‘Despite bitter memories, we ensured humane treatment was given to Pak POWs’ - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/despite-bitter-memories-we-ensured-humane-treatment-was-given-to-pak-pows/#sthash.vIbJ7286.dpuf

Colonel (Retd) Baldev Singh Chahal said that 'it was a harrowing experience till the Red Cross society provided them with medicines, warm clothes and so on.'

 

Colonel (Retd) Baldev Singh Chahal, who was taken Prisoner of War (POW) along with 138 others of his battalion in the 1965 Indo-Pak War, said "life had come a full circle" for him six years later, during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, when over 90,000 Pakistani soldiers were taken POW and he was in charge of a camp of Pakistani POWs in Bangladesh. "Despite bitter memories of the days as POW in Pakistan, we ensured that humane treatment was given to Pak POWs," said Chahal. He was speaking to The Indian Express on the sidelines of a function organised by 11 Corps in Jalandhar as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the 1965 Indo-Pak war." "We were given just two salted chapattis daily during the first two months in Pakistan. When we returned to India in February 1966 after the Indo-Pak agreement, our uniforms were in tatters. But when Pak POWs returned in 1971, we provided them clothes, radio sets and other thing," said Chahal. During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, Chahal, then a Lieutenant of 4 Sikh battalion, was deputed to block the road for Pakistani troops along with 138 others of his battalion behind enemy lines in Khemkaran sector of Punjab. However, Pakistani troops surrounded them from all sides and took them to Lahore Civil jail. Among the 138 soldiers, five were officers, six JCOs and remaining were Havildars, Naiks, Jawans and Sepoy, etc. "We were put in the criminal cell and were interrogated every two hours. We were later shifted to Rawalpindi and then to Kasur. The interrogation continued. After a few days, we were moved to Kohat, a POW camp near the Afghanistan border, and then to Durgai," he said. He added that it was a harrowing experience till the Red Cross society provided them with medicines, warm clothes and so on." "We were kept in the dark at times and they kept putting pressure on us trying to get military secrets such as information about the kind of machinery, weapons and officers we had as a consideration for our safe return to India," he recalls. "When their efforts yielded no result, we were taken from one place to another. Chahal also said that during the last months of their stay in Pakistan, the Indian POWs were allowed to cook food for themselves." "After five months, on February 12, 1966, we came back," he said. Wreath-laying ceremony at Fazilka, Ferozepur Ludhiana: A wreath-laying ceremony was organised Tuesday at Asafwala War Memorial, Fazilka, and Prerna Sthal War Memorial, Hussainiwala, to mark the Indian victory in the 1965 Indo-Pak war. In August 1965, 67 armymen of the (Independent) Infantry Brigade, led by Brig Bant Singh, had moved from Jodhpur to defend the Fazilka sector. As many as 36 soldiers from the 14th battalion of the Punjab regiment and third battalion of 9 Gorkha Rifles made the supreme sacrifice. The function was attended by a large number of ex-servicemen, war veterans and civil dignitaries. - 

See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/despite-bitter-memories-we-ensured-humane-treatment-was-given-to-pak-pows/#sthash.vIbJ7286.dpuf

Gang busted, 68 vehicles worth Rs 3.15 crore recovered

TNN | Sep 22, 2015, 12.02 PM IST
FAZILKA: Fazilka Police arrested five members of interstate gangs and recovered 68 stolen vehicles worth totaling Rs 3.15 crore from them. With the arrests, the police claimed to have broken a nexus of four interstate gangs operating in western parts of the country.

The district police recovered 23 SUVs, including Toyota Innova, Mahindra Scorpio and Mahindra Boleros. It has also recovered 28 luxury cars, two tempos, three jeeps, four tractors and eight motorcycles.

The interconnected gangs had the same modus operandi and applied latest techniques in passing off stolen vehicles as genuine by changing chassis and engine numbers. Engine and chassis numbers of condemned vehicles were embossed on stolen vehicles and fake registration documents were prepared by the gang to sell stolen vehicles to the buyers. These gangs were operating in parts of Amritsar and Jalandhar in Punjab and Sri Ganganagar and Nagaur districts in Rajasthan, police said.

Those arrested have been identified as Amit Kumar, 30, of Sadhuwali village in Sri Ganganagar; Mohinder Kumar, 26, Tara Chand, 50, Sukhbir Soni, 50, all from Sir Ganganagar; and Vijay Pal alias Ramdass, 45, of Sukhchain village near Abohar in Fazilka district.

Bathinda zone IG B K Bawa said, "The gang members used to collect documents of damaged vehicles from scrap dealers who purchased these either from owners or insurance companies in the auctions. The thieves used to lift similar vehicles and put chassis and engine numbers of damaged vehicles."

"The procedure required special tools such as grinders, gas regulators with meters, drills, metal dyes for engraving numbers on metal surfaces and metallic punching nozzles. All these tools have also been recovered. The thieves are experts in such procedures and used to complete the replacement of chassis numbers within 30 minutes," said Fazila SSP Swapan Sharma.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/amritsar/Gang-busted-68-vehicles-worth-Rs-3-15-crore-recovered/articleshow/49056504.cms

District Fazilka won 5 State Awards on Teachers Day 2015

‪#‎BrandFazilka‬
असफलता एक चुनौती है स्वीकार करो,
क्या कमी रह गई देखो और सुधार करो,
जब तक न सफल हो नींद चैन की त्यागो तुम,
संघर्षोंका मैदान छोड़ मत भागो तुम,
कुछ किए बिना ही जयजयकार नही होती,
कोशिश करनें वालों की कभी हार नही होती। - श्री हरिवंशराय बच्चन

Heartiest Congratulations to our Teachers and my dear friends Lavjeet Grewal, Rakeysh Kamboj and Pardeep Chhabra for being awarded with Best Teacher State Award 2015.Thanks to you and entire staff for making it Possible. All of you brought laurels to the name of District Fazilka by getting five state awards on the occasion of this Teachers Day; highest from any district of Punjab. Government Primary School, Dona Nanka and Government Primary School, New Salemshah are setting new trends in Government School Education with 100% students from the village are studying in Government Schools. These schools near Radcliffe Line proved "India begins here"...Cheers.

Will share more stories of our Start teachers like Vijay Gupta, Pammi Singh,Ashwini Ahuja, Savikar Gandhi, Sachin Sachin, Ajay Khosla, Nishant Aggarwal......

Road Safety and Lord Krishna

स एवाश्वः शवेतम अश्वं परयच्छत; स एवाश्वान अथ सर्वांश चकार 

तरिवन्धुरस तस्य रथस तरिचक्रस; तरिवृच छिराश चतुरश्व च तस्य

Lord Krishna is recognized as the eighth incarnation (avatar) of Lord Vishnu; the one who run this universe. In Mahabharata, Lord Krishna drove horse-charioteers, It has FOUR HORSES yoked to it. each horse represents our senses which needs to be controlled. So, Krishna being lord, the one who run universe was managed four horse power Chariot(Rath).

In present context, on our roads you can easily see a 16 year old guy driving minimum 45-50 horsepower car on our roads.. .......In Kalyuga, human beings are 10-15 times more powerful than god of Satyuga. Lesson is there, may be mythological...

Happy Krishna Janmashtami to All..