The Indian Air Force has a standard operating procedure for aircraft flying in the Kargil sector: do not fly close to the Line of Control (LoC).

But on February 19, Western Air Commander Air Marshal Vinod Bhatia-responsible for Indian air space from Siachen to Bikaner-committed the cardinal sin of flying in Pakistani air space for over 11 minutes. Bhatia's AN-32 transport aircraft, which took off from Kargil, was shot at by Pakistani air defence artillery the moment it crossed the loc over the Batalik sector. Luckily for the air marshal, the shoulder-fired missile knocked off one of the aircraft's engines but did not explode. The AN-32 later limped its way back to the airport at Leh.

With both Indian and Pakistani armies on alert since the December 13 attack on Parliament, the incident had the potential of triggering off hostilities between the two countries. After Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy ordered an inquiry, Southern Air Commander Air Marshal Manjit Singh Sekhon submitted an inquiry report on March 8, confirming the incident. But Sekhon himself is now under a cloud, with newspapers publishing his letter to former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal asking the Akali leader to use his clout to get him posted as western air commander. Sekhon was subsequently shunted out of the Southern Air Command and has been asked to put in his papers.

Bhatia, on his part, has two options: the indignity of being transferred to a non-operational command or resignation.

-Shishir Gupta

GOLDEN PUMPKIN

Mange Ram Garg, for those who came in late, is the president of the BJP's Delhi unit. Over the past few years, this former halwai (caterer) has published his diaries-with gems like "Today I met party workers from Karol Bagh"-undertaken mini-rath yatras that have been overwhelming failures and marginalised every senior member in the local party. This month Garg, who never made the mistake of winning an election in his life, leads his party into municipal elections. In a city that used to be a BJP bastion, the mood is determinedly defeatist.

Garg hasn't been able to exploit any anti-incumbency sentiment against the state Congress Government. Other than Vijay Goel, that tooth fairy lookalike, few top leaders have been won over and put to work by Garg. Madan Lal Khurana is in exile. Sahib Singh Verma is tentative. Vijay Kumar Malhotra is scarcely better. Goofy Garg is unmindful, confident of victory even as every political pundit worth his television appearance wonders why this man has the job he does.

SIGNPOSTS

HONOURED: Actor Dilip Kumar (above) and singer Lata Mangeshkar, as living legends by FICCI.

APPOINTED: Vijayendra N. Kaul, as comptroller and auditor-general of India. He was earlier petroleum secretary.

AWARDED: A Unesco/L'Oreal Fellowship for Women in Science, to Indira Nath, an authority on leprosy.

CONFERRED: Honorary fellowship of the African Academy of Sciences, on scientist C.N.R. Rao.

DIED: Producer-director Nasir Hussain, 76, who made Teesri Manzil and Yaadon Ki Baraat.

CHOSEN: Press Council chief K. Jayachandran Reddy, as chairman of the World Association of Press Councils Committee on Press Freedom and Media Ethics.