• Rights team in Srinagar

NC block chief killed
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Nov 10 — A block president of the ruling National Conference was among three persons killed in the Kashmir valley since yesterday, while the militants hurled two grenades on a police party here today. Two militants also surrendered before the security forces, the police said on Tuesday.

A group of militants intruded into the house of Mohammad Subhan Dar, block president of the National Conference, Sangrama in Baramulla district, this morning. He was killed on the spot at his residence in Seer Dhara near Sopore. The police said that the incident took place at 9 am today.

Various National Conference leaders and ministers have expressed concern over the killing of Dar and condemned such attacks on the NC activists. The Speaker, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, who visited the residence of the deceased leader, has condemned the attack. The party General Secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmad, and some ministers, including Ali Mohammad Sagar and Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, have also condemned the killing.

Elsewhere, militants hurled two grenades on a police party at Noorbagh here today. One of these grenades exploded without causing any damage as it missed the intended target. The other grenade was later defused by the bomb disposal squad.

The police recovered the bullet-riddled body of Abdul Rehman Wani in the Qazigund area of Anantnag district today. He had been kidnapped by militants a few day ago, the police said. Wani is stated to have been an employee of the Food and Supplies Department.

A BSF spokesman here said that one foreign militant was killed in an encounter at Bandipore on Monday morning. He has been identified as Abdullah Sani, alias Abu, a resident of Pakistan. His associate, Mohammad Ashim, alias Ali Hyder of Multan, Pakistan, was apprehended in an injured condition. Two AK rifles and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter. An official of the BSF was also injured in the encounter, which followed a fierce encounter between militants and the security forces a day before in the same locality of Bandipora town in Baramulla district. At least half a dozen houses and shops were gutted in the firefight.

One militant of the Harkat-ul-Ansar surrendered before the security forces at Salar in Anantnag district while another laid down his arms before the security forces in Handwara area of Kupwara district.

Meanwhile, the police here today said that all the four militants killed in an encounter with a joint operations group of the Special Task Force of Jammu and Kashmir Police and the BSF at Peerbagh on the outskirts of Srinagar city, on Monday belonged to the Harkat-ul-Ansar. Two of these were local militants and the two others were from Pakistan. They have been identified as Mohammad Sadiq Khan and Mohammad Hussain, both Pak nationals, and Shahid Bakshi and Mohammad Iqbal Machroo, two local militants.

Jammu: Six militants were killed and a large quantity of arms and ammunition recovered from three places in Rajouri and Doda districts during the last 24 hours.

Additional troops have been rushed to Sungri village, 10 km from Doda, after a fierce encounter took place between the militants and the men of the Rashtriya Rifles on Monday. In the encounter, two militants were gunned down and two assault rifles and large quantities of ammunition recovered.

When the troops cordoned off the spot after information that a group of militants was hiding the men of the Rashtriya Rifles came under heavy fire. The troops returned the fire in which two insurgents were killed.

Additional troops were deployed to carry out massive search operations.

In the Darhal and Thana Mandi areas of Rajouri district where the security forces have launched a major search operation for seizing sophisticated weapons and explosives, including "flying bombs", were engaged in an encounter by the militants. In the two incidents, four militants were killed and two wounded.

NC not recruiting from Jammu: MLA
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Nov 10 — The National Panthers Party has accused the National Conference government of perpetuating discrimination on the people of Jammu region in various spheres of activities, including in employment. In this context it stated that out of 4766 class IV posts filled during the last two years more than 3325 candidates belonged to the Kashmir valley and just 1441 from Jammu.

In a statement issued here today a senior leader Mr Harsh Dev Singh, MLA, said that as a result of prolonged discrimination out of "1647 employees in the civil secretariat 1225 belonged to the valley and just 398 to Jammu, eight to Ladakh. 16 were not state subjects."

Mr Singh urged the government to start a fresh recruitment drive as the number of educated-unemployed was growing generating unrest. He flayed the state government for encouraging backdoor entry in several government departments and public sector undertakings in the valley with the result that meritorids applicants from Jammu were left out.

He also criticised the dilly-dallying tactics adopted by banks and other financial institutions in sanctioning loans and blamed the bank authorities for harassing educated youths on one pretext or the other.

Rights team in Srinagar
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Nov 10 — A team of National Human Rights Commission headed by Justice Venkatachalaya, retired Chief Justice of India, arrived here today and had a meeting with members of the State Human Rights Commission, an official spokesman said.

The visiting dignitaries are likely to meet various deputations here tomorrow.