Kathmandu, Aug 14 (IANS) Though Nepal's army blames Indian rifles for its reverses at the hands of Maoist insurgents in midwestern Nepal last week, it owes a recent victory to the same weapon, defence analysts say.
The Royal Nepalese Army created a furore Friday when its spokesman, Brigadier General Dipak Gurung, alleged at a press conference here that the army lost 43 soldiers at Pili in Kalikot district Aug 7 because the INSAS rifles used by the soldiers malfunctioned.
The INSAS rifles, made in India, were given by New Delhi to Nepal from 2003 to fight the escalating Maoist insurgency.
So far, India has given about 23,000 of the indigenously manufactured guns at a 70 percent subsidy, along with ammunition.
However, the supply stopped in February this year after King Gyanendra staged a royal coup.
The analysts say while Gurung blamed the INSAS for the Pili debacle, he also claimed over 300 Maoists were killed in the battle, which proves the efficacy of the rifles.
The analysts, who declined to be named, also pointed out that in April the army had inflicted huge losses on the insurgents when they tried to capture an army camp in the rocky Khara area in western Nepal's Rukum district.
Though Rukum is a rebel stronghold, the army killed nearly 120 outlaws during the attack while over 70 wounded guerrillas were said to have died later trying to get medical treatment.
During the Khara battle, the army had used INSAS rifles. Though the attack lasted for nearly 15 hours, the rifles did not get heated or malfunction.
In 2003, there had been some complaints about the newly acquired INSAS rifles malfunctioning, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said.
A team of experts, including P.K. Agarwal, additional general manager of the rifle factory in India that manufactures the weapons, visited Nepal to teach the Nepalese army how to fire and maintain the guns.
It was found that some of the guns did not fire because the soldiers had not wiped off the grease the factory had coated them with to prevent rust. The team test-fired 400 rounds continuously during the demonstration without hitch.
According to defence experts, the Royal Nepalese Army suffers from lack of training as well as motivation.
While in India, soldiers are given battle training for 12-14 months, in Nepal rookies get only five months training.
With India, the US and Britain suspending lethal military weapons supplies since the royal coup, there is also speculation that if the soldiers get to fire live bullets during training, the limited stock of ammunition might go down.
The increasing outbursts by the Nepalese army since the royal takeover without going through official procedures is being regarded by New Delhi as attempts to embarrass it internationally and damage Indo-Nepal relations.
--Indo-Asian News Service
. The kick to the user can be worked out with adjustments to the gas regulation knob. But an excellent gun nonetheless, one that I hope all people who want one can buy and experience someday 'within the legal framework'.
( No offence meant )
. Or maybe hefting a bull barrelled mauser action for a while has numbed my senses.
