GAYA: The Kolkata-bound Jammu Tawi Express had a narrow escape from a landslide today after timely detection by a pilot engine motorman between Gaya and Koderma stations in Bihar, just minutes before the train was about to cross that stretch, Railway sources said.
The train was halted a few of kilometres before the spot averting the possibility of it ramming into the debris of rocks and stone boulders lying on the tracks, the sources said.
Railway officials said the landslide was detected on the tracks in a hilly area near Baskatwa in Gaya district by the motorman Prayag Yadav at 8.10 am, when the Kolkata-bound train was about to arrive.
Yadav immediately informed the engineering and control offices of the ECR.
The Jammu-Tawi Express crosses the spot at 7.30 am but today it was running late and was expected to reach the site within 2-3 minutes, the sources said.
The place is 50 km from Gaya Junction and comes under Dhanbad division of East Central Railway (ECR).
ECR Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Arvind Kumar Rajak said, “Our officials swung into action, cleared the debris and opened the tracks for movement of trains within three hours of the detection of landslide. The trains are running smoothly through the section now.”
Many trains were delayed at various stations on the Gaya – Dhanbad route for several hours while the tracks were being cleared.
Prominent among the long distance trains were 12365 Patna-Ranchi Janshatabdi Express, 12322 Mumbai-Howrah Mail, 12382 New Delhi-Kolkata Poorva Express and 12988 Ajmer-Sealdah Express, he said.
The Jammu Tawi Express finally crossed the site at 10.55 am, he said, adding that movement of trains has become normal on the section. (AGENCIES)
UDHAMPUR : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today wished success to passing out cadets of Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy (SKPA) and asked them to exhibit the characteristics of being humane and people-friendly.
Omar, while speaking at the passing out parade here, hoped that the new pass-outs, who will be joining the Jammu and Kashmir Police Force, along with other personnel of JKP Force will continue to exhibit the characteristic of being humane, people-friendly and helping them under all circumstances.
“The cadets are joining Jammu and Kashmir Police Force which is emerging as one of the most important police forces in the country facing challenges of different natures on law and order front and combating militancy”, Omar said.
The Chief Minister referred to the sacrifices made by the Jammu and Kashmir Police Force to help restore peace in the state and curb militancy.
He advised the new cadets for rendering their service with dedication and honesty.
The Chief Minister also announced enhancement of ration money allowance of police personnel to Rs 800 per month with effect from July 2014 and Rs 1,000 per month from April 2015 onwards. This will involve an additional financial spending of around Rs 72 crores. (AGENCIES)
NEW DELHI : In a veiled attack on Congress and SP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused them of continuing to practice vote-bank politics to divide society and asserted that disturbance of peace and harmony will not be tolerated.
“BJP never accepts incidents (of violence) which are taking place in the country. Peace, unity and harmony are the pre-requisites for progress and there will be no compromise on this.
“Those who have suffered a massive defeat in the elections are still not able to desist from engaging in old vote-bank politics. They are engaged in disturbing the social fabric,” Modi said addressing the BJP’s National Council meeting here.
His attack on rivals without naming them comes against the backdrop of BJP being accused of fanning communal violence in Uttar Pradesh.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who stormed the Well of the Lok Sabha to demand debate on rising communal violence, has said the violence in UP was “artificially and deliberately engineered”.
In this hour, Modi said, BJP workers will have to play a crucial role to ensure communal and national unity so that the nation moves forward.
“When the country makes progress, its 125 crore people make progress,” he said.
Talking about his government which was formed after BJP’s landslide victory, the Prime Minister said “different and tough yardsticks” are being applied to gauge its performance.
“Those who have not done anything for 60 years are asking for our account of 60 days,” he said attacking Congress yet again. (AGENCIES)
RANGRETH: A senior army officer today said a number of educated youth joining militancy in Jammu and Kashmir was “disturbing” and a matter of concern but the force was taking initiatives to engage them meaningfully.
“I would submit that any youth joining militancy is disturbing. And if educated youth are joining, it is more disturbing. To that extent yes, it certainly causes concern to us. It certainly encourages us to take initiatives to keep the youth more meaningfully engaged,” Corps Commander of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, Lt Gen Subrata Saha, told reporters here in Budgam district of Central Kashmir.
Lt Gen Saha said checking infiltration from across the Line of Control (LoC) was an important factor in ensuring secure conditions for the upcoming assembly elections.
“Because of the improvement and robustness of the counter- infiltration posture, we are able to prevent infiltration from happening and that I think is the important factor in ensuring the secure conditions for the people to be able to exercise their franchise during the elections,” he said.
The army commander said there was no increase in infiltration attempts from across the LoC and “the trends and pattern in infiltration are quite similar to what they were in the previous years.”
He said the effective counter-infiltration grid on the LoC is helping in securing the situation in the Valley, but “if people and the jawans are not together, then situation will never get better”. (AGENCIES)
NEW DELHI : Seeking replacing of the “ideology” of Congress, BJP’s new President Amit Shah today asked cadres to work for expanding the party’s reach with focus on states like UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir where assembly polls are due in near future.
Addressing the BJP National Council here, he underlined that the party would not be in government for long unless its reach is expanded and exhorted all the ministers in Narendra Modi government to work for implementation of the party manifesto.
Shah, who is credited with getting BJP-led alliance 73 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections, said, “for long Congress ‘vichar’ (ideology) has been pre-dominant in the country’s politics. Now it is time to ensure that our ‘vichar’ (ideology) has an imprint on nation’s politics”.
He said the government would have to run efficiently to play a long innings and along with it, the party has its role of reaching to more and more people and states to carry the message of good governance.
Shah, a close confidante of Modi, slammed the former UPA government, saying it had left the country in bad condition as it had “failed on all fronts”.
Referring to the recent Lok Sabha polls, the new BJP chief said in his maiden speech that the electoral verdict was “defeat of dynasty politics” and the “people rejected appeasement and votebank politics”.
“When history is written, the former UPA government will be known as a government of scams,” he said at the convention which endorsed the decision to make him party chief.
Shah lauded the efforts of party cadres in ensuring landslide victory in the recent Lok Sabha polls but said the “work of strengthening BJP in many places still remains”.
He underlined that, “we cannot rule for long if party’s reach does not expand.”
Referring to the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana, Shah said the party workers should focus on ensuring victory for the party on its own in all the states.
He then talked about other states like UP, Bihar, Delhi and Uttarakhand which would be having assembly polls in near future.
“We have had governments in these states… We need absolute majority in all these states…. We need to focus our energies to ensure victory in all elections, be it in panchayats or assemblies. We need to develop the habit of winning in all elections,” the party chief told the assembly of leaders and cadres.
Talking about Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said the government in the “very sensitive state” had crossed “all limits of corruption” and people want a change.
Asking cadres from across the country to focus on the assembly election in the state that is due later this year, he said, “the state will see development only when BJP government is formed there.”
In an apparent reference to Nehru-Gandhi family and Abdullah family, Shah said, “the two families have ensured that money does not reach the poor. We have to highlight this.”
Turning to Haryana, he said one remembers “land scams” and “some faces” when the mention of the state comes. “There is a need to change the government in the state. We should see that BJP alone gets the majority,” he said, adding any possibility of alliance would be seen later. (AGENCIES)
SRINAGAR : ‘Chhari Mubarak’, holy Mace of Lord Shiva, will reach Panjterni for a final darshan of the self made Ice-Shivlingam in the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himlayas tomorrow on the occasion of Shravan Purnima (Raksha bandan).
Singing devotional songs, a large number of devotees, after a night halt, left Sheshnag early this morning with Chhari-Mubarak for Panjterni, the last halting station on the traditional Pahalgam track.
Har Har Mahadev and Bam Bam Bholay rented the air when Mahant Deependra Giri, custodian of the holy Mace, carrying the Chhari, left Sheshnag.
Mahant said pujan will be held at Panjterni and devotees will sing devotional songs today. However, after a night halt Chhari will leave for the holy cave shrine early tomorrow morning on the occasion of Shravan Purnima. Finally, the Chhari will enter the holy cave shrine after covering 5-km-long distance on foot for a final Pujan, marking the end of annual 44-day-long pilgrimage this year on the occasion of Sharavan Purnima. Mahant Giri said after pujan for entire day, the Chhari will started return journey before the sunset tomorrow. Mahant Giri said the Chhari will return to its abode at Deshnami Akhara on August 12 after organising traditional pujan and other rituals on way back from holy Cave.
Meanwhile, fresh batches of pilgrims, probably for the last, left this morning base camps for the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalyas, where so far 3.72 lakh yatris had paid obeisance before the self made Ice-Shivlingam since the commencement of the yatra from June 28.
The weather was cloudy and there was rain also but the pilgrimage was progressing smoothly, yatra officials said. They said a group of about 50 pilgrims, who had arrived at Nunwan Pahalgam base camp from Jammu last evening left early this morning to join the Chhari-Mubarak which has reached Panjterni, 5-km short of the cave shrine today. These pilgrims have to join the Chhari at Panjterni till this evening as the 44-day-long annual pilgrimage will culminate tomorrow after final darshan in the cave shrine. Now no pilgrim will be allowed on this traditional track, they said, adding that the gates have been closed for this year now.
More than 50 pilgrims, including women and sadhus, left Batal Base camp early this morning for the cave shrine. If any yatra will reach the base camp even this evening, he or she will be allowed to proceed towards the cave shrine even tomorrow.
It takes only few hours to reach the cave shrine from this track, they said, adding that yatris can also return through this track in one-day.
Officials said that yesterday 1035 pilgrims had paid obeisance to the Ice-Lingam.
However, the pilgrims who had night halt at Panjterni reached the cave shrine this morning. With this, a total of abut 3.72 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the holy cave this year,
Two more pilgrims from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP) have died at Sheshnag on traditional yatra route, taking the toll to 45 since the commencement of the 44-day-long annual pilgrimage to holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas from June 28. Yatra official said a 70-year-old sadhu Paku Dass, resident of Mahdavpure, Bihar, suffered a massive heart attack at Sheshnag, where the Chhari-Mubarak reached yesterday from Chandanwari.
Dass was immediately shifted to health centre where he was declared brought dead.
Another pilgrim Rachal (61) also suffered heart attack at Shehnag on the traditional route. He died before he could be shifted to health centre, they said. With this, a total of 45 pilgrims have died during the pilgrimage from Baltal and Pahalgam tracks. Majority of them died due to heart attack and four of them in accidents. (agencies)
An Army jawan takes position during an encounter with militants in Tanghdar forests on Friday. —Excelsior/Aabid Nabi
SRINAGAR, Aug 8: Army today killed three infiltrated militants near the Line of Control (LoC) in Tanghdar sector of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
A Defence spokesman said here that three militants were killed and their bodies and weapons were recovered during an operation in North Kashmir’s Tanghdar forests today. He said that the operation is in progress.
An Army officer said that 3 AK-47 rifles, 3 pouches, 3 UBGLs, 3 wireless sets were recovered and a temporary hideout was busted in the Gagadori forest area this afternoon.
The Army’s 4 Para, 3/1 GR, 5/5 GR and 20 RR launched a massive operation early this week against a group of around 7 militants who infiltrated into Tanghdar forests last week.
The infiltrated militants were trapped in the Gagadori forest area on August 6 leading to a gun battle in which one Army jawan, Naik Damoder Thapa of Nepal, was killed. The militants managed their escape into the dense woods and Army continued their operation.
After the killing of Army jawan, reinforcement was sent to the forest area and the massive operation was launched against the infiltrated militants. The Army established contact with the militants this afternoon and killed three of them. They also busted a temporary militant hideout.
An Army officer said that militants had taken shelter in a temporary hideout in the forests and fired upon troops when the search party found them. The Army returned the fire leading to a gun battle in which three militants were killed.
The Army officer said that all the three militants are Pakistani nationals and belong to Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit. He said that the identity of the militants is being ascertained.
The officer said that the operation has been suspended for the night and in the morning it will be resumed as four militants of the group are still hiding in the forest area.
Last week four militants were killed in a fierce encounter with the Army in the Tanghdar sector. These militants had infiltrated from PoK recently.
During past one month there have been at least eight infiltration attempts by the militants from across the LoC to infiltrate into Kashmir during which Army shot dead 4 infiltrators near the LoC in North Kashmir.
Army sources say that militants are desperate to infiltrate and they will try their best to do maximum infiltration this month ahead of assembly elections scheduled for the end of this year.
Army has intensified its vigil along the LoC and in the forest near the LoC to prevent infiltration of militants into Kashmir.
JAMMU, Aug 8: In a development of far-reaching consequences, Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur has declined to allow the State Government to continue with the stopgap arrangements vis-à-vis induction of KAS officers in the Special Scale. With this, the Government will have to revert the orders regarding the placement of over 30 officers including those holding the posts of Special Secretary, Deputy Commissioner and Director to the Special Scale of KAS.
The litigations between KAS officers and the State Government started over the preparation of the final seniority list, which was dubbed as full of distortions by several KAS officers and after being denied seniority slots because of no-fault of theirs, a section of them knocked the doors of the High Court to get justice.
On November 8, 2013, Single Judge delivered judgment in the favour of petitioners holding them entitled to proportionate slot share as per J&K Administrative Services Rules, 2008. Every feeding service has the proportionate share in the KAS and the petitioners shall demonstrate before the Government that induction has taken place from 2004 to 2008 and their case has been left out, the Single Judge said while holding them entitled for retrospective effect of induction.
However, the judgment of the Single Judge was challenged before the Division Bench, which directed the State Government to maintain status quo with regard to the promotion of the officers. On further consideration of various appeals including the one filed by State seeking stay on the judgment of the Single Judge, the DB on February 5, 2014 modified the order of status quo by permitting the appellant State to make arrangements for general elections to the Lok Sabha by deputing officers from Time Scale, Selection Scale and Special Scale.
However, the DB while keeping intact the findings of the Single Judge regarding keeping 49 officers at the bottom of the seniority list for being inducted in Time Scale in violation of J&K Administrative Services Rules 1979, directed the State that the arrangements may be made by deputing officers from the writ petitioners first and if necessity arises from those 49 officers also.
The DB also made it clear that interim arrangements would come to an end within 10 days after the completion of Lok Sabha elections on May 31, 2014. For the obvious reasons, the State Government within next few days again moved an application seeking more relaxations to overcome the then administrative difficulty.
While considering this application, the DB vide its order dated February 13, 2014, permitted the State to make stop gap arrangements by considering the cases of those senior officers including the non-applicant-writ petitioners for induction in Special Scale of KAS as an interim measure. “The arrangements are permitted only in the larger interest of running the day-to-day administration. However, these arrangements would come to an end 10 days after May 31, 2014 as already observed and shall not be extended any further”, the DB made it clear in the order.
In the meanwhile, State Government filed Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court against the order dated February 13, 2014 with the plea that impugned direction of the Division Bench of J&K High Court was bad in law as the same results in reversing the order of status quo granted in the Letters Patent Appeal filed by the petitioner/State in respect of direction to examine and consider the claim made by the non-applicant-writ petitioners under Rule 15(4) of 2008 Rules. It was also submitted that in the absence of any application seeking recall of the order of status quo there was no occasion to modify the same.
It was also submitted before the Supreme Court by the State that imposition of time limit for operation of the stopgap arrangement has resulted in a situation leading to uncertainty in the functioning of the administration and chaos.
However, the Supreme Court issued notice limited to the question of consideration of the claim of the writ petitioners under the review mechanism provided under Rule 15(4) of the 2008 Rules.
As expected relief could not be obtained from the Supreme Court, the State Government again filed an application before the DB seeking extension of interim arrangement allowed vide order dated February 13, 2014.
After hearing battery of lawyers, the DB observed, “the prayer for staying and continuation of the order dated February 13, 2014 has been declined by the Supreme Court as such this court cannot entertain the application for extension of interim arrangement”, adding “in the SLP contrary picture has been painted which is misleading. The facts have been misrepresented as the status quo order was modified on the application filed by the State Government”.
“It doesn’t behove of the State Government to take such a false stand before the Supreme Court”, the DB said, adding “if interim arrangements are allowed to continue then there is valid apprehension in the minds of the officers other than 49 that they will never get their due promotion particularly when in the order dated February 13, 2014 we have made it categorically clear that there would be no further extension granted. The period has come to an end on June 10, 2014”.
With these observations, the Division Bench dismissed the application filed by the State. With this order, there will be no more stopgap arrangements on induction of KAS officers in Special Scale and the Government will have to revert the orders regarding the placement of over 30 officers including those holding the posts of Special Secretary, Deputy Commissioner and Director to the Special Scale of KAS.
A motorcyclist passing through logged water due to heavy rainfall in Jammu on Friday morning. —Excelsior/Rakesh
JAMMU, Aug 8: Normal life was thrown out of gear due to heavy rains that lashed Jammu and its adjoining area this morning resulting into flood like situation at various places even as overall rainfall deficit in the region this monsoon is still above 50 percent.
Due to flash floods, one person was feared washed away in the Devika river at Udhampur when a foot bridge on Devika Ghat near Raghunath Palace collapsed, early this morning.
The deceased, identified as Nand Kishore Gandotra, an employee of 1-FOD in Udhampur, was crossing the bridge that linked Sai Temple and Ram Temple on Devika Ghat. His body was not traced out till filing of this report even as the District Administration had launched major search with the help of Army divers soon after the incident.
Till 8.30 of this morning, the total rainfall registered in Jammu district was 30.6 ml that threw the normal life out of gear for a few hours in the morning. Roads were seen filled with rain water at several places, particularly at low lying areas such as Dogra Chowk and near GGM Science College.
Due to heavy rainfall and water logging, vehicular traffic virtually came to standstill at various places while in Gangyal and Sanjay Nagar area, rainwater entered into several houses.
Traffic on Jammu-Pathankote National Highway near Hatli Morh remain suspended for around one hour following flash flood in Mugar Khud.
Even as Udhampur district registered only 4.3 ml rainfall, it was 62.9 ml in Reasi thus resulting into flash floods in Devika river and other nallahs. However, there was no other report of loss of life or major property damage due to rainfall or flash flood.
Though there was a rise of water level in Tawi as well as in Chenab river following heavy rainfall in the morning, the same remained below the alert mark.
The heavy rainfall in the morning also led to slight dip in maximum temperature and increase in humidity, here today.
The maximum temperature registered today by the Weather Observatory at Chatha campus of the Agriculture University was 31.06 degree Celsius while the Relative Humidity was 96 (Morning) and 93 (Evening), informed Prof B C Sharma, head of the Agrometrolgy in SKUAST Jammu.
Predicting that light to moderate showers are expected in isolated places in Jammu in the next three days, Prof Sharma informed that the rainfall deficit in the State from June 1 to August 8 was still high with -46 percent departure though the situation has improved during the last few days.
In Jammu region, the percent departure is -54 as only 228.1 mm actual rainfall has been registered so far against the normal 495.3 mm.
District Poonch has remained the worst affected as the percent departure in rainfall there during this period was -90. It is followed by Udhampur where the rainfall percent departure is -81. Till date, Jammu district has registered 46 percent less rainfall than the normal during monsoon.
BSF DG DK Pathak along with Satyasheel Yadav (middle) in Suchetgarh sector on Friday. —Excelsior/Gautam
JAMMU, Aug 8: After about 53 hours in custody of Rangers, Pakistan handed over a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, who had accidentally crossed over to their side on Wednesday, at Octroi Post in Suchetgarh sector of RS Pura tehsil late this afternoon.
Satyasheel Yadav, 30 years old BSF jawan of 33 battalion stationed in Akhnoor sector, was handed over to BSF Commandant Viresh Kumar by Lt Col Waqar Ahmed of 12 Chenab Rangers on Pakistan side of Octroi Post at 4.18 pm after a wait of about an hour as schedule repatriation of the jawan had been fixed for 3.30 pm.
The BSF and Rangers’ official exchanged papers before Yadav was formally handed over to the BSF, official sources told the Excelsior.
BSF Director General DK Pathak, who had specially flown here and camped in Suchetgarh sector to monitor return of the BSF jawan from Pakistan, told newspersons that the BSF jawan was hale and hearty and had been treated very well by the Rangers with no complaint of mishandling or misbehaviour.
In fact, the BSF chief went on to express gratitude to the Rangers for their good behaviour with the BSF jawan saying he was grateful that they treated him well.
Immediately after the jawan was handed over to the BSF at 4.18 pm and brought to the Indian side at around 4.20 pm, he was taken for debriefing. Few minutes later, the BSF DG inter-acted with the jawan and inquired his condition.
“The debriefing would continue for some more time as the BSF officers would like to know as to what kind of questioning Satyasheel Yadav was subjected to in Pakistan during past two days as he had been captured by the Rangers opposite Pargwal-Khour sector at 11 am on Wednesday after he was swept away to other side of the International Border (IB) in strong currents of river Chenab due to mechanical fault in their motor boat. The boat had also landed on Pakistan side, which the Rangers also returned today to the BSF.
“Yadav was handed over to us at 4.18 pm near border pillar 918 along the IB. The trooper was well and was taken to nearby border post where the BSF DG and other force commanders met him,” he said.
Yadav, who was dressed in his dark green combat fatigue, walked into the Indian soil flanked by his seniors after completion of paper formalities in the flag meeting on Pakistan side of Octroi Post.
Doctors of BSF conducted a health check up on the trooper and declared him fully fit.
Yadav will be administered a de-briefing session by the intelligence wings of the BSF and central security agencies after sometime, sources said adding it will be done sooner than later.
Looking tired, the trooper, dressed in his dark green combat fatigue, walked into the Indian soil flanked by his Commandant Viresh Kumar and two other officers who met a three-member Rangers team led by their Wing Commander rank officer.
The handover of Yadav took place in the flag meeting in which Commandant Viresh Kumar of BSF and Lt Col Waqar Ahmad of 12 Chenab were joined by three officers each.
Yadav is a resident of village Ranipura in Firozabad district of Uttar Pradesh and has three children. He joined the country’s largest border guarding force in 2005.
“They (Rangers) treated him (Yadav) very well throughout their custody. We are grateful to them. The Pak authorities interrogated our jawan which I think is not uncommon with any security force doing when they find an unauthorised entry in their area,” the BSF Director General told reporters after the handover.
Pathak said the return of Yadav has been made in “record time” and didn’t agree with a questioner that the arrest was delayed by Pakistan.
Pathak narrated the incident that took place on Wednesday morning in which seven jawans of the BSF were conducting regular patrolling in the waters of river Chenab, whose engine suddenly failed around 11 am. He said other jawans swam to safety and were rescued while Yadav, who didn’t know swimming was saved by life jacket but strong currents of the water took him to Pakistan side, where he was captured.
“The Government of India and BSF made collective and synchronized efforts to secure safe release of the BSF jawan, which was obtained in record time,’’ Pathak said adding he was not aware whether the ISI had interrogated the jawan but said questioning of an unauthorized person, who lands in other country’s territory is not uncommon.
“Though it was an accident, the entry of the BSF jawan into the Pakistan territory was unauthorized. They (the Pakistan Rangers) had right to find out the reasons of unauthorized entry into their territory,’’ he asserted.
Refuting the allegations that Yadav was paraded before the media in Pakistan, Pathak said he was asked only couple of questions by the media persons and there was there was no report that the jawan was compelled to answer any question.
“Whatever questions the jawan was asked were obvious,’’ he said adding that the Rangers have also returned the boat to the BSF, which had reached on Pakistan side of the border.
To a question on failure of the boat, he said there was nothing unusual in it as engine of the boast had failed. It happens sometime, he added.
Replying to a question on infiltration attempts and ceasefire violations on the International Border, Pathak said there has been no successful infiltration attempt in their area on the IB. He declined to speculate on number of the militants trying to infiltrate into this side.
“Due to efforts of the BSF, neither any infiltration attempt (by the militants) has succeeded on the IB now we will allow any infiltration attempt to succeeded,’’ he said.
On ceasefire violations, the BSF chief said if they attack the BSF, obviously they will get befitting reply.
A BSF handout issues after the handover of the BSF jawan said the flag meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere. Both the sides reiterated their commitment to uphold peace and tranquility on border and extend all cooperation to each other in dealing with emergent incidents like this in a proactive and positive manner.
It said after Yadav accidentally reached Pakistan, the Rangers were contacted immediately through established procedures to trace and return the constable. Pakistan Rangers acted promptly on BSF request and later intimated safe custody of BSF constable, who has been handed over today afternoon.
The handout, which was issued by DIG (G) Branch, Jammu Frontiers, Dharmendra Pareek, said the DG BSF expressed relief over safe return of Yadav and appreciated him for his grit and morale under trying circumstances.
He expressed the deep concern of Government of India and BSF over the safety of the troops deployed on border and reassured full support and welfare of all personnel. The hectic efforts at both the level of BSF and Govt of India have resulted in handing over of the constable by Pak Rangers. The prompt response of Pak Rangers was also appreciated by the DG BSF.
Pathak said the BSF was ready with its winter management strategy to tackle any eventuality on the IB including infiltration attempts by the militants.
“Our winter management has proved successfully. We will further improve it this winter to thwart designs of the militants to infiltration during the winter months,” he added.
PTI adds: Earlier, Yadav told reporters in Pakistan that his boat accidentally strayed into the neighbouring land after it went out of control in strong river currents.
“My colleagues swam out but I do not know swimming. The boat took me into Pakistani territory. I jumped into water near a Pakistan post and was rescued by jawans of Pakistan Rangers,” he said in his narration of the events leading to his capture.
Yadav, flanked by Rangers’ officials, said he was made “comfortable” by them.
“They took my introduction. They helped me to the extent they could. They kept me better than what I had thought. I have no complaints. I am happy,” he said.
