*Drone sends police into tizzy
‘Troops capable to thwart any misadventure’
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 13: Army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane today called for zero tolerance against ceasefire violations by Pakistan army and infiltration attempts by the militants on the Line of Control (LoC) as he reviewed security situation and operational preparedness of the troops along the borders during his visit to Jammu and Pathankot.
The Chief of Army Staff visited forward areas under the jurisdiction of Western Command and Yol Cantonment based 9 Corps i.e. Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts in Jammu region and Pathankot district in Punjab.
The Army chief’s statement of zero tolerance against ceasefire violations and intrusion bids by the militants aided and abetted by Pakistani troops on the LoC comes amidst regular shelling and firing by Pakistan in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region and Baramulla and Kupwara in Kashmir.
All such attempts have been foiled by the Army.
He expressed confidence in the Indian Army’s capabilities to thwart any misadventure by the enemies of the country and handle any situation.
Gen Naravane highlighted that all agencies of the Services and Government are working together relentlessly and will continue to do the same to defeat the nefarious design of proxy war being fuelled by our adversaries.
He visited forward areas in Jammu and Pathankot which form part of the International Border where the BSF is on frontline and reviewed prevailing situation with top Army Commanders accompanying him.
Few days back, the BSF had shot down a Pakistani drone in which sophisticated weapons were being smuggled for the militants in Kashmir from across the border.
The Chief of Army Staff was received here by Lt Gen R P Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, GOC Rising Star Corps, Maj Gen V B Nair, GOC Tiger Division and Air Commodore A S Pathania, Air Officer Commanding (AOC), Air Force station Jammu.
Gen Naravane was briefed by Lt Gen Dwivedi on the operational preparedness, up gradation of security infrastructure and the internal security matters.
The Army chief, accompanied by GOC Tiger Division, reviewed operational preparedness in the forward areas.
He interacted with the Field Formation Commanders and troops on ground during the visit.
Gen Naravane also visited the forward areas of Gurj Division and was briefed by Maj Gen Y P Khanduri, GOC of the Division.
The Army chief addressed all ranks of the Western Command through video conferencing and lauded the morale of the troops.
He also commended the efforts of all the formations of the Western Command in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting the ongoing ‘Op Namaste’.
Meanwhile, police here today went into a tizzy after a drone was found abandoned in a village on the outskirts of the city.
The drone was initially believed to have come from Pakistan through the International Border (IB), but a subsequent investigation revealed that it was owned by the Indian Army and got grounded after its battery drained out during a routine exercise.
A police party recovered the drone from village Boothai Chak in the jurisdiction of Police Post Phallian Mandal near Satwari after getting information from the locals at around 11.30 am.
Senior officers rushed to the scene on getting the information as it was believed that the drone had come from Pakistan which is making repeated attempts to smuggle weapons and drugs by such flying objects.
However, it came to light that the drone belonged to the Indian Army and had deviated from its track during routine exercise after its battery got drained out as a result of which it fell in the village, they said.
On June 20, the Border Security Force had shot down a hexacopter drone with a payload of five-and-a-half kilograms, including a sophisticated US-made M4 semi-automatic carbine and seven grenades, at village Rathua in the vicinity of Border Outpost Pansar in Kathua district.
Following the first-of-its-kind incident, the security forces and police are on high alert along the IB and the LoC to frustrate any attempt of Pakistan to smuggle weapons and drugs through drones into Jammu and Kashmir.
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