Fake Encounters haunt the Army

Army forcing us to withdraw case against Gen Bikram Singh: NGO
Harinder Baweja, Hindustan Times
Srinagar, October 05, 2012
The army has been accused of putting pressure on the civil society in Kashmir to withdraw a PIL against its chief, General Bikram Singh.
YES Kashmir, an NGO, had approached the Jammu and Kashmir high court in October last year to raise the issue of an encounter that occurred in Janglat Mandi, Anantnag, in March 2001.
In the clash, Singh — then a brigadier posted in the Valley — suffered gunshot wounds while two army officials lost their lives.
According to the police, an alleged militant dressed as a beggar had approached Singh and opened fire. In the battle that ensued, the militant was killed.
The PIL, however, questions the police theory. A family had come forward in October 2011, claiming that it was their son Abdullah Bhat, an innocent bystander, who had been killed.
The timing of the PIL was questioned in military circles, with many seeing it as an attempt to narrow down Singh’s chances of becoming the army chief.
Soon after Singh took over as the chief of army staff, NGO head Khurshid Ahmed Mir approached the court once again and — in a sworn affidavit — claimed that the force was pressurising him.
Mir has now alleged in the affidavit that “officers of Sector–1 RR are pressurising me to help them withdraw the case by influencing relatives and the counsel for the petitioners… Since the case has turned out to be a high-profile one, I feel insecure in the hands of the army. They are repeatedly putting pressure on me, and can harm me and my family.”
The police had then closed the case, saying the beggar was actually Mateen Chacha — a Pakistan-trained Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist.
They are now refusing to produce a photograph of the ‘beggar’ or identify his grave, demands that the family has made through the PIL.
The board of officers inquiring into the funding of the controversial intelligence unit, constituted by former army chief Gen VK Singh, is now probing possible links between the ‘snoop unit’ and the NGO.
The inquiry notwithstanding, the petition can be embarrassing for the chief as well as the government, particularly if the court orders an investigation into the ‘fake encounter.’ The army declined to comment on the grounds that the inquiry was still on.
>Army forcing us to withdraw case against Gen Bikram Singh: NGO Comment: Fake Encounters and Gallantry Awards was a sure sign of Career Success for many Senior Officers. This short cut was fine tuned by AHQ from 1995 to 2007. When busted the reactions are for a cover up by all means... The AHQ CoI is waste of time. The Army is not designed for IS duties or Anti Insurgency ops. The designed role is only COMBAT- defensive and offensive.

The 6th Sikh Battalion leaves permanent footprints in Congo

Only conclusive proof to validate UN Report will be the Paternity and DNA tests. Why the Court of Inquiry has skirted this positive proof to identify the fathers?
Indian Army probes reports of its UN peacekeepers fathering kids in Congo
VARINDER BHATIA : Chandigarh, Tue Jun 07 2011, 02:36 hrs An entire battalion of the Indian Army is in the dock after allegations in Congo that Indian peacekeepers fathered around a dozen children while posted there on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in 2008.
Based on the allegations, the Army has ordered a Court of Inquiry against the 6th Sikh Battalion, which comprises 12 officers and 39 jawans. A UN probe into the matter had been inconclusive.
The CoI is being conducted at Meerut, where the 9th Infantry Division is based. The 6th Sikh Battalion is part of the 37th Infantry Brigade, which comes under the 9th Infantry Division. The CoI is being presided over by Brig. M M Masur, Cdr, 9 Artillery Brigade, and includes Col. Sunil, Deputy Commander, 32 Infantry Brigade and Col. P V Ramakrishnan, Commanding Officer, 299 Fd Regt. as members.
The allegations surfaced after DNA tests commissioned by the UN in Durla, Congo, showed that the children were born with “distinctive Indian features”. The UN wrote to Army Headquarters, requesting further investigation. The latest reminder for action was sent in August 2010.
Following the UN letters, Army Headquarters wrote to Western Command in January this year asking it to inquire into the matter. The CoI was ordered on May 24.
An Army official at HQ confirmed that an inquiry has been ordered. “There are some allegations and we are investigating into the issue,” the official said. “We have received a report from UN. Their inquiry into the allegations was inconclusive, that is why we are investigating the matter here.”
The 6th Sikh Battalion was posted in Congo in 2008. After allegations that soldiers had sexually exploited local women, the Battalion was sent back to India and stationed at Chandimandir. In 2009, the alleged victims of the exploitation started giving birth, and the UN ordered an inquiry.
Earlier, in March 2008, allegations surfaced that three Indian officers posted at the UN Mission in Congo had sexually exploited a local woman while holidaying in South Africa. Before that, in 2007, there were allegations that Indian blue berets had exchanged food and information for gold with Rwandan rebels in Congo’s North Kivu. There were separate allegations that Indian soldiers had paid minor Congolese girls in North Kivu for sex. In most of these cases, the Army has given a clean chit to its personnel.
Indian Army probes reports of its UN peacekeepers fathering kids in Congo