Army Officer Says Targeted For Exposing Fake Encounters, Extortions
NEW DELHI: An army officer posted in Manipur has told a court that his and family's lives are at danger because he had flagged fake encounters and extortions by a unit of the army's intelligence surveillance wing in the northeast. Army sources said the matter is sub-judice and an affidavit has already been submitted in court on the issue.
On July 1, Lieutenant Colonel Dharamvir Singh was allegedly arrested from his home in Imphal by armed jawans in the presence of two officers. After his wife Ranju Singh filed a complaint with the police, the Colonel surfaced in Dimapur on July 5.
In an affidavit filed at a court in Imphal on July 20, the 52-year-old officer said in September 2016, he had written a letter to senior officers,complaining about the extortions and fake killings by the army's intelligence surveillance unit. The officers, he said, promised action against the guilty, but he was pressured into withdrawing the letter.
His arrest, he alleged was part of a "vindictive approach" by some officers and an "organized campaign" to harass him.
In his affidavit, the Colonel also listed at least three incidents, which, he said, were instances of fake encounters. The dates given were March 10, 2010, February 5, 2010, and August 19, 2011.
Sources in the army indicated that there was no truth in the account of the officer's arrest. The officer, they indicated, was disaffected about his posting.
The sources also said allegations of these fake encounters had come up before the Gauhati High Court, but the court found no truth in them.
Babloo Loithingbam, an Imphal-based humans rights activist, said, "I had an opportunity to have a look at the affidavit it seems quite coherent. it fits into many of the independent monitoring that we have been doing so I think there is merit that requires proper examination of what Col Dharamvir is putting in his affidavit."
"The army had denied the arrest initially. But Mrs Dharmvir Singh pursued the matter in court and the affidavit is now sure to raise many uncomfortable questions for the army," he said.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
