India carries out initial trials of indigenous light tank 'Zorawar'
New Delhi, Jul 6: India has carried out initial trials of an indigenous light tank named 'Zorawar' being developed primarily to enhance the Army's overall combat capabilities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and L&T Defence are developing the air-transportable 25-tonne tank that has been designed for rapid deployment largely along the frontier with China, they said.
The initial internal trials of the tank took place at a facility in Hazira, Gujarat, less than two years after the ambitious project was sanctioned, the people in the know of the matter said.
The Indian Army is looking at deploying over 350 light tanks, mostly in the mountainous border areas, they said.
The development of 'Zorawar' is being seen to be aimed at countering China's deployment of tanks of the same categories. The Army planned to procure light tanks equipped with adequate firepower for deployment in high-altitude areas with an aim to enhance agility, manoeuvrability and operational capability.
It has taken a series of measures since the Galwan Valley clashes in eastern Ladakh to enhance its combat capabilities. It deployed a significant number of easily transportable M-777 ultralight howitzers in mountainous regions along the LAC, including in Arunachal Pradesh.
The M-777s can be transported quickly in Chinook helicopters.
The Army has also deployed heavy tanks like T-90 and T-72 and infantry combat vehicles in eastern Ladakh. The artillery units of the Army have already deployed K-9 Vajra Tracked Self-Propelled Howitzers, Pinaka rocket systems and Dhanush gun systems along the frontier with China.
The Indian and Chinese militaries have been locked in a standoff since May 2020 and a full resolution of the border row has not yet been achieved though the two sides have disengaged from a number of friction points.
The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.
India’s Indigenous light tank ‘Zorawar’ unveiled, fastest product development by DRDO, L&T
— DD News (@DDNewslive) July 6, 2024
As per DRDO chief Dr Kamat, the tank is expected to be inducted into the Indian Army by the year 2027 after all trials@DRDO_India #Zorawar pic.twitter.com/XBB8cnxqlE
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Girl gangraped on moving vehicle in Tripura, two arrested
Agartala, Aug 22 (PTI): A girl was gangraped on a moving vehicle by two of her companions near Udaipur railway station in Tripura's Gomati district, police claimed on Friday.
The two accused, identified as Mithun Debnath (24) and Bower Debbarma (24) of Maharani, have been arrested, police added.
"The girl, accompanied by two of her neighbours, went to Tripureswari temple on Thursday evening. After visiting the temple, two boys took her to Udaipur railway station in a car. On the way, Mithun and Bower raped her in the moving vehicle", officer-in-charge of RK Pur women police station, Nibha Sinha, said.
Sinha said the three were initially detained at Kakraban checkgate in Udaipur subdivision when they were returning around 10 pm.
"On being asked, the girl claimed she was raped by two of her companions. We then brought them to RK Pur women police station for interrogation", she said.
Following a complaint from the victim's family on Friday, both youths were arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident.
"A forensic team has checked the vehicle in which the girl was raped. The survivor was produced before a local court to register her statement as part of the investigation", she said.
