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VIDEO: Hamirpur Bids Farewell to Martyr Ankush – Youngest Among 20 Who Sacrificed Lives in Galwan Valley Clash
![Video Hamirpur Ankush Thakur](https://himachalwatcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Video-Hamirpur-Ankush-Thakur.jpg)
Hamirpur: Sepoy Ankush Kumar (21) of Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh- the youngest among 20 soldiers who were martyred in Galwan valley clash with Chinese troops- was cremated on June 19, 2020, at his native village Karohta after his mortal remains were brought by a unit of Punjab Regiment from Chandigarh. Thousands of people thronged the villages and were lined up on both sides of roads shouting slogans such as ”Shaheed Ankush Thakur amar rahe” (Long live martyr Ankush Thakur) and ”China murdabad” (down with China). These people mourned, as well as, expressed their anger against China. District administrations and police officials also paid their tributes to the martyr.
As soon as the mortal remains arrived at his home at evening, the family and relatives broke down. Watch the video below for a few glimpse of the last journey of Ankush:
Sepoy Ankush Thakur was just 21-years old and had quit college to join the Army in 2018. His father and grandfather have also served in the Indian Army.
His family was looking forward to seeing him home after 10 months of his first posting and were planning to get him married. All dreams were shattered.
His cremation was attended by Virender Kanwar, Rural Development Minister, MLAs Kamlesh Kumar, Rajender Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, former MLA Rajesh Dharmani etc.
Chief Minister Jairam Thakur Visits Ankush’s Native Village
Chief Minister Jairam Thakur also visited the family today and paid floral tribute to Ankush. The Chief Minister met Anil Kumar the father of the martyr Ankush Thakur and expressed his heartfelt condolences with the father and other bereaved family members.
The State Government has announced Rs. 20 lakh ex gratia grant to the family. The government also announced that a gate would be erected at Karohta in honour of the martyr and the road leading to the village would be improved.
Chief Minister said that the sacrifice of martyr Ankush would not go waste and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would give a befitting reply to the nefarious designs of the enemy.
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Virender Kanwar, Forests Minister Govind Thakur, Member of Parliament Ramswaroop Sharma, MLAs Kamlesh Kumari, Col. Inder Singh, Narinder Thakur, Rakesh Jamwal and Rajinder Garg, Organization Secretary Pawan Rana, Vice Chairman HRTC Vijay Agnihotri, Deputy Commissioner Harikesh Meena were also present on the occasion among others.
On Monday night, the Galwan valley in Eastern Ladakh witnessed the first violent altercation between Indian Army troops and Chinese People’s Liberation Army since 1975. What makes this clash more horrid is its barbaric nature as both troops carried no firearms. Over six-hour long bloody battle was fought with fists, stones, and spiked iron rods used by Chinese troops. Sub-zero temperatures and steep terrains of Galwan valley made it even worse. Even imagining such a brutal fight sends shivers down one’s spine.
This violence in Galwan on 15 June arose because Chinese side was seeking to erect structures just across the LAC and refused to desist from such actions, the Union Government had informed.
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HP Cabinet Decisions: Nod to 60-day special maternity leave for female employees and declaration of pending results for 699 posts
![hp cabinet meeting february 2025](https://himachalwatcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/hp-cabinet-meeting-february-2025.jpg)
SHIMLA — February 15, 2025 — The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, convened today and approved a series of decisions affecting governance, infrastructure, and public welfare.
Budget Session Schedule
The Cabinet recommended to the Governor that the budget session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha be held from March 10, 2025, to March 28, 2025.
The Cabinet also approved 60-day special maternity leave for female government employees in the event of a stillbirth or the death of a child soon after birth.
HP Cabinet Approves Declaration of Pending Results
The Cabinet approved the declaration of pending results for 699 posts across six post codes, excluding tainted positions. The posts include:
- Market Supervisor (Post Code-977)
- Fireman (Post Code-916)
- Drawing Master (Post Code-980)
- Clerks (HP Secretariat, Post Code-962)
- Lineman (Post Code-971)
- Steno-Typist (Post Code-928)
New posts created across multiple departments:
- Police Department:
- Upgraded Police Chowki Sanjauli to a Police Station, adding 20 new posts.
- Established Police Post Baghi under Police Station Kotkhai with six posts.
- Fire & Emergency Services:
- Approved a new Fire Post at Nerwa (Shimla district) with 17 posts.
- Revenue Department:
- Created nine Tehsildar posts.
- Planning Department:
- Approved filling three posts.
- Treasury, Accounts & Lotteries Department:
- Sanctioned three Treasury Officer posts.
- Public Health & Infrastructure:
- Established a Primary Health Centre at Basheel (Solan) with three posts.
- Created new Jal Shakti Vibhag Divisions at Kangra and Jagatkhana (Bilaspur) with required staffing.
- Approved a new Sub-Tehsil at Loharghat (Solan).
Education and Medical Advancements
The Cabinet approved:
- Higher Education:
- Upgraded 16 Assistant Professors to Associate Professors at HP Government Dental College, Shimla.
- Technical Education:
- Introduced B.Tech (Artificial Intelligence & Data Science) and B.Tech (Computer Science) at Rajiv Gandhi Government Engineering College, Nagrota Bagwan (Kangra), with eight new faculty posts.
- Added B.Tech (Civil Engineering) at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Institute of Engineering & Technology, Pragatinagar (Shimla), with seven posts.
- Launched a diploma course in Computer Science & Engineering (AI & ML) at Government Polytechnic College, Sundernagar (Mandi).
- Medical Developments:
- Established a Department of Nuclear Medicine at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College, Nerchowk (Mandi), adding specialist posts.
- Approved hiring an Assistant Professor in Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion at Dr. Y.S. Parmar Government Medical College, Nahan (Sirmaur).
- Allowed allopathic doctors full salary during study leave, whether in India or abroad.
Police Reforms and Infrastructure Development
The HP Cabinet categorized all 135 police stations into six tiers based on:
- Population
- Area
- Crime rate
- Traffic volume
- Interstate borders
- Tourist influx
Staffing will be adjusted accordingly to enhance law enforcement.
Transport and Revenue Enhancements
The Cabinet approved an auction-cum-tender process for entry tax collection in FY 2025-26, estimating ₹11.56 crore in additional revenue. FASTag systems will be introduced at entry toll barriers, starting with:
- Garamaura (Bilaspur)
- Parwanoo (Main) & Tiara Bypass (Solan)
- Govindghat (Sirmaur)
- Kandwal (Nurpur)
- Mehatpur (Una)
- Baddi (Solan)
Administrative Reorganization
The Cabinet approved reorganizing Namhol Sub-Tehsil (Bilaspur) by integrating eight patwar circles from Sadar Tehsil.
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Kotkhai Custodial Death Case: CBI Court Sentences IGP Zaidi, 7 Other Policemen to Life Imprisonment
![Zahur H Zaidi](https://himachalwatcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/zahur-h-zaidi.jpg)
SHIMLA – A special CBI court has convicted and sentenced Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zahur Haider Zaidi and seven other policemen to life imprisonment in connection with the 2017 custodial death case of 29-year-old Suraj Singh.
CBI Public Prosecutor Amit Jindal argued for exemplary punishment, emphasizing the gravity of the crime.
After considering the arguments, CBI Special Judge Alka Malik sentenced the eight police personnel to life imprisonment.
On January 18, the accused were found guilty under Sections 302, 330, 348, 218, 195, 196, 201, and 120B of the IPC in connection with the custodial death of suspect Suraj Singh. However, the court acquitted former Shimla SP DW Negi.
The incident occurred on July 18, 2017, when Suraj Singh, an accused in the alleged gang rape and murder of a minor girl in Kotkhai, Shimla district, died in police custody. The CBI investigation revealed that Suraj Singh was tortured and murdered by police personnel.
The court convicted Zaidi, who was the then Inspector General of Police, along with seven other policemen, including Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Manoj Joshi, Sub-Inspector Rajinder Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector Deep Chand Sharma, Head Constables Mohan Lal, Surat Singh, and Rafee Mohammad, and Constable Ranjit Sateta.
CBI public prosecutor Amit Jindal stated that the court sentenced the eight convicts to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on them. The accused were convicted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including murder, voluntarily causing hurt to extort confession, and wrongful confinement to extract confession.
News
HP Cabinet Decisions: Approves Pilot Study on Cannabis Cultivation, Seema College Renamed as Raja Virbhadra Singh Govt. College
![HP Cabinet Decisions January 2025](https://himachalwatcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/HP-Cabinet-Decisions-January-2025.jpg)
Shimla-The State Cabinet, in its recent meeting held at Dharamshala in Kangra district, made several key decisions across various sectors.
Cannabis Cultivation Study:
The Cabinet approved a pilot study on cannabis cultivation, which will be jointly conducted by Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Krishi Vishvavidyalaya in Kangra and Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture in Solan. The study aims to evaluate the potential of cannabis cultivation and recommend future actions. The Agriculture Department will serve as the nodal agency for this initiative.
Disaster Relief for Tandi Village:
The Cabinet extended the special relief package for disaster-affected families to those impacted by the fire in Tandi Village, Kullu. Under the package, families with fully damaged houses will receive Rs. 7 lakh, those with partially damaged houses will receive Rs. 1 lakh, and families who lost cowsheds will receive Rs. 50,000. Additionally, monthly rental assistance of Rs. 5,000 will be provided to affected families until June 30, 2025.
Robotic Surgery Equipment Procurement:
The Cabinet approved Rs. 56 crore for the procurement of state-of-the-art machinery and equipment for robotic surgery at AIMSS Chamiyana in Shimla and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College in Tanda, Kangra. The approval follows a model similar to AIIMS New Delhi, aimed at enhancing medical facilities.
Forest Department Order Amendment:
The Cabinet amended the Forest Department’s previous order to allow the extraction of berberis roots (Kashmal) until February 15, 2025. Furthermore, it permitted the transportation of forest produce extracted from open spaces prior to January 4, 2025, until February 15, 2025, in line with the HP Forest Produce Transit (Land Routes) Rules, 2013.
Ropeway Project and Transportation Improvements:
The Cabinet approved the establishment of a ropeway between Kullu Bus Stand and Peej Paragliding Point. Additionally, it sanctioned the procurement of 24 air-conditioned super luxury buses for the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) to improve passenger services.
Rural Development and Infrastructure Reorganization:
Nine posts of Block Development Officers will be filled in the Department of Rural Development. The Cabinet also approved the reorganization of the PWD National Highway Circle in Shahpur, creating two new divisions, Nankhadi and Kholighat, and the Kharahan Section.
State Taxes and Excise Enforcement:
To enhance enforcement, the Cabinet approved the allocation of 100 motorbikes to field offices of the State Taxes and Excise Department for surprise checks and improved monitoring.
State Cadre Posts:
The Cabinet decided to bring the posts of Drivers, all Class-III and Class-IV posts in District Collector (DC) offices, and staff members in the offices of the three Divisional Commissioners, Director of Land Records, Revenue Training Institute (Jogindernagar), Directorate of Consolidation of Holdings (Shimla), and the Settlement Offices in Kangra and Shimla under the State Cadre. This move aims to standardize governance and improve administrative efficiency.
Educational Institutions Renamed:
The Cabinet approved the renaming of several educational institutions. Government College Seema in Shimla will now be known as Raja Virbhadra Singh Government College Seema. GGSSS Sports Hostel (Girls) Jubbal will be renamed Sh. Ram Lal Thakur GGSSS Sports Hostel (Girls), Jubbal, and Government College Khad in Una will be renamed Mohan Lal Dutt Government College Khad.
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