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Kargil Vijay Diwas 2023: 24 Years On War Veteran Recalls Tiger Hill And Tololing’s Capture

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24 years and the memories of the Kargil War are still fresh for the then Commanding Officer (CO) Brig Kushal Thakur (retd) of the 18 Grenadiers battalion that captured Tiger Hill and Tololing during the war. “I am filled with nostalgia and pride to think of all courageous men who fought with the utmost sincerity and patriotism to bring glory not only to themselves but also to their platoons.”

Now retired, the officer recounts the exceptional grit and courage of 18 Grenadiers that pushed back the enemy from the highest peak in the Dras sector and unfurled the Tricolour on the mountaintop of July 4, 1999.

“During the war, 18 Grenadiers were assigned the task of recapturing two prominent peaks of Tololing and Tiger Hill in the Dras sector. We had already captured Tololing on June 13-14, but the latter was a tough task,” recalls the officer, who was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal.

An extraordinary operation 

Tiger Hill was a majestic mountainous feature at a height of 17,500 feet dominating observation that during the war interfered with the movement of troops and logistics taking place on the Srinagar-Leh Highway.

The unit employed a strategy that was the most difficult and unsuspected approach to gain the element of surprise. It was a three-pronged attack with a hook to snap the enemy supply lines and use battalion commandos, Ghataks. The heavy shelling of Indian artillery shook the enemy’s defensive position and Ghataks led by Lieutenant Balwan and Havildar Yogender Singh Yadav attacked from the rear, as positioned.

“This was the most difficult strategy ever employed on an open battlefield. There was no information about the number and weapons of the enemy. We were only told about five to six Mujahideens. We captured Tiger Hill on the early morning of July 4,” says the officer. India was in a full-fledged war after over two decades. And other than the fact that the battalion was transported in a few days of preparation, there were logistic challenges. Lack of equipment, high-altitude warfare preparations, acclimatisation and of course, artillery support. 

“As my platoon of 18 Grenadiers advanced to attack Tololing, enemy sniper fire, machine gun and rocket fire and artillery fire became more and more intense. Seeing the seriousness of the situation, I asked for the help of helicopter fire from Brigade Commander Brigadier A.N Aul. As we moved forward, we came to know that a company of Pakistan’s North Light Infantry was barricaded with heavy weapons above Tololing,” he says.

Tololing and Point 5140 were attacked with the help of Cheetah helicopters on 24 May, and MI 17 gunship helicopters from 26 to 28 May. Major Rajesh Adhikari guided the pilots of the helicopters over the target and also fired with the machine gun himself, but due to the high altitude and the enemy moving in a reverse slope, the fire of the helicopter and the machine gun did not prove to be effective,” he recalled and shared a video clip of ’50 days of Kargil War’.

He recalls that the enemy had put up such a heavy barrage that on May 27, 1999, an MI 17 helicopter was shot down by a stinger missile and all its crew were martyred. “Soon after that, the Air Force stopped all low-level ground helicopter attacks in the Kargil war. Despite all these challenges, the brave soldiers of the platoon stood firm and kept moving forward,” says Brigadier Thakur.

Setting an example of courage

No war is complete without taking a blow. While Indian soldiers inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy, Nine Indian soldiers were martyred in the battle and 20 were injured. “I lost two of my brave officers besides two JCOs and 21 other ranks. The unit was supported by brave soldiers of 8 Sikh,” recalls the officer.

It is this courage and sacrifice that the Tricolour flew atop Tiger Hill on July 4, 1999. For their tenacity and unparalleled valour on the battlefield, 18 Grenadiers were honoured with a total of 52 gallantry awards, including Param Vir Chakra, two Maha Vir Chakra, six Vir Chakra and 16 Sena Medal (Gallantry), besides many other honours.

The unit was also awarded Theatre Honour Kargil, Battle Honour (Tiger Hill and Tololing) by the then President and Unit Citation by the then Army Chief General Ved Malik. In addition, every year July 26 is observed as Vijay Divas to commemorate the Kargil victory in Dras.

“As the CO of 18 Grenadiers, I had seen the professionalism of my men in counter-insurgency operations from where we were ordered to move to the heights of Kargil almost overnight. Though, every unit trains its men for conventional operations and yet when one encounters it, one can never be too prepared,” he added.

Mumbai Press Exclusive News

Navneet Rana meets Sunitra Pawar… Is BJP preparing to send Navneet to Rajya Sabha from NCP quota, NCP senior leaders are angry

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Sunita Navneet

Mumbai : BJP leader Naveen Rana’s meeting with Nationalist Congress Party president Sunitra Pawar has sparked fresh debate in political circles. There are speculations that the meeting was held to deliberate on the Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant after Sunitra Pawar resigned as an MP. After Vikram Kakde, who is outside the party, was nominated for the Pune Local Authority constituency of the Legislative Council, preparations are being made to send Naveen Rana, who has now joined the BJP, to the Rajya Sabha, a debate that has angered several senior leaders in the NCP.

Rajya Sabha seat: Chhagan Bhujbal is interested Senior party leader Chhagan Bhujbal is interested in this Rajya Sabha seat. However, after the discussion of Navneet Rana’s name started, an open discussion has started that the influence of MP Partha Pawar’s group on the decision-making process in the party has increased. It is also being said that Praful Patel is not very active in the party after his name was removed from the post of National Executive President. It is also being said that Sunil Tatkre is also angry and the number of angry leaders in the party is increasing. The last date for filing nominations for this Rajya Sabha seat is June 8, so various leaders in the party have started lobbying for this seat and efforts to get nomination are going on rapidly. After all, the focus of political circles is on who will give the party a candidate.

Navneet Rana, who was elected as an independent candidate with the support of the Nationalist Congress Party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, joined the BJP in 2024. However, there are talks about her political revival after her defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. It is also said that she has recently contacted some senior BJP leaders. However, it is known that she was advised to contact them because the vacant Rajya Sabha seat is in the NCP quota. It is believed that she met Sunita Pawar only after that.

Elections have been announced for 24 vacant Rajya Sabha seats and by-elections. This includes 4-4 from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, 3-3 from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, 2 from Jharkhand and one each from Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. Apart from this, by-elections for one seat each from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu will also be held on the same day. Voting will be held on June 18 and the results will be announced on the same day. Meanwhile, there is an important development. It is being told that former MP Naveen Rana is trying to get the Rajya Sabha nomination. The Rajya Sabha nomination from the Nationalist Congress Party quota will be announced soon. For this, Naveen Rana met Sunita Pawar and Partha Pawar on Wednesday. Yesterday, Naveen Rana and Ravi Rana also met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Therefore, it is being said that an attempt is being made to nominate Navneet Rana on the NCP quota seat. However, will Navneet Rana give up his quota seat for the NCP? This is also a question. So, will this meeting result in Navneet Rana being nominated in place of Sunitra Pawar? This will become clear in the coming days.

Rajya Sabha Seat: Amul Matkari’s social media post is under discussion, Amul Matkari has posted in this regard and said that the vacant Rajya Sabha seat of Smt. Sunitra Vahini belongs only to NCP! No one else should claim this and put up a front. The name of the NCP party is “Ajit Dada”. Therefore, the decision taken by Smt. will be final. This party is a party that is under the sway of Ajit Dada. That’s all for now.

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Crime

CBI court sentences firm partner to three years RI in Rs 4 crore bank fraud case

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Chandigarh, June 5: A Special CBI Court in Mohali, Punjab, has convicted and sentenced Samir Dua, a partner of M/s G.D. Ispat Udyog, Mandi Gobindgarh, to three years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with a fine of Rs 15,000 in connection with a multi-crore bank fraud case, an official statement said on Friday.

The sentence was pronounced on June 4, following the conclusion of trial proceedings in the case investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

According to the CBI, the case was registered against Dalip Dua and Samir Dua, partners of M/s G.D. Ispat Udyog, along with other accused, for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy to defraud Indian Overseas Bank’s Mandi Gobindgarh branch in Punjab.

The investigation revealed that the accused had fraudulently secured a cash credit limit of Rs 4 crore from the bank by submitting false and fabricated information and documents.

The loan facility was allegedly obtained through misrepresentation, causing a wrongful loss to the bank and corresponding unlawful gain to the accused, the agency said.

Following a detailed investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet against the accused persons before the competent court. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence establishing the fraudulent nature of the transactions and the conspiracy behind obtaining the credit facility.

After examining the evidence and hearing the arguments, the Special CBI Court found Samir Dua guilty and sentenced him to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 15,000.

Proceedings against co-accused Dalip Dua were abated due to his death during the pendency of the case.

The conviction marks the culmination of the CBI’s investigation into the bank fraud, underscoring the agency’s efforts to prosecute financial crimes and hold those responsible for defrauding public sector banks accountable.

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National News

Rahul Gandhi, Kharge condole loss of lives in Malviya Nagar blaze; ask Cong workers to extend help

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New Delhi, June 3: Congress leaders, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Wednesday, expressed grief over the 20 lives lost in the tragic Delhi fire, calling the tragedy “extremely heartbreaking”. They also appealed to Congress leaders and workers to extend every possible help and support to the victims injured in the blaze and the families of the deceased.

At least 20 people were killed, and dozens were injured after a massive fire broke out at the multi-storied Lemon Green Restaurant in Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning, officials said.

So far, 37 people were rescued and taken to the hospital, while a search for others is underway, officials added.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said he was “deeply saddened” by the news.

“My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said in a post on X.

He urged the Delhi government and authorities to provide adequate and timely compensation, “including prompt medical care to the victims”.

“I urge Congress workers to extend every possible help and support to the victims in this difficult time,” he added.

LoP Rahul Gandhi called the incident “extremely heartbreaking.”

Taking to X, he said: “I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I urge all Congress workers to contribute in every possible way to the relief and rescue operations.”

“I hope for the swift recovery of the injured,” Rahul Gandhi mentioned.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra echoed: “The news of the deaths of a large number of people and injuries to nearly three dozen or more due to a fire in a hotel in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, is extremely heartbreaking.”

“May God grant peace to the departed souls. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of the injured,” she wrote in a post on X.

She, too, appealed to Congress leaders and workers to extend their support to the affected people as much as possible.

Senior officials from Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services and rescue services are present at the scene of the tragedy and were monitoring the situation.

Upon receiving information, ten fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the scene. The fire was soon brought under control. However, the damage was extensive.

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