Naxal elements," Defence Minister AK Antony said, adding, "Army cannot be used against everything... the forces are already coming in aid of civil authorities."
Two terrorists were killed and five security personnel were injured in a fierce gun battle in a remote forested area of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter, which involved a group of approximately five terrorists, triggered intense firing and explosions. The gunfight, centered near Jakhole village, resulted in injuries to Special Police Officer Bharat Chalotra, who sustained facial wounds. Three security personnel, including a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), were reportedly trapped near the gunfight's location. The terrorists were moving through the forest area when a police party headed by an SDPO moved in after getting specific information. Reinforcements from the police, army, and CRPF were immediately deployed to the area.
'The terrorists included underage boys around 15 years old. There were at least four of them. They were taking selfies during the attack and had cameras mounted on their heads'
The batch of five experts will also play a role as interpreters between India and China sides during border personnel meetings, sources said.
