9 Madras : A Tale of ‘Terrors’

The 9th battalion of the Madras Regiment (Travancore) has completed 300 years in the service of the motherland. The battalion was raised in 1704 at Padmanabhapuram in Kalkulam taluk of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. Padmanabhapuram was the erstwhile capital of Travancore State. Raised as personal bodyguards to the Maharaja of Travancore, the unit, though redesigned through the ages, continues to retain its individual identity with no history of disbandment or reraising.

The Travancore Army completely exterminated the superior and better equipped Dutch Forces which landed at Colachal in July 1741 during the reign of Anizham Thirunal Veer Bala Marthand Varma. In the battle of Colachal, Capt Eustace De Lanoy, the Dutch Naval Forces Commander, was captured who was asked later to train the Travancore Army. From 1741 to 1758, Capt De Lanoy remained in command of the Travancore Forces and was involved in annexation of small principalities.

In 1935, the Travancore State joined the Indian State Forces Scheme and the battalion was named 1st Travancore Nayar Infantry, Travancore State Forces. The unit was reorganised as an Indian State Infantry Battalion by Lt Col HS Steward who was appointed Commandant of the Travancore State Forces. In 1940, the battalion left for Padmanabhapuram and arrived at Military Station, Cannanore.

The battalion served overseas in 1940s. In 1945, Maj Gen Parameshwaran Pillai was appointed GOC, Travancore State Forces. In the same year, the unit was asked to move to South East Asian Command. Embarked on At Taima, the unit sailed to Hong Kong. Disembarked at Kowloon Harbour, it was placed under the command of 150 Independent Infantry Brigade. While at Kowloon, the unit was assigned the task of guarding Japanese prisoners of war, airfields and docks. It also looked after the repatriation of PoWs to Japan. The unit left Hong Kong, disembarked at Madras and arrived at Trivandrum on January 31, 1947.

In April, 1951 the battalion was integrated with Indian Army and on May 1, 1954, it was merged with the Madras Regiment and was redesignated 9th Battalion of the Madras Regiment (Travancore). After the integration of Travancore State Force with the Indian Army, the State Forces Colours were ceremonially laid up at Chetwode Hall, Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun in 1956.

The then President, Mr VV Giri, presented new Colours to the battalion on May 23, 1970 at Barrack square, Wellington at a solemn ceremony. Over the years, everybody was impressed with the valiant deeds of the battalion. In fond recognition of their bravery, people started calling them terrors.

Post Independence, the battalion served from Siachen to Andaman and Nicobar Islands and from Nagaland to Rajasthan. Some of the operational achievements are highlighted below:

•  The battalion actively participated in the Hyderabad Police Action during 1948 and was instrumental in restoring peace and tranquility in the riot-torn region.

•  During Indo-Pak war in 1965, the battalion located at Ferozpur under 65 Infantry Brigade fought the famous Battle of Barki and played a leading role in the capture of Barka-Kalan and Ichogil Bund. In this heroic action, twentyseven personnel made supreme sacrifice. The battalion was honoured with one Vir Chakra, two Sena Medals, twelve mention-in-despatches and the theatre honour Punjab.

•  In Nagaland, the battalion conducted operations against Naga hostiles. The unit performed extremely well and was awarded one Sena Medal and two COAS commendation cards.

•  The 9th battalion took part in operation Cactus Lily during 1971 war. The battalion, deployed under 330 Infantry Brigade at Barmer, captured Mahendro Ro Par and Fateh Ro Par on Gadra City-Umraokot axis. It remained deployed at Naya Chor till the announcement of ceasefire on December 17, 1971. During this operation, it suffered ten casualties. In another operation, during 1971 war, Capt Gopa Kumar Raman Pillai was awarded Vir Chakra.

•  The battalion served in Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 1990 to 1994 where it had the opportunity to undertake anti-poaching operations in conjunction with Navy and the Air Force. The unit was awarded one Vishisht Seva Medal and four GOC-in-C Southern Command commendation cards during these operations.

•  The battalion served in Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 1990 to 1994 where it had the opportunity to undertake anti-poaching operations in conjunction with Navy and the Air Force. The unit was awarded one Vishisht Seva Medal and four GOC-in-C Southern Command commendation cards during these operations.

•  During operation Rakshak, the battalion conducted counter-insurgency operations in Bhadarwah and Rajouri Sectors. It neutralised more than 35 militants and captured a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives including SAM missiles, UMGs and a sniper rifle. Maj Sajjan Singh Gahalawat and three ORs made supreme sacrifice during these operations. The unit was awarded two Shaurya Chakra, three Sena Medals, two COAS commendation cards and two GOC-in-C commendation cards.

•  While participating in operation Meghdoot, the unit served at the world’s highest battlefield from 2000 to 2002. It occupied Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in Siachen. During this operation, the battalion suffered two casualties due to adverse weather conditions.

•  During operation Parakram, the unit was operationally deployed at Turtuk, Baramulla, Handanbrog, Dras and Kargil.

9th Madras Regiment

Battle of Colachal

Battle of Colachal was a turning point in the military history of Travancore. Colachal is a coastal town of Travancore state (now in tamil Nadu). It was in the famous battle of Colachal of 1741 that Travancore Forces completely exterminated the Dutch Forces on this sea-port. The Dutch Forces were under the command of a young officer, Capt Eustace De Lanoy who was captured in the battle. Maharaja of Travancore decided to utilise his talent to train the Travancore Forces and offered to spare his life. Capt De Lanoy agreed.

Capt De Lanoy began to train the Travancore Army on modern lines. Being a Christian, he was not allowed inside the Fort of Padmanabhapuram. So, he established himself at a place called Udayagiri, about a mile and a half from the capital, where he raised a Fort and trained the Army efficiently. The Udayagiri Fort is now a tourist spot.

From 1741, De Lanoy remained in command of the Travancore Forces, and was involved in the annexation of Attingal, Quilon, Kayankulam, Panthalam, Ambalapuzha, Edapalli, Thekkanpur and Vadakkanpur. After the demise of Marthanda Varma in 1758, Capt De Lanoy retired from active service and lived in Udayagiri. He died in 1777 and was buried in the Fort.

On September 22/23, 1965, Ichhogil Bund was captured by the 9th battalion of Madras Regiment, under the command of Lt Col BK Satyan in a terrific hand-to-hand fight. The fight ended with the annihilation of approximately two Pakistani companies which attempted to re-occupy the eastern bund of Ichhogil Canal.

Young Uniyal, a gallant fighter from Tehri Garhwal, and a school teacher before joining the Army, was the first to lead his platoon into the battle. With a bayonet fixed on his sten, he led his men right into the bund in the face of thousands of tracers from enemy MMGs. When he reached two hundred yards short of the objective, heavy MMG and LMG fire came from a pill-box north of the KG Hut and the platoon was held up.

In the wee hours of September 23, Sep Narayanan and Sep Bhaskaran of the leading platoon were found dead in a pool of blood. Sep Narayanan was within a few feet of the pill-box, presumably after throwing a grenade through the slit of the pill-box which held three Pak soldiers—a machine gunner, a light machine gunner and a rifleman with unlimited quantity of ammunition. Sep Narayanan had six bullets across his face.

Lt Triveni was commissioned in the Army on December 8, 2001 and joined the elite unit of 5 JAK LI, which is one of the most decorated units of the Indian Army. His hard work and dedication to duty bore results. He was sent to College of Combat, Mhow for Young Officers Basic Course and Commando Course. Here too he came out with flying colours.

Triveni was destined to be a martyr. On the night of December 31, last year, he danced and enjoyed the party at Army Club, Pathankot to the full with some of his family members and friends. Next dawn, he left the club saying “you will not see us again”. On January 1, he left home for his unit and got himself inducted as part of Quick Reaction Team.

Zonal Military Hospitals “Z under various commands of the Army will be modernised and upgraded to bring them on par with the hospitals in corporate sector in the second phase of the modernisation programme”, said Lt Gen JR Bhardwaj, Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services (DG AFMS) while addressing the mediapersons at Pune. Lt Gen Bhardwaj, who took over recently as the DG AFMS, also informed that modernisation programme at all five command hospitals, INHS Ashvini, Mumbai and Air Force Hospital, Bangalore is in full swing. Shortage of manpower is a problem in modernising hospitals and this has been brought to the notice of the government, he added.

Lt Gen Bhardwaj was at Pune to inaugurate the 52nd Armed Forces Medical Conference. Inaugurating the conference, he said that the aim of the conference was to instill more professionalism into the service. “As our clientele are having specific area related occupational hazards apart from other ailments which the civilians are facing, we will discuss these problems”, said the Director General. During the four-day conference two symposia were held for the cadets and nursing cadets of the Armed Forces Medical College. Academic awards were presented to the cadets on the occasion.

Located 18 kilometres from Satara in the sugar belt of western Maharashtra, Apshinge has the rare distinction of sending at least one member from every family into the Armed Forces. Centuries ago, when the villagers joined the army of Chattrapati Shivaji, little did they know that this tradition would continue down the generations.

War veterans share their experiences at the village community hall

During World War-I, fortysix men from this village made supreme sacrifice. There is a Vijaya Stambh to commemorate the memory of those who made the supreme sacrifice during 1971 Indo-Pak war. No other village can boast of such an honour.

There are a number of World War-II veterans in this village. One among them is 85 year-old L/Nk Venkatrao Nikam (Retd) who served in the then Burma, Java and Sumatra before as part of Engineers. He retired in 1957. Many soldiers from this village laid down their lives during 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars.

The second battalion of the Naga Regiment, within a short period has proved its mettle on various occasions. It has to its credit two unit citations awarded by Chief of Army Staff. The enemy got the taste of fury of the Nagas when the unit, during operation Vijay, captured Twin Bumps (part of Pt 4875 complex) and also raided enemy mortar position in broad daylight, causing large number of casualties to enemy troops. The battalion has also to its credit one Mahavir Chakra and two Vir Chakra.

Col Sanjay Suri, Commanding Officer of the battalion addressing the sainik sammelan

At an impressive parade at Tambaram, Chennai, 508 trainees passed out of the Indian Air Force’s Administrative Training Institute after completion of a 60-week rigorous training. The parade was commanded by leading Aircraftman CS Singh who emerged as the best all-rounder. Air Cmde JN Burma of the Air Force Training Command, Bangalore reviewed the parade and presented awards to meritorious airmen.

The new air warriors were first given basic training at Belgaum and then at Tambaram. Before they were trained in their trades, they were given intensive training in weapons and computers. They were also given fieldcraft training for a week during which they were exposed to a war-like atmosphere with a view to instill a feeling of togetherness among them. The airmen will soon join different units of Air Force all over the country to work in disciplines like accounts relating to pay and equipment, policing, education and catering.

Wg Cdr Kuldeep Singh, Chief Instructor, Administrative Training Institute, in his course report said that the success in the trade phase of training was 98 per cent. Thirteen airmen were classified as leading aircraftmen. The passing-out ceremony was followed by an impressive physical training and gymnastic display by the new airmen.

-V Sankaran

The silent deserts of Rajasthan got animated on March 14 last by the most powerful bombs and missiles fired by Indian Air Force’s top-of-the-line fighter aircraft including SU-30s. The first largest fire power demonstration by Indian Air Force named Vayushakti-2004 was held at Pokhran. This significant show presented the modern face of the Indian Air Force and the nation’s military preparedness.

The show started with general capabilities and performance attributes of fighter aircraft. In this demonstration the supersonic capability of fast jet fighters was displayed along with a glimpse of the aerial photography. Then SU-30 came into action. It fired R-73 missiles right on the target. R-73 is the state-of-the-art missile that can be launched without steering the aircraft towards the target. Merely by designating the target through the helmet, the pilot can fire accurately at the enemy on any side.

Two Jaguar aircraft flying at a speed of 450 knots carrying two BL-755 cluster bombs attacked on the bulk petroleum installation. The next attack was on a dump containing petrol, oil and lubricants stock. This ‘mission’ was successfully conducted by MiG-27 using 40X80 mm rockets to destroy the target. The deadly Mi-35 attack helicopters also fired upon tanks with Shtrum missile and 57 mm rockets.

An Air-to-air refuelling by IL-78 for Mirage was also shown. Mirages loaded with 250 kg bombs destroyed the runways with high energy penetration weapons. Another target was a radar site which was located by the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and was destroyed by a MiG-27 with laser guided bomb. During the entire show, a UAV was monitoring at a height of 15000 ft. A special heli-borne operation was also conducted to support the ground forces. Two armoured vehicles and 32 special force commandos were dropped by four MI-17 helicopters. As a finale two MiG-21 Bis attacked on blast pens.

Later, speaking to the media, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal S Krishnaswamy said that upgrading MiG-21 was real value for money. He added that Indian Air Force personnel have adopted the latest technologies and gadgets in a highly professional manner.

A breathtaking display by Surya Kiran team was also presented on the occasion. Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Madhavendra Singh, Marshal of the Air Force, Air Marshal Arjan Singh, Defence Secretary, military attaches from many countries, senior officers from all the three services and students and faculty members of military training institutions were also there to witness this grand show.

-Sunil Tripathi
from Pokhran
pix:VK Singh

AD Pariera, who was wounded in 1971 Indo-Pak war, came out with flying colours at the 8th Asian Games for Physically Challenged held at Busan, South Korea last year. He was from the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre (PRC), Kirkee in Pune. The team from PRC bagged eight out of 22 medals India won at the Games. More than 2400 athletes from 40 countries participated in the Games. At present, the team is preparing to participate in the Athens Para Olympic Sports to be held this year.

Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centres at Kirkee and Mohali are the only hope for paraplegics from the three defence services. Invalidated out of service following severe spinal injuries these ex-soldiers start second innings in their life by engaging themselves in vocational and sports activities.

An ex-servicemen rally was organised by 58 Gorkha Training Centre at Happy Valley, Shillong. A large number of ex-servicemen and war widows participated with tremendous enthusiasm and goodwill in the rally. While inaugurating the rally, Brig WJB Sturgeon, Commandant, 58 Gorkha Training Centre said that it was an occasion to reaffirm camaraderie to soldiers of yesteryears. Mr MM Jacob, Governor of Meghalaya was the chief guest on the occasion.

Lt Gen Ram Subramanyam, GOC-in-C Central Command, accompanied by Mrs Meera Subramanyam, President Army Wives Welfare Association, Central Zone visited HQ Madhya Bharat Area and various Army establishments at Jabalpur.

On arrival at the airport, Lt Gen Ram Subramanyam was accorded a warm welcome by Maj Gen GK Nischol, GOC, Madhya Bharat Area and Mrs Anjala Nischol. A guard of honour was presented to the Army Commander by the Grenadiers Regimental Centre.

The GOC-in-C had a wide-ranging discussion with Maj Gen Nischol on operations training and administration of units and installations located in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The Central Army Commander also visited JAK Rifles, Grenadiers and Signals Training Centres. He inspected state-of-the-art facilities available at various training centres. The Army Commander met Hav Sanjay Kumar of JAK Rifles, who won Param Vir Chakra during Kargil conflict.

During his visit to the Military Hospital, Army Commander was given a demonstration on telemedicine and video conferencing.

input: Col BB Sinde

One thousand NCC cadets from all over India participated in the Kerala Trek 2003-2004. The twenty-day trek was conducted by Kollam NCC Group Headquarters in Agasthyakoodam forest.

The trek aimed at inculcating a spirit of adventure, inquisitiveness and self-confidence among the team members. The cadets who arrived in batches of 125 at Peppara stayed for fourteen days in the camps at Peppara, Vithura and Kallar. During this period they trekked along ten routes covering a distance of approximately 120 kms.

The expedition was led by Col RRK Nair, NCC Group Commander, Kollam. The base camp and two staging camps along with health care were managed by Lt Col Abraham Habbi, Lt Col SS Nair, Lt Col John Vargheese, Lt Col David Chandrashekar and Lt Col BK Sinha.

-P Rajendran
from Thiruvananthapuram

The Corps of Signals celebrated its 93rd anniversary recently throughout the country.

In Lucknow, a wreath-laying ceremony at Smritika was held. Maj Gen MP Singh, Chief Signal Officer, Headquarters Central Command, laid the first wreath at Smritika in homage to those who lost their lives in discharge of their duty. A last post was sounded and a two-minute silence was observed on the occasion.

Central Command Signal Regiment organised a grand Signals Mela which included entertainment programmes and sports items. All Signal personnel including ex-Signallers and their family members participated in the mela.

The Andhra Sub Area Signal Company at Bolarum celebrated the raising day. On the occasion, a badakhana was organised, Lt Gen SRR Aiyengar (Retd), Brig AS Apte (Retd) and Brig UW Deshmukh, Commander, Andhra Sub Area were present on the occasion. Maj SN Sastry, Officer Commanding, ASA Signal company welcomed the guests. Senior serving and retired officers, JCOs, and NCOs also took part in the badakhana. Brig AS Apte (Retd), Maj Sastry and Sub Maj Jagdish Raj cut the cake to mark the occasion.

The Sikh Pioneers are the forefathers of the present Sikh Light Infantry Regiment. The 23rd Sikh Pioneers, also called Punjab Pioneers or the Bengal Native Army, actively participated in the Abyssinian Campaign as an integral part of the British Expeditionary Force. Abyssinia, the present-day Ethiopia, is the place for which the Expeditionary Force was raised in 1868 in Bombay under Lt Gen Sir Robert Napier for the release of the British hostages held on the orders of Emperor Theodore II. The Sikh Pioneers acquitted themselves creditably during the campaign.

Living up to the high standards set by its forefathers, the proud descendents of the Sikh Pioneers gave a sterling performance in operation Rhino which saw the unit bagging a total of 53 awards including the Chief of Army Staff unit citation and GOC-in-C, Eastern Command unit citation, three Shaurya Chakra and eight Sena Medals. It was selected to represent the country abroad on a UN mission in Ethiopia. The officers and jawans of 15 Sikh LI availed this opportunity to revisit the historical route taken by the Sikh Pioneers in the Abyssinian Campaign. Capt Anuj Lal Maini and Hav Swaran Singh had the opportunity to retrace the route which their forefathers had followed and to visit the same spots where their predecessors had fought.

With the proximity of Abyssinia to India, it was decided that the force would comprise units of the Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay Army, Lt Gen Sir Robert Napier was placed in command of the force. The mixed force comprised the British and Indian Cavalry and infantry regiments including 23 Sikh Pioneers. It was a logistic nightmare to organise the move of about 20,000 troops, food, firewood, 35,000 pack animals and 44 Indian elephants from Bombay to the port of Massawa.

The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) has been playing an active role in UN peacekeeping missions. The Corps has been providing effective services for equipment repairing and on-the-job training. Here, we present a pictorial description of its contributions towards peacekeeping.

In every sphere of human endeavour, the back-room boys are condemned to a life of obscurity. Or to do them more credit which, in several cases, they richly deserve, they do not suffer from a craving for publicity and popular applause. To them the delight of work is its best reward, the results of their largely unknown work their only solace and the only kind of publicity they can hope for and are more than content with : their popularity rests on the standards of work they evolve and maintain. The complexity of modern life is such that it is given but to a very few to bask in the lime-light. If everyone asks to climb to the highest positions where they can compel the attention and the public gaze, life would become unrbearable. The bulk of our contemporaries, therefore, fills vital places (and without their valuable contribution, many of the modern amenities of life would just not be possible) and is happy to work unobstrusively in the background.

Mr O Rajagopal, Minister of State for Defence Production and Supplies and Parliamentary Affairs, said that a Rupees 3 crore office complex for the Vizhinjam Coast Guard Station will come up soon. The proposed complex, to be constructed at 5.6 acre land given to the Coast Guard station free of cost by the State Government, will include administrative complex, officers’ quarters, staff quarters, parade ground and a helipad. The Minister also said that the Central Government has decided to set up another Coast Guard station at Baypur. The State Government is yet to hand-over the land for the Station. Steps for starting the station can be taken only after handing-over of the land.

Flt Lt (Mrs) Sapna Raina was adjudged the best officer of Medical Officers’ Basic Course 160 (MOBC-160) held at Officers Training School (OTS) of Army Medical Corps (AMC) Centre and School in Lucknow Cantonment. She was awarded Lt Gen FN Billimoria Trophy by Maj Gen SR Kamtikar, officiating Commandant, AMC Centre and School, at a spectacular passing-out parade.

Marked by military precision and customary elegance, the parade was commanded by Lt Col DN Karan. The parade had 36 Army, six Naval and eight Air Force officers as well as one NCC officer and three officers of Assam Rifles. The 57 young Medical and Dental Officers who successfully completed the MOBC-160 included 13 lady officers.

Maj Gen SR Kamtikar took salute at the march-past and distributed prizes to the officers who distinguished themselves. Capt Amardeep Kaur was awarded for being "best in drill" among lady officers, whereas Surg Lt Nimesh K Tarway was adjudged "the best marksman".

–B Satheesh Kumar
from Lucknow

A two-day seminar on "Legal Aspects of Health Care" was conducted under the ageis of Army Medical Corps Centre and School in Lucknow Cantonment.

The fifteenth Engineering Discipline Senior Officers Conference (EDSOC) was held at the Controllerate of Quality Assurance, Engineering Equipment. Inaugurating the conference, Lt Gen M K Chari, Director General Quality Assurance, urged the officers to show integrity of the highest order in profession. He also advised the officers to acquire more and more knowledge about the latest techniques in the field so that they could be able to handle the manufacturers very professionally. "You should be technically sound as the job of quality assurance is time-bound", said the Director General.

Lt Gen JJ Singh, GOC-in-C, Western Command visited HQ Delhi Area on his maiden tour to Delhi after assuming the present appointment. On arrival, he was received by Maj Gen Thomas Mathew, GOC, Delhi Area. Lt Gen Singh inspected a guard of honour presented by the troops of 4 Sikh Light Infantry. During his stay in Delhi, Gen Singh visited important Army installations, Army Hospital and Army educational institutes. He was accompanied by Mrs Anupam Singh, President Regional Army Wives Welfare Association.

Lt Gen Arvind Kumar, Director General, Mechanised Forces visited Mechanised Infantry Regimental Centre (MIRC), Ahmednagar. The General Officer was briefed by Brig VK Verma, commandant, which was followed by an inspection of training and administrative facilities at the centre. Later addressing the officers in the evening, the General appreciated the efforts of the centre.

Maj Gen HS Panag, Colonel of the Mechanised Infantry Regiment also visited the centre where he addressed all ranks of Mechanised Infantry. The General emphasised the need for maintaining high standards in training and exhorted all ranks to be well-versed in handling modern equipments. He said the aim of the centre is to ascertain that the jawans nurtured at MIRC are physically tough and mentally robust — the two qualities essential for good soldiering. Later, addressing the officers, he asked all to set periodic goals and strive to achieve them in a time-bound manner.

Lt Gen VC Jain paying homage to the brave soilders at the 1 EME centre war memorial, Bolarum. Brig Rajesh Kochhar is also seen in the picture

Lt Gen VC Jain, Commandant, Mililtary College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (MCEME) who has been appointed the 44th Colonel Commandant of the Corps of EME paid homage to the brave soldiers at the 1 EME Centre war memorial at Bolarum.

On arrival at the centre, Brig Rajesh Kochhar, Commandant 1 EME centre received the general Officer.

-PJ Sudhakar
from Secunderabad

Paramjit Singh, General Officer Commanding, Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa (ATNKK&G) Area visited the Headquarters Andhra Sub Area (ASA) at Bolarum. On arrival, the General Officer was received by Brig UW Deshmukh, Commander, Andhra Sub Area.

Brig UW Deshmukh briefed the General Officer on activities at the station. Later, the General Officer visited the Andhra Sub Area Signal Company, station workshop and ASC (Supply) company.

-Maj K Ramesh
from Hyderabad

A Dental Clinic was inaugurated at Beas Military Station by Mrs Rita Kullar, President AWWA (Double Victory). State-of-the-art facilities like pantographic dental chair, X-ray machine and a modern light cure unit are available along with vaccum apparatus and air conditioner in the clinic. Earlier, ex-servicemen and families had to go to Jalandhar for their treatment. Now their treatment will be done at Beas.

The clinic will be run by Maj Neeru Kanwar, Dental Officer of Double Victory Brigade. About 25 patients will be treated at this clinic.

Asha School, Pune is a project of the Southern Command for the mentally and physically challenged children of defence as well as civilian personnel.

The first-ever equestrian club of Kerala has been set up at Sainik School, Kazhakootam. Air Marshal Sunil Kumar Malik, AOC-in-C, Southern Air Command inaugurated the club. A full-fledged riding ring with horses and trainers has been set up to provide training in horse riding.

On his arrival, Air Marshal Malik was presented a ceremonial guard of honour by the NCC contingent of the school. He also laid a wreath at Stupa of Rememberance (war memorial).

-P Rajendran
from Thiruvananthapuram

National Combat Force Shooting Championship was held at Mhow (MP) under the aegis of the Infantry School, Mhow. A total of nine teams participated in the tournament with one each from the commands and one from Assam Rifles, Navy, Border Security Force and Territorial Army. Each team comprised 45 firers.

The competition was keenly contested with each team displaying a high degree of professional shooting skill.

Western Command firing team won the Championship with some very accurate and incisive shooting. The individual firers won 19 gold medals, seven silver medals and two bronze medals.

No. 1 Military Training Battalion beat No. 2 Technical Training Battalion to bag the championship trophy of the inter-battalion kabaddi tournament of AMC Centre and School in Lucknow Cantonment.

Maj Gen SR Kamtikar, the officiating Commandant, AMC Centre and School, gave away prizes to the recipients at the conclusion of the championship.

Lt Gen KK Khanna has taken over as Chief of Staff, Headquarters Northern Command. He has held several important command and Staff appointments during an illustrious career spanning nearly 37 years. An alumnus of National Defence Academy, Lt Gen Khanna was commissioned in June 1967 in the 16th Battalion of the Jat Regiment which he commanded later. He was subsequently given the challenging task of raising a sector of Rashtriya Rifles in J&K.

Lt Gen KK Khanna has been awarded AVSM and Bar to AVSM.

Lt Gen Devraj Singh assumed the appointment of Chief of Staff, Headquarters Central Command. An alumnus of National Defence Academy, he was commissioned on June 11, 1967 in the Sikh Regiment. For his distinguished services the General Officer was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. He also served as General Officer Commanding of a Division in the Eastern Sector.

Proficient in Russian language, Lt Gen Singh was the Military Attache in Moscow (Russia) and Additional Director General (Administration and Coordination) at Army Headquarters in New Delhi. The General Officer has also commanded 5 Sikh which was located on UP-Tibet border. Lt Gen Devraj Singh has also served as Instructor in Infantry School, Mhow and Senior Instructor and Director (Training) at National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla.

Air Vice Marshal Jasdeep Singh assumed charge of Principal Medical Officer, Headquarters Western Air Command, IAF. A specialist in preventive and social medicine, he did his graduation in medicine from Government Medical College, Patiala. After joining Army in 1969, he did his DPH in 1976 and MD in preventive and social medicine in 1977 from Pune University. He attended Advance Specialist Course during 1975-77 and stood first in the university. Air Vice Marshal Jasdeep Singh is a Fellow of Indian Society for Malaria and other Communicable Diseases, Fellow of Royal Institute of Public Health & Hygiene, Fellow of Entomological Society of India and a Member of Indian Public Health Association.

Air Vice Marshal Jayanta Kumar De assumed charge of Commandant, Command Hospital, Bangalore. A specialist in gynaecology, Air Vice Marshal De did his graduation in medicine from NRS Medical College, Kolkata in 1966. After joining Air Force in 1969, he did his post- graduation in gynaecology in 1977 from Pune University.