PTI reporter, cameraperson assaulted by mob in Tonk, camera snatched and burnt
Tonk (Rajasthan) (PTI): A PTI reporter and video cameraperson were beaten up and injured by a mob during a violent rampage in Tonk district on Thursday while they were covering a protest following the arrest of Independent MLA candidate Naresh Meena.
The attack left reporter Ajeet Shekhawat and cameraperson Dharmendra Kumar badly injured. Their camera was also snatched and set on fire by the mob.
In a selfie video sent by Shekhawat to the head office in Delhi, he could be seen bleeding from under his bloodshot left eye.
Shekhawat told his editors that his colleague Dharmendra suffered a gash on the head and his arm may be broken. Both were rushed to a hospital in a colleague's vehicle.
The two came under attack when they were about to interview Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena, who had gone to the troubled spot to assess the situation.
After the incident, the Chief Minister's Office instructed senior police officers to provide security cover to the injured PTI team. The CMO also instructed the chief medical and health officer (CMHO), Sawai Madhopur to ensure proper treatment for them.
After initial treatment at a private hospital in Sawai Madhopur, both the injured were referred to Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur where doctors have kept them under observation for a day. All necessary medical examinations were conducted by the trauma centre team.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel, Minister of State (Home) Jawahar Singh Bedham and the CM's media advisors Anand Sharma and Hiren Joshi visited the hospital to enquire about their well-being.
The ministers said that those who took the law into their hands will be identified and dealt with strictly under the law. Both the ministers condemned the attack.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot also condemned the assault on X and demanded strict action.
The violence has been going on since Wednesday evening when police tried to stop the supporters of Naresh Meena, a Congress rebel contesting as an Independent in the bypolls, from sitting on dharna.
On Wednesday, Naresh Meena slapped SDM Malpura Amit Chaudhary who was on election duty in full view of camera crews.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
