SOURCE: ANI

In a bid to enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Defence Ministry on Thursday signed two separate contracts with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), at a total cost of over Rs 3,700 crore.

The first contract, worth over Rs 2,800 crore, pertains to the supply of Medium Power Radars (MPR) ‘Arudhra’ for the Indian Air Force. The second contract, at an overall cost of approx. Rs 950 crore, relates to 129 DR-118 Radar Warning Receivers (RWR). Both projects are under Buy Indian- IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) category. These essentially embody the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and will help facilitate the realisation of the country’s journey to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

SOURCE: ANI

More than two weeks after an accident off the Mumbai coast, the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard have continued to keep their ALH Dhruv chopper fleets grounded as thorough checks are being carried out on specific parts of the indigenous helicopters. The Indian Army cleared some of its machines for operations in the choppers after they remained grounded for around 10 days.

“ALH Dhruv choppers of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard continue to remain grounded as checks are being carried out on them. The fleet of these choppers was grounded after an accident in Mumbai on March 8,” Defence officials said here. The choppers were grounded after an Indian Navy chopper ditched near the Mumbai coast while it was carrying out a sortie over sea.

SOURCE: PTI

The Indian Army and the Indian Air force conducted a multi-domain air-land exercise ‘Vayu Prahar’ in the eastern theatre to validate plans to execute synergised operations, sources said on Thursday.

The exercise was held in the second week of March. The sources said the scope of the joint exercise included rapid mobilisation of an earmarked rapid reaction force from the hinterland to undertake air-landed operations at a nominated advance landing ground.

SOURCE: PTI

The vandalism by pro-Khalistan extremists at the Indian High Commission in London was on Thursday raised in the House of Commons, with British MPs demanding action against “Khalistani hooligans” and the safety of India’s diplomatic staff.

While Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman called for a debate in Parliament to discuss steps to ban groups behind the violence, Opposition Labour Party MP Gareth Thomas asked the Leader of the House of Commons about the steps being taken to ensure there is “no repeat of such behaviour”.

SOURCE: ANI

Pro-Khalistan supporters and associates of Amritpal Singh were shifted out of Punjab after Central Intelligence agencies raised concerns over possible jailbreak and repeat of the Ajnala incident. Thousands of Amritpal’s supporters had entered the Ajnala police station in Amritsar on February 23 this year to free a member, who had been arrested in an abduction case.

A source in Intelligence agencies has confirmed that after they had a meeting with state police officers and shared their intelligence report on arrested ‘Waris Punjab De’ (WPD) associates under the National Security Act (NSA) and recommended shifting them out of Punjab.

SOURCE: IANS

 While Punjab is peaceful after the state police’s ‘Operation Amritpal’ a handful of labour-class Sikhs settled abroad mainly in Canada, America, the UK and Australia are behind the Khalistani hooliganism in these countries.

Indianarrative.com telephonically contacted some NRIs in the three countries to get first-hand information about the prevalent situation. An Ottawa-based software engineer, Ajaydeep Singh Grewal says: “after Operation Amritpal, a group of around 70 Sikhs from Montreal and Ottawa gathered in front of the Indian High Commission on March 19 and protested peacefully.”

SOURCE: ANI

Even after assurances from the London Metropolitan Police to raise the level of protection to the Indian High Commission, pro-Khalistan supporters on Wednesday breached the security cover and threw eggs and inks to deface and vandalize the building.

The London Police had barricaded the Indian High Commission after the police in New Delhi removed traffic barricades outside the British High Commission, in a move interpreted by some as a demonstration of India’s displeasure with the security breach in London by pro-Khalistan supporters.

SOURCE: ANI

A socio-political activist from the Kashmir Valley has informed the UN about intense development, peace and prevalence of grass-root democracy in India’s Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
In her intervention during the 52nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Tasleema Akhtar said, “As Jammu and Kashmir gear up for elections under a new administrative setup, the foundation for development has been laid by its municipal bodies which emerged as propellers of growth and infrastructure”.

She added, “Electricity and roads have finally penetrated even the last of the remaining villages in J-K’s remote areas. Development works worth USD 700 million are under progress now and Jammu and Kashmir have received investment applications of an equal amount as well”.

SOURCE: PTI

Five Naxalites were arrested following a gunfight with security forces in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, a senior police official said.

The face-off took place around 11.30 am in the forest of Kottalendra village under Errabor police station limits, he said. Acting on a specific input about the presence of Naxalites in Kottalendra in a bid to carry out a major attack on National Highway-30 (connecting Sukma town to Konta), a joint team of personnel from Konta and Errabor police stations and District Reserve Guard (DRG) was dispatched in the area, Sukma Superintendent of Police Sunil Sharma said.

SOURCE: ANI

Jammu and Kashmir Police in a joint operation with security forces on Thursday arrested a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist from Sopore and recovered arms and ammunition from his possession.

Acting on specific information regarding the movement of terrorists, Jammu and Kashmir Police alongwith the Indian Army (52RR) and Central Reserve Police Force (177 BN) launched a joint cordon and search operation near Peth Seer railway station.

SOURCE: PTI

Haryana Police have nabbed a woman who allegedly harboured Amritpal Singh and his associate Papalpreet Singh at her home in the state’s Kurukshetra district, an official said on Thursday.

In another development, Punjab police said they have arrested a man who was allegedly part of the private security setup of the radical preacher. Tejinder Singh Gill, a resident of Mangewal village in the Khanna area of Ludhiana district, was deputed in the security of Amritpal Singh.

SOURCE: PTI

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday carried out raids in three states as part of its probe into the ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ terror module that was busted in Bihar last year.

The houses of eight suspects located in Nagpur in Maharashtra, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, and Valsad, Surat and Botad districts in Gujarat were searched and “incriminating” material, including digital devices (mobile phones and memory cards) and documents, seized, the federal agency said in a statement.