Army chief meets former comrade in Poonch, hails him for supporting troops during Operation Sindoor
Jammu (PTI): The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Upendra Dwivedi, on Saturday met his former comrade, retired Honorary Captain Subedar Parvez Ahmed, during his visit to the forward areas in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said.
During the visit, the army chief also stopped at Kamsar village in the border district, where he met Ahmed, who served with 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. The two had served together on several occasions, including when General Dwivedi commanded the battalion between 2002 and 2005, PRO Defence said.
"Ahmed joined the Indian Army in March 1991 and retired in March 2019 after completing 25 years of service", he said, adding that during his tenure, he served in operational and instructional roles, including as an instructor at training establishments, and completed several specialised courses.
According to the PRO, after Ahmed's retirement, he remained actively engaged with the local community and supported troops during Operation Sindoor by assisting in logistics and local coordination, drawing on his familiarity with the area. "His contributions during the operation earned him recognition from the army," he added.
In recognition of his continued service to society and support to the army, General Dwivedi felicitated Ahmed with the Veteran Achiever Award during the visit.
Additionally, General Dwivedi reviewed the operational preparedness of troops deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) and interacted with personnel at forward locations, commending them for their high morale and readiness, the PRO said.
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4 Indian students among several injured in stabbing attack in Russia
Moscow (PTI): At least six people, including four Indians students, were injured on Saturday in a stabbing attack at a university in Russia's Bashkortostan Republic, media reports and the Indian mission here said.
According to preliminary reports, a teenager armed with a knife entered a dormitory of the State Medical University in Ufa in the Bashkortostan Republic. He attacked the students living there and stabbed several of them, the Interior Ministry said.
“The attacker resisted arrest, during which two police officers were stabbed. Furthermore, the suspect also inflicted bodily harm on himself,” Interior Ministry spokesperson Maj General Irina Volk was quoted as saying by RTVI.com webportal.
Calling it an "unfortunate incident", the Indian Embassy here said, "Several persons including four Indian students have been injured."
The Embassy said it is in touch with the authorities, and officials from the Consulate in Kazan are en route to Ufa to provide assistance to the injured students.
In a release, the Russian Federal Health Ministry said that four people injured in the attack are receiving medical care. One is in serious condition, while three others are in moderate condition, it added.
The attacker, identified as a 15-year-old youth, has also been admitted to a local children's hospital in serious condition, the Baza telegram channel said.
Authorities in Ufa, the capital of the Bashkortostan Republic about 1,200 km east of Moscow, have launched a high-level probe into the incident.
The Baza channel claimed that the attacker belonged to a banned neo-Nazi outfit.
"He belonged to the banned NS/WP neoNazi organisation. During the frenzy of attack, he was shouting nationalist slogans about (the) Holocaust,” it said and shared the photo of a Swastika drawn on a wall with the blood of the victims.
According to eyewitnesses, “there was blood all around,” Ren TV said, showing footage of wounded being taken to hospital by ambulance vans.
