INDIA TO RAISE LARGE ARMIES

Grey River Argus, 9 April 1948, Page 5

INDIA TO RAISE LARGE ARMIES

(Rec. 11.25) NEW DELHI, April 8 Reuter’s correspondent at New Delhi says: The Minister of Defence. Sardar Baldev Singh, announced Jn Parliament that India would raise a territorial force with an initial strength of one hundred and thirty thousand men, as “as second line of defence” to reinforce the regular army in an emergency. Fighting in India Causes 14,100 Casualties NEW DELHI, April 7. The anti-Government force in Kashmir and Jammu has lost 3000 killed and 9000 wounded in the past five months, said an Indian military spokesman. He added that 350 Indian troops were killed and 750 wounded. One hundred and twenty-five stayin strikers in Indian Government offices in Calcutta were arrested yesterday fop refusing to leave after office hours. Others, arrested earlier, are hunger-striking in prison. Relations between the Indian Union and Hyderabad have reached breaking point and India is reported to have disposed troops along th<’ Hyberabad borders. The Nizam of Hyberabad has denied the Indian Government’s charges that Hyderabad has not. fulfilled “the standstill” agreement signed last November. Th e Nizam counter charged that India had imposed economic sanctions, including the stoppage of menical supplies, chemicals, . iron unfl steel, motor cars and lorries. He also accused India of failing to provide arms and ammunition’ needed for Um Hyderbad police and troops Io maintain order. . The Nizam’s constitutional adviser. Sir Walter Monckton, to-day conferred with Viscount Mountbatten and Pandit Nehru in a last-minute effort to ovoid a break-down.