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Govt can’t allow Hurriyat to go to Pak as mediators: Advani NEW DELHI, Mar 7: Home Minister L K Advani told the Rajya Sabha today that the Government cannot allow the Hurriyat leadership to go to Pakistan as mediators. However the Government is willing to hold talks with them to further the peace initiative in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Advani told Mr Kuldeep Nayar and others that in view of the various Hurriyat leaders making various statements, the Government would not send the Hurriyat leaders to Pakistan as mediators. However, the Government would not object to those Hurriyat leaders who have passports from going to Pakistan. Mr Advani said the Government does not agree with the opinion that the Hurriyat leaders are the sole mediators and the sole representatives of the Valley so as to hold talks with Pakistan. Defending the Government action of unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir, Mr Advani said the peace initiative taken by the Government was the right course which had evoked favourable world opinion for India and made the local population of J and K happy. However, this was not the only reason why unilateral ceasefire had been declared for another three months. He said the Government in deciding about extention of ceasefire had considered and attached importance to the views of the security forces in the matter. Mr Advani claimed that the peace initiative taken in Kashmir had evoked good response from the local population and world leaders who were against the cross border terrorism. But the response from Pakistan has been inadequate in the sense that only shelling on the borders had stopped. This (shelling of borders) had come about after a long time. The response from the militants too has been unsatisfactory, he said. He said with the unilateral cease fire, a favourable climate had been created in Kashmir and hoped the favourable world opinion would force Pakistan to rein in the militants. The Home Minister admitted that despite the ceasefire, instances of arson and extortions are still reported in the State. There are violations of ground rules he said, but asserted that during the last three months the number of killings and murders in the State had gone down. Mr Advani denied the suggestion that military action in Kashmir has been abandoned following the ceasefire. The security forces have been told not only to take retaliatory action against the actual attack by militants but also to pre-empt any move by the militants to attack. The Home Minister did not agree with Shiv Sena member Sanjay Nirupam’s suggestion to cancel the ceasefire and to allow security forces to resort to firing as the ceasefire was being misused in the Kashmir. He argued that the Government was going purely by the opinion of the security forces on the matter. Earlier, leader of the opposition Dr Manmohan Singh said that the all party meet called by the Prime Minister had stated that unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir was not an end in itself and that unless political process of dialogue was initiated mere ceasefire had no meaning. Mr L K Advani said Jammu and Kashmir militants have not come forward for any dialogue."Only in the North East for example the NSCN have responded" to the Centre’s move for dialogue, Mr Advani said. Minister of State for Home Vidya Sagar Rao said identity cards have been issued in the border areas to check infiltration. The Bangladesh and Rajasthan borders have been sealed, he said on a question from R P Goenka (Cong). He said 88 Pakistani nationals have been apprehended by the BSF since 1997 and a large amount of heroin has been seized. Moreover 1048 km of fencing all along the Indo-Pak border at a cost Rs 399 crores. Flood lights, round the clock patrolling, night curfew and latest weapons have been deployed. Mr Advani said security on border areas is the joint responsibility of the State and Centre. (UNI) |
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Police firing, cane-charge
on mob Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 7: Two Station House Officers (SHOs) of Gandhi Nagar and Nagrota police stations and eight police constables were among over 30 persons injured when Rajouri and Poonch migrants subjected police parties to heavy stone pelting at Belicharana, where they had gone to arrest few migrant leaders in connection with Ragoora (Sidhra) firing incident in the wee hours of this morning. SHO Gandhi Nagar Inspector Shamsher Singh Parihar was seriously injured in his head and was hospitalised. Four migrants had also sustained deep injuries in retaliatory lathicharge and tear-gassing by police. Again in the afternoon, police used teargas shells and lathicharge to disperse a big group of migrants trying to march towards Tawi bridge through Tawian area to disrupt the vehicular movement. The migrants dispersed after about an hour long clashes with police. Police said a case had been registered at Nagrota police station against two representatives of migrants from Poonch and Rajouri identified as Shamsher Singh, Kashmira Singh and Mohd Akram for trying to encroach upon forest land at Ragoora, Sidhra few days back. The abortive attempt to grab Government land had resulted into a devastating blaze killing four persons including a doctor and a Sales Tax Inspector. At about 0100 hours today, a Nagrota police station party led by SHO Aziz Khan raided Belicharana, where the migrants had been putting up, to arrest the migrant leaders against whom a case stood registered at Nagrota police station. Migrants, living in tents on the banks of Tawi, resented police action in the mid-night and didn’t allow the cops to arrest Shamsher Singh and others. Few migrants also pelted stones on the cops. Police retaliated with firing shots in air and lathicharge. In the meantime, police parties from Gandhi Nagar and Satwari police stations led by respective SHOs Shamsher Singh Parihar and Hardit Singh Gill rushed to Belicharana after getting a report of clash. Police parties made another attempt to arrest the migrants at about 0400 hours today. The migrants, who had by then prepared themselves for a police onslaught, subjected cops to heavy stone pelting. Again police fired several teargas shells and used cane-charge to chase away the agitated people. Police also arrested a migrant leader Shamsher Singh of Rajouri but agitated mob attacked the cops and rescued him. People didn’t allow mob to arrest Shamsher. Police said Parihar and eight other police cops sustained stone injuries. Parihar had a deep wound in his head. Atleast 20 migrants including six women were also injured in police lathicharge and teargassing. A police bus was ransacked by protesters, who also removed its all seat covers and battery. Mob took the bus in its control. It was only after two hours that police parties could retrieve the bus from migrants’ possession. Injured SHO, eight cops and three civilians were later shifted to Medical College hospital. Injured still admitted in the hospital have been identified as Deepak Sharma, Raj Kumar, Rounak Singh and Surinder Kumar, all cops besides Parihar, Tufail Hussain, Bansi Singh, Ashok Lal and Pankaj Balai, all young migrants from different areas of Poonch and Rajouri, presently putting up at Belicharana. Later, police parties succeeded in arresting Kashmira Singh and Mohd Akram and lodged them in Nagrota police station. In the afternoon, about 500 migrants including some women came out of their camps and marched towards Tawi bridge through the banks of Tawi river to demonstrate against what they called police brutalities on peacefully living migrants. However, police swung into action and fired several teargas shells besides resorting to cane-charge to disperse the migrants. Protesters fought pitched battles with police for about half an hour and then dispersed. Police didn’t allow the migrants to reach close to the busy Tawi bridge. Deputy Commissioner R K Goel, SSP Jammu R R Swain, officiating SP South Bachan Singh Chowdhary and DySP Headquarters Ashok Sharma visited Belicharana this morning to review the situation. Migrants at Belicharana told a visiting EXCELSIOR correspondent that police used brutal force on sleeping people, who had already been displaced from their houses, and didn’t spare even women. They produced three women before mediamen, who had suffered rifle butt and lathicharge injuries on their persons. Migrants demanded immediate release of two arrested leaders Kashmira Singh and Mohd Akram and threatened to again march to Tawi bridge if the duo were not freed. They alleged that their tents and goods also suffered damage in police action. |
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No proposal to trifurcate
J&K Excelsior Special Correspondent NEW DELHI, Mar 7: The Government of India has firmly resolved to take all necessary measures to preserve the security and territorial integrity of the country. The Government is also determined to defeat Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr Vidyasagar Rao, informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Admitting that the Government had come across a media report captioned ‘Musharraf mum on militancy’, Mr Rao stated in reply to a question by Mr Anil Sharma that the Government had adopted a multi-pronged approach to deal with the cross-border terrorism. It inter alia included strengthening the border management, neutralising plans of the militants by appropriate action against them in the hinterland, gearing up intelligence machinery, greater functional framework of operation groups and intelligence groups at the Unified Headquarters and lower levels, improved technology, weapons and equipments for security forces, closer vigil on the border, establishment of more naka parties in depth areas to check infiltration and exfiltration, police pickets and intensive patrolling. Quoting the statistics made available by the Jammu and Kashmir Government, Mr Vidyasagar Rao informed Mr Sanjay Nirupam during Question Hour that as many as 41 members of the Sikh community were killed in 2000 in the State. Mr Rao put the number of Sikhs killed in J&K during 2001 (up to February 15) at 11. The killing of members of minorities, Mr Rao said, appeared to be a part of a sinister plan of Pakistani terrorist groups to encourage ethnic cleansing of Kashmir valley by forcing minorities to migrate, inciting communal backlash and undermining any peace initiative. Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad wanted to know if the Government had taken cognizance of a recent newspaper report vis-à-vis the threat from Masood Azhar’s organisation to carry out suicide strikes in Indian cities. In his reply, Mr Vidyasagar Rao said that there were no specific inputs to corroborate the contents of the news item. Mr Rao, however, pointed out that there were reports that militant outfits including Jaish-e-Mohammad, a terrorist outfit floated by Masood Azhar, had been making concerted efforts to raise suicide squads for subversive activities in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country. The Minister stated that the Government of India had been, from time to time, sensitizing the State Government about the threat perception with regard to activities of militant groups. Mr Rao informed the House that periodic coordination meetings are also held with the State Governments for sharing the inputs from various quarters as well as for devising strategies to counter such activities. Assistance is also provided to States by way of deployment of paramilitary forces and release of funds for modernizing the police forces. Mr Kushok Thiksey wanted to know if the Government of India felt that trifurcation of the State of Jammu and Kashmir was a solution to the crisis in the State. In his reply, Mr Rao stated: "Some voice have been raised in this regard in Ladakh and Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir. However, no such proposal is under consideration of the Government of India". Mr Sanjay Nirupam enquired if the proposed visit of a delegation of the Hurriyat Conference leaders to Pakistan was mutually agreed to by both Indian and Pakistani Governments. "No", pat came the reply from Mr Vidyasagar Rao. Mr Rao placed himself on record by saying that while some Hurriyat leaders had expressed their desire to visit Pakistan, decisions about issue of passport to "Indian citizens are taken by Government as per law after considering all relevant factors". |
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PUF leader’s house
attacked Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Mar 7: Tension gripped Anantnag town this morning when people protested against alleged rape attempt on a 60-year old woman by a CRPF constable at Andasraj Chashma near Ranibagh Qadipura locality last night. Local people led by religious leader Qazi Ama, president of Umat-e-Islamia, marched in a procession in the town demanding action against a constable of 61 CRPF battalion, who allegedly tried to rape 60-year old wife of Ghulam Hassan Shah. CRPF Commandant Wilson immediately ordered an inquiry into the incident. This pacified the mob. However, late in the evening, appeals were made from Mosques to observe strike tomorrow against the rape bid. Deputy Commissioner G A Peer was trying to persuade the people. Meanwhile, 10 houses were gutted in a devastating blaze at Nowhatta this evening. Details were awaited. Militants made abortive attempts on the life of a political activist in Kashmir where four persons were killed and four, including two Special Police Officers (SPOs), injured since last evening. Militants hurled a grenade on an Indo-Tibetan Border Police vehicle which exploded without causing any damage at Bijbehara in Anantnag district. Security forces recovered an IED, weighing 15 kg, from a car in Baramulla yesterday and arrested the car owner. Militants of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) fired a few shots towards an army convoy in Anantnag district today. Army personnel retaliated but militants fled. However, no loss of life was reported, police said. Militants fired at the house of Mushtaq Ahmad Khandayu, affiliated with Peoples United Front, at Kharpora in Pulwama district of south Kashmir today. Police guard posted at his residence retaliated but no loss of life was reported. Body of a Jaish-e-Mohammad militant, Imtiaz Ahmad Bhat, was recovered at Tral in Pulwama district today. Militants also shot dead a surrendered Hizbul Mujahideen ultra, Ghulam Ahmad Ganai, at Kalaroos in Kupwara today. Militants shot dead two youths, one each at Qazibagh and Kulpora in Anantnag district yesterday. Militants shot at and critically wounded a security force informer, Mukhtar Ahmad Malla at Gowkadal area of Srinagar last evening. The spokesman said militants shot at and critically wounded SPOs Shahnawaz and Mohammad Yousuf Wani at Palhalan. In Baramulla and Nelo-Kulgam in Anantnag. A civilian was also injured during the shoot-out at Palhalan. One LeT militant Javed Ahmad Wagay has been arrested during police patrolling at Watlar in Srinagar, the spokesman said, adding four rifle grenades and one AK magazine was recovered from him. Another militant Mohammad Ismail was arrested after security forces recovered a pistol, one silencer, two magazine and 14 rounds of ammunition from his possession in frontier district of Kupwara, the spokesman said. |
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SC restrains Jogi Govt from disrupting supplies to BALCO NEW DELHI, Mar 7 : In a new twist to the BALCO privatisation controversy, the Supreme Court today restrained the Chattisgarh Government from disrupting supply of water, electricity and food to BALCO plant at Korba or the township and directed it to provide adequate security to workers and new management. "The Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police in particular are directed to ensure that workers and the management are not in any way intimidated or prevented from willingly going to work in the plant," a bench, comprising Justice B N Kirpal and Justice V N Khare said on an urgent application moved by the Centre. Centre had moved the application in the wake of State Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, declaring moral support to the striking workers. The State Government had also issued notices to the Centre asking it to show cause why the land acquired for the plant be not cancelled following its sale to a private party. The Bench, which sat at the residence of Justice Kirpal, ordered that the State Government could proceed with the notices issued in the land acquisition matters, but would not pass any order as the Apex Court was seized of the issue. The Centre had sold 51 per cent of its share in the aluminium company to Sterlite industries for Rs 551.5 crore which was criticised by the opposition in Parliament alleging that it was a sell off. The Centre, through additional Solicitor General Kirit Raval and advocate Maninder Singh, expressed apprehension that in view of the moral support extended by the Chief Minister, the work might suffer at the plant. The bench said "the State of Chattisgarh and Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police in particular, are directed to afford full protection to the workers, their families and the management inside and outside the BALCO plant at Korba so that they do not suffer physical harm of any kind. "The State Government and its functionaries are restrained from disrupting supply of water, electricity or food to the BALCO plant or the township," it added. The Court also clarified that "no court except the Apex Court shall deal with the subject matter of the issue/controversies raised in the present petition." The Union Government sought a direction from the court to the Chattisgarh Government to "take immediate steps for resumption of production activities at BALCO plant at Korba." The Court directed the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police in particular to ensure that "workers and the management are not in any way intimidated or prevented from willingly going to work in the plant." It also pleaded with the Court to issue a direction "to restrain the State Government from issuing any threat, overt or covert, of disruption of water, electricity or food supplies to the BALCO plant and the township." The Court, which assembled at Justice Kirpal’s residence at 1830 hrs on an urgent application moved by the Centre this morning, issued notice to BALCO employees union for March 12. The Supreme Court on March 2 had stayed all proceedings on petitions challenging disinvestment in BALCO before High courts at Delhi and Chattisgarh. A bench comprising Justice B N Kirpal, Justice Doraiswamy Raju and Justice Ruma Pal had also issued notices to the BALCO Employees Union, the Government appointed valuers and global consultants for the disinvestment and the proposed strategic partner Sterlite Industries Ltd. The Centre had alleged that attempts were being made by the Union and others to taint the decision making process of the Government with unsubstantiated and unfounded allegations. "Any overt or covert challenge to the valuation mechanism being followed in the BALCO case too must fail since the same has been arrived by experts in the field namely Jardine Fleming and P V Rao, whose expertise and judgement cannot be easily doubted," the centre had said. The Government said judicial review does not endeavour to substitute the judgement of the experts with that of the courts and it has in fact been held consistently that the findings of experts being used on empirical data, relevant material and evidence would never be interfered with unless the same was palpably unreasonable, irrational and untenable. (PTI) |
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‘Abducted’ girl of Kathua recovered from Old Delhi Excelsior Correspondent KATHUA, Mar 7: Police today recovered a young girl allegedly kidnapped by a youth of her village Said Magloor under the jurisdiction of Rajbagh police station from Dilshad Garden area of New Delhi after about one and a half month of ‘captivity’. Alleged abduction of Sunita Singh daughter of Girdhari Lal by a youth Tirath Ram son of Bikham Chand, both residents of Said Magloor, had created inter-caste tension in the village resulting into rape of a Dalit housewife by miscreants of an upper caste the other day. SSP Kathua Manohar Singh said police was on the look out for Sunita Singh, 19 and Tirath Ram, 22 even since a report of girl’s ‘abduction’ was lodged by her family members at Rajbagh police station on January 22. The girl was reported missing on January 20 and a case of her ‘kidnapping’ was registered under FIR No 7/2001 and Section 366 RPC. A tip off was received a couple of days back about girl’s presence in a locality of Dilshad Garden. A police party left for the spot and recovered the girl last evening from Kalandhar Colony in Dilshad Garden area under Seemapuri police station of Old Delhi. Both of them were brought here this morning and kept in Rajbagh police station. According to SSP Kathua, the girl maintained that she had gone with Tirath Ram with her consent and that she hadn’t been abducted. Her statement will be recorded before a Court here tomorrow. He clarified that both hadn’t formally entered into a nupital knot but had been living together for last one and a half month in a rented house at Kalandhar Colony. Medical examination of the girl will also be conducted tomorrow. Before settling in Old Delhi, the duo had visited Samba, Katra and Pathankote. |
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3 militants, jawan killed Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 7: Three foreign mercenaries and an army jawan were killed and another soldier was injured in a gun-battle at Kalali, Behram Gala in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district this evening while a militant gunned down a recently elected Sarpanch in Maitra area of Ramban tehsil in Doda district. Our Ramban correspondent reports that a lone militant entered into the house of a Sarpanch Ghulam Rasool Gujjar, 75, son of Abdul Kareem Gujjar at village Maitra at 2030 hours tonight and fired four shots on Sarpanch when he was offering Namaz. The Sarpanch died on the spot. Militant, who was carrying a pistol with him, escaped from the village before the arrival of police forces. Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Banihal Rupinder Chalotra has left for the spot for investigations. Preliminary investigation revealed that the militant, who was hiding a pistol in his black pent, asked a villager about the residence of Sarpanch. He straightway went to the house of Sarpanch and gunned him down. Killing of Sarpanch has created tension among the villagers. Another group of militants attacked the house of Doda unit Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) general secretary Javed Iqbal Zargar at Gandoh in Doda district and snatched an AK rifle and six magazines of his PSO Kaka Ram. Our Rajouri correspondent adds: Army this evening shot dead three militants in higher reaches of Kalali near Behram Gala in Surankote area. An army soldier also sacrificed his life in the gun-battle. Defence sources said the encounter followed when an army patrol party was fired upon by the militants. Troops returned the firing. In the exchange of firing that lasted about three hours, army eliminated three militants and lost one jawan. Another jawan was injured. Two AK-56 rifles, four magazines, 117 rounds, one pistol with 10 rounds, seven hand grenades and a radio set were recovered from the scene of encounter. Identity of slain ultras hasn’t been established so far but all of them were stated to be foreign mercenaries. Operation in the village will be resumed tomorrow morning to catch hold of militants, who managed to escape firing the encounter, the sources said. |
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Hurriyat principal party to Kashmir issue: Malik NEW DELHI, Mar 7: Senior Hurriyat Conference leader Yaseen Malik tonight said that the conglomerate was not playing any mediatory role between India and Pakistan but was a "principal party" to the Kashmir issue. "We are not mediator and the very basis of our going to Pakistan is not mediation," Malik told PTI reacting to Home Minister L K Advani’s statement that the Hurriyat had no mediatory role between India and Pakistan. Malik said "our only purpose to visit Pakistan is to ensure peace in the State and resolve the issue through talks among all concerened parties." (PTI) |
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IT officer in Anti Corruption net MUMBAI, Mar 7: In a bizarre incident, a high-level income-tax official threw currency notes worth Rs 10.6 lakhs from his seventh floor flat in suburban Bandra to evade the clutches of law. The incident occurred when officials of Anti-Corruption Wing of the CBI swooped on the flat of the IT officer in connection with complaint of acquiring disproportionate assets to his known sources of income in the name of his wife and family members, a release from CBI said here today. The CBI team conducted searches at a total of nine residential and official premises of the IT official. CBI sleuths recovered documets showing fixed deposits worth Rs 1.05 crore, jewellery worth Rs 11.92 lakh, three farm houses and agricultural land in Pune, Thane and Raigad districts, the release said. Similarly, documents showed that the IT officer and his family own shops and commercial premises in Vashi, residential property in New Delhi, plot at Versova in Mumbai, membership of various clubs and 51 bank accounts in across the country, it added. In addition to the above, evidence of foreign travel by the family of the accused to many European countries as well as USA have been found, the release said. Four vehicles, including one Mahindra Ford, a Santro, and a Maruti Zen have been seized, they said adding searches were still continuing. (PTI) |
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NEW DELHI, Mar 7: There are only 13 judges per million population as against the Law Commission of India’s recommendation to Government to increase the judges’ ratio to 50. This has resulted in pendency of 2.34 crore cases across the country, an oficial release said today. "The present strength of judges in India has gone up to 13 per million population from 10.5 per million a decade ago," the release said adding the Law Commission in its 120th report had recommended increasing the strength to 50 per million population. Even in the apex court, as against the sanctioned strength of 26 judges including the Chief Justice, there were only 24 judges, it said. The situation is worse in the High Courts, where 22 per cent of the judges post are vacant leaving a huge number of cases per judge, which was greater than even the number of cases per judge in the trial courts. "The judges strength in the High Courts as in February 2001 is 647 judges including additional judges. There are 182 vacancies in all the 21 High Courts, at present," the release said adding the judges strength, reviewed every three years, was last revised in 1999. It said the strength of judges in the subordinate judiciary was determined by the State Governments in consultation with the respective High Courts. (PTI) |
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ITANAGAR, Mar 7: All the six armed forces personnel on board the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter, which went missing on February 26, have been killed, a senior police official said today. The burnt and decomposed bodies of all the crew members, including the two pilots, were retrieved today after 10 days of search from the ridge of a hilltop, near Denko village, about eight km from Ziro, the district headquarters of lower Subansiri, Superintendent of Police Atul Katiyar told PTI. The dead were Sq Ldr A Raju (Pilot), Sq Ldr M S Panwar (co-pilot), Flt Lt Srawan Kumar, Junior Warrant Office M D Shukla, gunners Naib Subedar P Saha and Sepoy T Balu. The missing MI-8 chopper was returning after dropping 25 tonnes of ration at Tali, 600 km from here, along the border with China when it was crashed on a foggy day. The bodies, after conducting inquest, would be taken to Jorhat and Tezpur base camp in Assam from where it would be sent to their native places for the last rites. The wreckage of the chopper, strewn all over the ridge, was spotted last evening by some villagers, Katiyar said, adding a 60-member team comprising Assam Rifles jawans led by the informers was despatched last night to the spot. A temporary helipad has been constructed there to airlift the bodies, he said before leaving for the spot, adding the hilltop is located in an inaccessible area which requires six to seven hours of trekking by foot. (PTI) |
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DUBAI, Mar 7 : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who is leading a 16-member Indian Haj delegation, has met Saudi ruler King Fahd and discussed matters of mutual interest, Indian diplomats in Jeddah said. The meeting took place at a dinner in Mina last night hosted by Fahd, who is also the custodian of the two holy shrines in the Kingdom. The National Conference leader, who was accompanied by Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmed, is scheduled to travel to Makkah today. (PTI) |
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BALASORE (Orissa), Mar 7 : India’s indigenously built medium range surface-to-air missile Akash, which is going to be inducted into the army next year, was successfully test fired here yesterday for the third time since February 27. The test of the multi-target missile was to have been carried out on Monday but bad weather had forced a postponement. The main objective of the test was to prove its command guidance system in engagement of targets using DRDO-developed Rajendra multi-function radar. Both the Lakshya pilotless target aircraft, developed by DRDO, and simulated targets were used. Quick-look analysis of telemetry has indicated that target engagement was satisfactory. The last phase of serial tests are underway at the Chandipore-on-sea test range here before the missile goes in for serial production. The missile which carries a payload of 55 kg is due to be inducted into the army by 2002. The various parameters of the missile are being tested to see its capability. The theatre defence, surface-to-air missile operates in conjunction with the Rajendra surveillance and engagement radar. The Akash’s first flight occurred in 1990. The Akash uses an integral Ramjet rocket propulsion system to give a low-volume, low-weight (700 kg launch weight) missile configuration, and has a low reaction time - from detection to missile launch - of 15 seconds. The missile has a range of 25 km, with an effective ceiling of 15 km. It is capable of detecting and destroying aircraft flying at tree-top height. (UNI) |
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