Indian military Academy

Valour and Wisdom", the motto of the Indian Military Academy, as signified by the cross swords and flaming torch of the Academy Crest, is manifest in the action and deeds of officers of the Indian Army. Faced with hostile neighbours, a long border and a none too stable internal situation in some parts, the Indian Army has had to confront challenges to the integrity of the Nation. That it has given a good account of itself both in peace and war is a credit to the Indian Army's gallant soldiers and the officers who have led them. Credit for the leadership of the Army can be apportioned to the alumni of the Indian Military Academy, through whose portals have passed most of its officers.

Till the outbreak of the Second World War, the strength of the GCS at the Academy remained unchanged; however, the infrastructure for training facilities improved, Between December 1934 and May 1941 sixteen regular courses passed out of the Academy and 524 GCS were commissioned. The German invasion of France in May 1941 saw an increase in the number of entrants, a change in entrant categories and altered duration of the course. From August 1941 to January 1946, the Academy commissioned 3887 Indian and British gentlemen cadets. To accommodate the surge in the number of GCS and faculty members, temporary structures were built, the present East and West Blocks being of that vintage.

Armed Forces Insurance

AFI was founded in 1887 by military leaders with a single mission: to protect the people who protect our nation. The company provides premium quality, competitively-priced property and casualty insurance to military professionals throughout the United States and overseas. Headquartered in Leavenworth, Kansas, AFI understands that military members have unique circumstances and insurance needs, enabling the company to offer a level of personalized service that's unequaled in the industry. For more information, visit the Web site at www.afi.org or call 1-800-495-8234.

the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), will be televised live from Amon G. Carter Stadium on Wednesday, December 31, at 11 a.m. (CST) on ESPN. The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will feature schools from Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference.

With Patriotic overtones featuring all five branches of the military, the 2008 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will include a free fanfest area hosted by Armed Forces Insurance and will showcase military hardware from all branches of service; a flyover; a demonstration by one of the top military skydiving teams; induction ceremonies on the field; a military band and honor guard; and the half-time presentation of the Armed Forces Insurance “Great American Patriot Award.”

A Textron Inc. Company, Bell Helicopter agreed August 23, 2006, to be the title partner for the post-season college football game formerly known as the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl (2003, 2004) and the Fort Worth Bowl (2005), which is now the Armed Forces Bowl. With those changes, the official name is the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. On December 6, 2007, Bell Helicopter exercised its option for title partnership of the game for 2008 and 2009.

Ticket prices for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl are $50 for sideline seats, $40 for upper deck seats and $15 for end-zone tickets. Military veterans receive half off any $50 or $40 seat and active-duty personnel get in free via the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl corporate military ticket underwriting program. A portion of local ticket sales will go to designated military charities

Armed forces of India

The Government of India is responsible for the safety and security of the country. The country has an integrated and an advanced defense system. The primary military organization in the country is the Armed Forces which comprises of three wings-the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. However, responsibility for national defense rests with the Cabinet. This is executed through the Ministry of Defence, which provides guidelines to the Armed Forces to fulfill their responsibilities in the context of the defense of the country.

The Indian armed forces include few Auxiliary forces such as the Indian Paramilitary Forces, the Indian Coast Guard, and the Strategic Forces Command. Some analysts have predicted India to possess the fourth most capable concentration of power by 2015. It is currently the third largest armed force in the world.

India became a nuclear power in 1998 by successfully conducting underground nuclear tests. This was followed by international military sanctions which were gradually withdrawn after September 2001. Recently, India has signed a nuclear deal with United States that would allow the United States to supply civilian nuclear technology to India and nuclear fuel to Indian reactors. India has adopted a “No first use nuclear policy”.

India: Police Organisation in Different States

States/ Union Territories	Area(In Square Kms)	Police Stations	Actual Police strength			No. of Policemen per 100 Sq. Km. area	No. of Policemen per 100,000 population
			Civil	Armed	Total
ANDHRA PRADESH	275045	1579	66643	12653	79296	28.2	98
ARUNACHAL PRADESH	83743	69	2961	2481	5442	6.5	464
ASSAM	78438	259	28341	23708	52049	66.4	178
BIHAR	94163	757	43273	8350	51623	54.8	57
CHHATTISGARH	135191	350	18147	11948	30095	22.3	131
GOA	3702	26	3077	445	3522	95.1	227
GUJARAT	196024	474	67761	16217	83978	42.8	152
HARYANA	44212	212	29201	5279	34480	78.0	149
HIMACHAL PRADESH	55673	87	8818	3255	12073	21.7	187
JAMMU & KASHMIR	101387	175	39103	20106	59209	58.4	505
JHARKHAND	79714	333	25730	3036	28766	36.1	98
KARNATAKA	191791	824	48011	4041	52052	27.1	92
KERALA	38863	456	35687	7857	43544	112.0	129
MADHYA PRADESH	308245	939	55298	21067	76365	24.8	114
MAHARASTRA	307713	942	140089	13539	153628	49.9	147
MANIPUR	22327	59	5204	9047	14251	63.8	554
MEGHALAYA	22429	27	5635	3295	8930	39.8	360
MIZORAM	21081	35	2953	4416	7369	35.0	768
NAGALAND	16579	44	5497	6450	11947	72.1	558
ORISSA	155707	465	27913	10839	38752	24.9	99
PUNJAB	50362	273	52196	19731	71927	142.8	276
RAJASTHAN	342239	725	54766	10622	65388	19.1	104
SIKKIM	7096	27	1984	1682	3666	51.7	631
TAMILNADU	130058	1432	69913	14327	84240	64.8	129
TRIPURA	10486	56	8166	12136	20302	193.6	591
UTTAR PRADESH	240928	1458	119893	33040	152933	63.5	83
UTTARANCHAL	53483	122	9518	4009	13527	25.3	146
WEST BENGAL	88752	465	61393	19178	80571	90.8	94
TOTAL(STATES)	3155431	12670	1037171	302754	1339925	42.5	112
A & N ISLANDS	8249	22	2204	541	2745	33.3	693
CHANDIGARH	114	11	3644	419	4063	3564.0	398
D & N HAVELI	491	2	217	0	217	44.2	87
DAMAN & DIU	112	3	222	0	222	198.2	123
DELHI	1483	130	46694	9739	56433	3805.3	348
LAKSHDWEEP	32	9	301	0	301	968.8	463
PONDICHERRY	492	44	1437	669	2106	428.0	201
TOTAL( UTs)	10973	221	54728	11368	66096	602.4	344
TOTAL (ALL-INDIA )	3166404	12891	1091899	314122	1406021	44.4	126

Islamist extremism related Incidents in Andhra Pradesh

Sl. No.	Date	Place	Incident
1	March 6	Hyderabad	Police arrested an agent of the Pakistani external intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), identified as Billah, following information provided by a terror suspect arrested in Karnataka. Billah was reportedly named by Raziuddin Naser, who was arrested in Karnataka in January 2008 in connection with a plot to carry out terrorist attacks in Goa and Hyderabad. Some sensitive documents and compact discs were recovered from Billah, who had previously been booked for two cases filed in late 2004.
2	July 14	Chittoor	The Additional District Judge court at Madanapalli in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh sentenced to life imprisonment a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant Azad Ahmed Qureshi, who was arrested in Madanapalli on July 3, 2007. The 29-year-old Qureshi, a native of Kashmir, was sentenced and fined INR 12,000 under sections 121, 121a and 468 of the Indian Penal Code for waging war against India, conspiracy to wage war and forgery in the preparation of election identity cards in Kashmir by the Judge.
3	July 15	Hyderabad	Police arrested Mohammed Muqeemuddin Yaser, a former member of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), from his residence in the Saidabad area of Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh. Yaser, who is a MBA student, is also the eldest son of Maulana Naseeruddin, the founder president of Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Shaan-e-Islam (TTSI) and is presently lodged at the Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad for his alleged role in the assassination of the former Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya. Yaser’s younger brother Raziuddin Naser, a suspect in the twin blast cases in Hyderabad in August 2007, was arrested by the Karnataka Police in January 2008 for planning terrorist attacks in Karnataka and Goa.
4	September 1	Hyderabad	The Hyderabad Police arrested a person identified as Jaber for suspected links with the SIMI. Hyderabad City Commissioner of Police B. Prasada Rao said, "Jaber has been arrested for his alleged links with the banned SIMI and sharing material with SIMI head Safdar Nagori." Jaber, son of Moulana Naseeruddin, is a Hyderabad resident. Naseeruddin is an accused in the assassination of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya and is now in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat.
5	November 22	Hyderabad	Kerala Police arrested one Indian Mujahideen (IM) cadre, identified as Abdul Jabbar, from Rajendra Nagar police station limits. Jabbar reportedly belonged to Malappuram in Kerala and recruited youths from his home State for armed training in Jammu and Kashmir and in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. He had managed to escape from an encounter site in Jammu and Kashmir in October 2008. Investigation revealed that Jabbar is the relative of Abdul Sattar, another terror suspect. Jabbar confessed that he had received training in making bombs and assembling and dismantling of guns.
6	December 3	Hyderabad	A suspected terrorist involved in the May 18, 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case, identified as Vikar Ahmed, and his accomplice, identified as Amjad, and two others escaped after open firing at a three member police team, who tried to arrest them near the crowded Indira Seva Sadan cross road in the Santoshnagar area.
7	November 22	Hyderabad	Kerala Police arrested one Indian Mujahideen (IM) cadre, identified as Abdul Jabbar, from Rajendra Nagar police station limits. Jabbar reportedly belonged to Malappuram in Kerala and recruited youths from his home State for armed training in Jammu and Kashmir and in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. He had managed to escape from an encounter site in Jammu and Kashmir in October 2008. Investigation revealed that Jabbar is the relative of Abdul Sattar, another terror suspect. Jabbar confessed that he had received training in making bombs and assembling and dismantling of guns.
8	December 3	Hyderabad	A suspected terrorist involved in the May 18, 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case, identified as Vikar Ahmed, and his accomplice, identified as Amjad, and two others escaped after open firing at a three member police team, who tried to arrest them near the crowded Indira Seva Sadan cross road in the Santoshnagar area.

Red Salute to our INDIAN SOLDIERS

In Batalik, you can't breathe normally. There is less oxygen there. The air is rarified. The lungs scream for oxygen. The blood vessels cry for oxygen. At 15000-ft, you are not normal. You cannot be. The human body is attuned to a certain altitude.

And that's where our soldiers are. Fighting the enemy. Facing the bullets. Dying alone in the snow. Falling to death from the high ridges. No one hears their scream. It's such a lonely death. A tiny piece of metal is all what it takes to die.

They are our infantrymen. The finest in the world. No other soldier has ever fought at these heights. At 15000ft, they can't move with ease. In Batalik, there are no tracks. Climb. Clamber. Crawl. A soldier carries a week's ration, ammunition, a 5.56mm assault rifle or a mortar or a rocket launcher. He carries over 20 kgs on his back as he pulls himself up on this rugged, cruel terrain.

He doesn't sleep. He doesn't have time to eat. He doesn't have time to urinate. Life is not what it is. Life is a shell. It is the terror of death. It is the courage of facing it. It is fear, raw, unalloyed, unrelenting.... the enemy is up there, somewhere hidden. It can see you, can track you down like a rat, can pick you out so effortlessly...and yet these men move, slowly but with determination to fight for the nation. To die for the nation.

You know how it feels to be up there in the cold, cold mountains, carrying a heavy backpack with a gnawing fear that you will never see your eight-year-old daughter. That sweet little thing with a ponytail and a smile that lights up your world. You may not hear her giggles, see her climb your shoulder, run around, throw her dolls in anger, paint the walls in doodles.... You will not be there for her.

You know what fear is. That is the fear. Not being there. Death is not what matters. What matter is that you will not matter anymore. And yet the soldiers go up the hills, like the charge of the light brigade, never asking questions, never expecting an answer. They know they have a duty, they have a pledge, they have a promise to keep. Their tryst with destiny.

It is not easy to imagine a soldier, an infantry man's life up there in Batalik, where the wind can sear your windpipe, chill your brains, make your eyes weep with pain and lungs cry out in sheer exhaustion. Brave. That is what these soldiers are. Brave in the face of death. Brave in the face of fear. Facing bullets. One hundered & Eighty of them are dead. Many more will die. Let not their death go waste, unacknowledged.