India, Kazakhstan militaries to train together
New Delhi, Sep 4: Indian and Kazakhstan armies are set to train together in a two-week military drill near a Otar military base in the southeast of the Central Asian country from next week.
The joint army exercise 'Kazind' will be conducted between the Indian and Kazakhstan Army from September 10 to 23 in Otar.
This is the third joint military exercise between the two countries "which have a history of extensive cooperation in the defence arena", an army spokesperson said. The second edition of the exercise was held in India last year.
The aim of the exercise is to build and promote army to army relations and exchange skills and experiences between the Kazakh and the Indian armies. The exercise will also serve as a platform for exchange of drills and procedures, the spokesperson said.
"The 14-day exercise with the Kazakhstan Army will follow a graduated continuum from orientation to a full scale mock exercise - the aim being to achieve optimum integration among the two contingents through enhanced mutual comprehension of each other's tactics, techniques and procedures."
The spokesperson said the Indian troops will share their "vast experience and expertise...in counter insurgency operations" with their Kazakhstan counterparts.
"The conduct of the joint exercise will set the stage for greater defence cooperation and consequently will manifest in stronger ties between the two great nations."
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Vinay Somaiah Suicide: BJP stages road blockade protest in Madikeri
Madikeri: The Kodagu district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a road blockade protest in Madikeri on Thursday, demanding the immediate arrest of those allegedly responsible for the suicide of party worker Vinay Somaiah.
BJP leaders and workers assembled at General Thimmaiah Circle in the heart of the city, raising slogans against the Congress party and the state government. The protestors specifically demanded action against a Congress spokesperson mentioned in a note Vinay reportedly left before his death.
Addressing the gathering, former Assembly Speaker K.G. Bopaiah expressed strong dissatisfaction with the government and the police. He said the FIR against Vinay originally stayed by the court was later revived under a different section by the police. “Vinay had merely posted about the unhygienic condition of the Napoklu public toilet. Instead of addressing the issue, an FIR was filed against him. This is unacceptable. The police seem to be functioning under the directions of Congress MLAs, disregarding even court orders,” he stated.
District BJP President Napanda Ravi Kalappa also criticized the police, saying Vinay had no direct connection to the original post and was wrongly targeted. “An innocent man has lost his life. Two MLAs in Kodagu district are misusing police power to suppress dissent. The FIR was registered under political pressure,” he alleged, further demanding that the two MLAs resign and cooperate with the investigation into Vinay's death.
The protest led to a road blockade that lasted for over an hour, significantly affecting traffic. Despite requests from police officers to clear the area, BJP workers insisted on the arrival of the District Superintendent of Police (SP) to address their concerns.
SP K. Ramarajan later arrived at the protest site and informed the protesters that since the incident occurred in Bengaluru, the investigation was being conducted by the police there.
He assured full cooperation from the Kodagu police in the ongoing probe. Following his assurance, the BJP workers dispersed peacefully.
District BJP General Secretary Mahesh Jaini, SC Morcha District President P.M. Ravi, Women’s Wing President Anita Poovaiah, and other key party functionaries including Suvin Ganapathy, Jagadish, Arun Shetty, municipal council members, and BJP office-bearers from across the district were present on the occasion.
