The LOC -II

          In continuation to my last blog post, in this post, I cover, another regular feature on LC, which I have never seen in media reports or discussed in civilian circles . At places, there is an annual ritual of setting fire to our posts (or attempt to set the post on fire). In most of the areas along LOC, the other side is greener, literally. Their villages extend right up to the LOC while on our side we have a wide buffer zone where noncombatants are not permitted. So in the summers the area is covered by dry grass and pine needles, which readily catches fire.

As it happened , one fine day, I noticed that enemy was not firing at the post but was concentrating on the dry grass to initiate  a fire. With persistent firing of tracer rounds,(tracer rounds have incendiary component to let the firer know where his rounds are going), it was only a matter of time before  a line of fire started creeping menacingly, towards my post from three sides. 

Such a situation gives you an opportunity to know your men. It happens that, there may  be fierce looking six footers trembling in their knees while a timid looking guy may remain composed. I myself was not exactly a picture of confidence, till an unassuming NCO walked up to me 'ke baat se. saab, post kagaz ka to bana nahin.. pathar ka hai, hum appni side se ek aag shuru kara dete' (The post is not made of paper and we just need to start a fire in the opposite direction). Sure enough, the fire from our side was started and in a couple of hours, the situation was totally under control. By the end of the day the entire area from the post upto LOC was chaared. The lesson learnt was that as long as you had dry grass all around, you can never be at peace; the earlier it is burnt, better it would be; it did not matter, as to who set it on fire, you or the friends across.

Whatever happened on the LOC, we never thought of it as violation of cease fire , but just a routine problem in a  job to be done. We just had to find the means to stay there, sustain ourselves and hold on to our defences, under all circumstances. Period. If it meant retaliation, ok, if it meant digging down, so be it.

   

The LOC

           Of late there is a lot of discussions on 'violation of ceasefire ' along the LOC. The term LC or LOC itself became popular in the country only after Kargil conflict. Otherwise 'border' was just 'border' as in Wagha Border; known for chest thumping and bizarrely aggressive drill movements by the para military forces of both sides. It was all glamour and ceremonial and no hint of the blood, sweat and gory aspects of soldiering on the frontiers.

           For the uninitiated, LOC itself means line of actual control, meaning there is no formally agreed upon international border but whosoever is actually in control of a particular place continues to be  in control unless physically ejected by some external force. (sounds like newton's first law !). That means there is no "no man's land' and the troops are in eye ball to eye ball contact with machine guns trained on each other. What kind of cease fire can you have in such a situation, at best a 'Mexican stand-off' ?

             Now what triggers a fire-fight ? A trigger happy soldier? Both armies are highly disciplined professional forces and the officers exercise strict fire control. In reality, there are many things that can lead to firing across the LOC.

             Someone had tweeted about troops on LOC enjoying Indo-pak cricket as much as other citizens of the subcontinent. It is true, they do enjoy. But LOC paradigm is quite different from watching a match with your family in the comfort of your home. Here's an anecdote from an old soldier.

        It was a fine day , in Apr 86,  I was sitting in a 'hawa mahal' (a hut type of structure open on all sides and covered on top with thatched roof) in the forward defended locality. the hut had benches and a table made of pine planks , like you would find in 'Hagar the horrible' comic strip. I was listening to the commentary of Australasia Cup Final  India-pakistan  cricket match. Incidentally, those days we could catch only Pakisthani channels of TV and even Radio. Die hard cricket fans would remember Javed Miandad's great effort. The match went to the last ball and as soon as the commentator said '....last ball.. and it is a six", suddenly, the entire front erupted . It was all lit up like a diwali night, with tracer rounds from machine guns. The only difference was that while Diwali rockets were headed skywards every projectile from the Pak side was homing on to my  post.

           There was no damage as troops get used to confining their movements to places covered from direct fire. My CO called me up to ask what was up. It would have been too much of a coincidence if the last ball six had nothing to do with the fireworks. So, I told my CO, "all okay sir, there is no damage,   they are just celebrating a win. "

          Sure enough in 10 - 15 minutes, it was all quite on the western front  and it was "God's in his heaven, all's right with the world"

So fragile was, and is, the cease fire at LOC !

Technology to the rescue

Much has been said and written in the past two weeks about safety of women in our cities. Once the dust settles down and the emotions subside, we need to take some real measures to prevent crime against women. Indian movies are full of depictions of horrendous villains getting after the heroine , but in the nick of time, hero comes to the rescue, much like Krishna Paramatma comes to the rescue of Draupati.

Can it  happen in the reality, that help arrives in time to bring the culprits to book, before a crime takes place, rather than after ?

In my school forum (an all boys school) I came across a post which I cut and paste , complete with credits.

		Date : Dec 31, 2012 From : Prabhu Andrews Lazar (2009), 1990 Batch To : All Subject: Prevent crime against women Message:
		Tech Mahindra had developed an application called “FightBack” – which was being used only by the staff members of Mahindra Group. After the gang-rape of a woman in New Delhi; it has now thrown open this smart phone application for public use, beyond Mahindra employees. The FightBack application tracks a user's location and sends SOS messages to selected contacts in case of an emergency. This application is now available for download on the company website for free & IS ONLY FOR INDIAN MOBILE NUMBERS. The FightBack app allows the user to press on a panic button whenever he/she feels unsafe. It tracks the location using GPS and alerts chosen contacts about the location map and is available on Android and Blackberry. http://www.fightbackmobile.com/ Steps - How to download the application 1 - Register yourself or login through Faceback with Post click. 2 - After the successful Login in the portal, Click to Download. 3 - Enter the mobile number on which you want to deploy for the Fight Back application. 4 - Select your handset on which you would like to download the application from the device list. 5 - Click on Download button, and you will receive the link to download via SMS. 6 - By clicking on the downloadable link within the received SMS your application will start downloading.

I went throgh the site and the app looks promising.
a message from the site/
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FightBack, the women's safety application, sends SOS alerts from your phone. FightBack uses GPS, SMS, location maps, GPRS ,email and your Facebook account to inform your loved ones in case you are in danger. Join us and help make our streets safer for women. 
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The second issue is awareness. While most TV channels were focussed on India Gate (War Memorial), I switched to Doordarshan for other news. The channel was educating the viewers on Women's legal rights, in  a kind of Presentation format in English and Hindi. Much of this information was new to me and I am sure it would be for many of our citizens.

After some googling I found similar contents here

1. Free Legal Aid

Always be accompanied with lawyer when you go to file a complaint or FIR against any mis-happening. Because being in the world of MEN, a woman is never taken seriously and sometimes even the FIR is not lodged. Also, as per the Delhi High Court ruling whenever a rape is reported, the SHO should inform this to the Delhi Legal services Authority. The Legal body then arranges a Lawyer for the rescue.

2. Right to Privacy while recording Statements

In any case if a woman finds inconvenient to record her statement she can always do the same in presence of only one Police officer and a lady constable in a less crowded place so that no fourth party can overheard. Also it is the duty of Police to keep the privacy of a woman intact and closed. Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a woman who is raped records her statement in front of the Magistrate when the case in under trail and no one else is needs to be present.

3. Time doesn’t Matter

Filing a FiR by rape victim or someone who is molested has no time boundary. As noted rape is a very severe thing that can happen with a woman and if she reports about it later, her appeal cannot be rejected on the duration of time as after the incident many are in shock or in danger of their family’s reputation or else other reasons.

4. Email to the Rescue

As per the recent report by the Delhi police, if any victim cannot comes to the Police Station she can any how email or file a written complaint and post it to the Head Police officer who will then direct the SHO of the area to look into the matter and also register a FIR against the crime. Also, the Police will then go personally to the residence of the victim and take the statement.

5. Cops Can’t Say NO

A victim can report a FIR in any police station under the Zero FIR ruling. As per the Supreme Court, if a police station refuses to lodge the FIR, a woman in that case can register the same in any police station and then the Senior Officer will direct the SHO of the concerned area to take actions.

6. No Arrest after Sunset

A woman cannot be arrested after sunset and before sunrise. All the dealings should be done in the day time in presence of a woman constable. Many complaints about women being mis-treated at police station has been called, so now women should be aware and act, as per Supreme Court ruling. If under special and urgent cases a woman has to be arrested after sunset, the Police needs to get a special in written warrant by the magistrate.

7. Cannot be called to the Police Station

Any woman who has faced harassment cannot be called to the Police Station. Her statement should be recorded at her residence in presence of a woman constable and her family. Under Section 160 of CPC, a woman cannot be called for interrogation in Police Station. A woman should not be physically present in the police station.

8. The Doctor can’t decide

A case of rape cannot be declined on the base of denial by a doctor. A full report has to be given in case of a crime of rape happens. A rape victim should be examined medically as per the Section 164 A of Criminal Procedure Code(CrPC), and only the report acts as a proof.

9. Protect your Identity

Under no circumstances the name of the victim can be revealed. Neither the Police nor the media can publish or leak out the name. The identity remains intact and if the identity is disclosed it is punishable as per the Section 228-A of the Indian Penal Code.

10. Employers must protect

It is a necessity for every Employer to create a Sexual Harassment Complaint Cell within the organisation for the redressal of such complaints. It is as per the guidelines of Supreme Court issued. It should be headed by a woman and should be 50% as women. Also, a woman of women welfare group should be present.

So at any moment, if you fee that you are harmed or harassed or you face any difficulty in your path, never forget to launch on your rights and get what you should. JUSTICE.

KBC Syndrome

         I wonder what made the tv program KBC so popular. Notwithstanding the star value and the prize money, the main reason for the popularity, I suppose is the limited thinking it calls for. Choose among four options and if you find that two, too many, go for fifty-fifty and if that is also beyond your reach, then ask someone who, you think knows the answer. 

         Suppose someone were to ask you what was the blunder committed by Stonewall Jackson, which changed the course of American history. The question does not give the slightest clue as to whether the perpetrator of the offence was a politician or a baseball player. Yet, under KBC format, one could successfully negotiate the question, keeping your ignorance of American history intact.

How simple life becomes, when you apply the KBC or the MCQ format to day to day situations !

A clever mother does not ask the kids “What would you have for breakfast ?” This may be just the beginning of of an unending discusion or arguement as neither the kids have a clear idea of what they want nor the mother has a clear idea of how she can produce what the kids ask for.

So it is “Bread or Parantha ?”, “Coffee, Tea ?” “butter or jam ?” and so it goes.

With designer wears available for every item of clothing and accessories you just need to choose a brand name, at best an informed guess. Of course, there are variations in the same brand, but an expert comes to the rescue.

If you want to build a house , you frst choose a builder selling residential flats and then a financial institution to loan the amount. Simplicity itself. Compare this to site selection, design of house, procurement of materials , organising the labour force, etc etc. The issue gets simpler if you have selected the right father in law (or a husband; to be politically right, parent in law or the spouse) Then He or She would take care of the mortgages.

Most of the examinations today are based on objective type of question paper with “guess the right answer” and “head or tails” (Some insist that they are actually “choose the right answer' and true or false' ) questions.

Nothing brings out the KBC Syndrome better than an omnious computer screen to install a new application. Many of us would be familiar with the need to choose among “full, compact, standard and custom options to choose from. with standard, selected by default. How many of us have chosen the 'custom' option ?

The busy life we lead (or pretend to lead) nowadays precludes any original thinking. The theme of the game is why should one think when a set of options have been thought of by someone paid to think. In other words, think only when paid to do so or when there are no other options !

Even the options are to be derived by someone 'thinking' through complex situatons. Nothing wrong with that, but the fact is that less and less people or required to think while the vast majority just see the laid out options and click a radio button. Will brain become another vestigial organ ?!

What's more interesting is that even when the choices are well defined, most of us steer clear of the situation when the number of options exceed four, ie the number specified by our super hero. The situation is termed, “Complex” and you run to an expert or a professional for a fifty-fifty !

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Too much of Democracy

Too much of democracy.. too many rights and too  few responsibilities

It all started with an absolutely heinous crime. The criminals seem to fear no law, no law enforcer or no law maker. It may be persumed that when something  takes place like 9/11, 26/11 or for that matter the Newtown shoot out in US, everyone; the govt, the opposition , Police , citizens all unite against the perpetrators of the ghastly crime.. No, not in India and definitely not in Delhi.

The criminals fear nobody. It goes without saying that neither law makers nor law enforcers fear anyone except perhaps losing their power.

Coming to the protestors, they are law unto themselves. Do they fear anything or anyone ? When there were 'police brutalities' being shown on the TV channels, I saw atleast one young woman pouncing like a panther on an unsuspecting policeman.

We have a right to protest, so will protest when we want where we want, the way we want. You can't send us off to jantar mantar or ramlila maidan. We like to protest at India Gate. The fact that delhites prefer to call the National War Memorial as 'India Gate' hurts me every time I hear it spoken and to add to the woes we have 'India Gate basmati rice'. So much for the sanctity of a war memorial.

The media and the Internet community is livid with the police using water cannons; after all the protesters were just peacefully storming thorough the police barricades and marching towards Rashtrapathi Bhawan, to shake hands with the President. Can't a citizen meet the President of the Republic ? Who are these policemen to come in between ?

Arvind Kejriwal tweats "defy sec 144 , come to india gate". What are laws for except to defy ?


The so called national media has been stuck with dilli news for ever.  When I want to watch national or international news I tune to DD News or even a regional channel like 'puthiya thalaimurai'. Ya, to get an update on  the law and order or traffic situation in Delhi I tune to ndtv or cnn-ibn. Does the the media respect anything or any institution ? Whatever they say on their channel, it is worth reading their tweats, to know how they feel on any issue.

Sagarika Ghosh of CNN-IBN tweats  "Those ridiculous lal battis, ape-like commandos, fortified bungalows, all VIPs shd give up "security" and feel ïnsecurity" of public "


Does she know  how many times the "ape-like being" must have risked his life to train himself to become a commando and does she have an idea of the continuous training and deprivation one goes through to remain a commando? Well she is exercising her freedom of expression. Defy authority, demean the security forces, after all she is paying her taxes out of which army, police and the other govt servants are paid.

Overall I think  India in general and Delhi in particular needs to understand an ounce of their responsibilities than fight for  tonnes of their rights.

risk profile :army

The piece was written during the course of a month long LRP (Long Range Patrol), at an altitude of about 15000-16000 feet, circa 1996. It was written in bits and pieces, in the scrap book, in field shelters. The immediate trigger was the number of standard operating procedures army has in place , to avoid / counter all conceivable hazards like avalanche, blizzard, flash floods, frost bite , HYPO (High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema), fire hazards and carbon monoxide poisoning from 'sigris' and of course enemy action. At times you wonder as to which was more hazardous, whether the avalanche or the restrictions imposed by 'measures to avoid avalanche' .

Nothing much has changed in the last 16 years and I haven't changed anything but for some annotations for civilian friends, since it is  a typical military format.

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE TO AVOID BED CASUALTIES IN ARMY

General

1.      Consequent to a comprehensive in-depth study carried out by (Management of Information System (MIS) Army HQ, it has been revealed that over 90% of fatal casualties in the army, in peace time, occurs in bed. Even in stray cases where the victims lost consciousness else where the actual death occurred only in bed. Hence forth all these casualties will be termed as bed casualties. While it is an indisputable fact that bed casualties can be totally done away by avoiding beds all together, a point to be taken note of is that human beings are more inclined to adapt a horizontal configuration wheresoever and when ever possible. As a humane approach to the issue, it is proposed to make 'going to bed ' as safe as possible.

Aim

2. These instructions lay down guidelines for minimising bed casualties in the army.

Responsibility

3. Minimising bed casualties will be a command responsibility and commander at all levels will be held accountable , meaning end of the career, for any lapses.

Bed Hours

4. It is an obvious fact that minimum hours in bed (named bed hours) will ultimately result in minimising bed casualties. It is desirable that bed hours are restricted to 4-6 hours per day and bed hours for various personnel in the unit be staggered to minimise risk of bed casualties at a any given time.

Communication

5. In the age of information and communication, this factor cannot be overemphasized. All personnel going to bed should be provided good communication. However due to paucity of resources in the first phase, communication will be provided only up to battalion commander level. Meanwhile to tide over the situation, line beddings(line bedding, for my civilian friends is an essential item of a soldier's kit, mainly for tying up his bedding but used multipurpose like, putting up a bivouac, making a stretcher, communication between fire trenches etc) will be used for inter bed communication. Master general of Ordnance (MGO branch has confirmed availability of sufficient stock of line bedding (LP) in their depots. MGO branch will issue separate instructions for demand issue and replacement of these items.

Rescue Party

6. All personnel going to bed will be covered by a rescue party located in situ, ab initio ; they will also be provided communication as Para 5 above. The details of duties of rescue party will be incorporated in the unit SOPs.

Medical

7. A thorough medical check up will be carried out in respect of all personnel before going to bed and after waking up. Units will maintain records and these records will be put up to visiting senior officers.

First Aid

8. Any personnel having any complaint while in bed will immediately be pulled out of the bed and brought to sitting or standing position. Meanwhile help will be called for.

Bunker Collapse

9. There have been instances where in personnel have been choked to death due to bunker collapse while in bed, in the field areas. The Engineer in Chief Branch has been tasked to explore the feasibility of replacing the CGI(Corrugated Galvanized Iron) sheets with paper and the ballies with sarkanda to prevent such occurrences (any takers for AVSM)

Hospitals

10. MIS has also pointed out that most of he bed casualties occurs in hospitals. It is proposed to remove all beds from hosp and convert the hospitals to STCs ( Standing Treatment Centers). Medical directorate has been tasked to work out the modalities.

Standing Court of Inquiry

11. All Station HQ (Formation HQ where Station HQ is not co located) will order standing C of I to investigate all cases of bed casualties

Reports and Returns

12. To efficiently monitor the entire op, it is directed that all commands forward a report as per format att (not to all) every qr. The first report should reach this HQ by 01 apr 1996.

Conclusion

13. These instructions are only some basic guidelines to minimise bed casualties . Imaginative and innovative methods have to be evolved keeping in view the overall picture in mind. With a concerted effort, Indian army would prove to be a shining example in this field, for the entire nation.

Some thoughts on Vijayadasami and Deepawali

       India is a great country and Hinduism is a great way of life. Dassehra is celebrated all over the country, yet an outsider, or for that matter even an Indian, can never relate the celebrations in one part of the country to those in another part. All gods and goddesses are propitiated in some form or the other in some part of the country, unlike Ramnavami, Krishna jayanti or Ganesh chathurti where the entire scene is hogged by  one god. If Ramlila is the main event in one part it is Durga pooja in the other.

It is Dandia in the west, Ramlila in the cow belt, Durga pooja in the east and Navaratri Golu in the South.

       In most parts it is a closed holiday while the kids in Chennai start their schooling on this auspicious day. I still remember trudging along with my father, to the school with a slate and a slate pencil, as a four year old. It was on a Vijayadasami day, the headmaster registered my age as 5 and admitted me in Class 1.

   While I was thinking aloud , trying to understand the diferences, a north Indian friend of mine said, "forget it ya, just enjoy the celebrations! it's all the same" ; I could ony mumble to myself , "There has got to be some differnce between 'burning' and 'learning'!"

Coming to  Deepawali, how can the southies celebrate homecoming of Ram to Ayodhya ? So it is Krishna's day to mark   Narakasura Samharam. All I can recall from my childhood memories on Deepawali is lots of sweets, new clothes (those days, new clothes were bought only on important occasions and Deepawali was the most important occasion) crackers and then came some great reading!!! 

Every Tamil magazine, vied with one another to bring out the best annual number. Every writer considered it his privillege to get his story/article published in a popular magazine's Deepawali Issue. The photos and paintings in Kalki were designed to be cut and framed for posterity. Till today, these issues are quite popular.

Some of the lesser known aspects of Vijayadasami and Deepawali

Where I live today, Deepwali, means, besides sweets , crackers and lights, Lakshmi pooja, amassing of wealth, mahurat trading and ritualistic gambling !! One festival, many flavours; but it is first or the original flavour that persistently  lingers on.

I sign off , wishing Happy Deepawali to everybody ! Vishv ka kalyaan ho !