M A I N   N E W S

‘Z’ security for Amitabh

MUMBAI, Aug 31 (UNI) — The Maharashtra Government has restored the ‘Z’ category security to matinee idol Amitabh Bachchan after it was asked by the Union Home Ministry to strengthen the security cover to him, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said today.

Addressing a press conference after the weekly Cabinet meeting, Mr Bhujbal, who also holds the Home portfolio, said Amitabh Bachchan was being provided full police protection for the past five years. The State Government was spending Rs 12 lakh a year on his security, he said.

The Union Ministry order came in the wake of the kidnapping of veteran Kannada actor Rajkumar by forest brigand Veerappan.

Chitti Singhpora suspect held
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 31 — The police today claimed to have apprehended two Pakistani nationals of Lashkar-e-Toiba, one of them a suspect in the Chitti Singhpora carnage in which 35 Sikhs were killed on March 21.

Disclosing this Mr P.S. Gill, Inspector-General of Police (Operations), said the security agencies in Kashmir had been alerted in view of the Lashkar’s threat to carry out more such massacres in the near future.

In reply to a question, Mr Gill said “they (militants) might have selected four or five villages” and the attack could be made at the one with “the weakest security”. He said carnages like in Chitti Singhpora and Pahalgam were carried out by foreigners with the locals acting as guides.

“With the arrest of the two youths, all speculations over the killers of Chitti Singhpora has been set at rest, Mr Gill said parading the two militants before mediapersons here this afternoon.

He said their interrogation had revealed that Lashkar-e-Toiba was involved in the Chitti Singhpora massacre and the Pahalgam carnage on August 1. Two militants of the outfit had been killed at Pahalgam and another at Jammu on the same day. All belonged to the Anantnag group of the outfit.

Mr Gill said Assad Malik, son of Anwar Malik, from Sualkote in Pakistan had crossed over from Rajouri in October last. Assad Suhail, alias Abu Saharia, was among those who attacked the villagers in Chitti Singhpora. The other youth identified as Waseem, alias Zahid, alias Abu Mohammad from Gujranwala had crossed over in September last. He was allegedly involved in three attacks on the security forces.

The IG said the arrests had been made on information received by the SOG.

He said both had admitted to committing the Chitti Singhpora crime under directions from Pakistani mentors to time it with President Clinton’s visit to India.

“They deliberately wore Army uniforms, raised pro-Hindu slogans and left behind empty liquor bottles to put the blame on the Indian Army and thereby defame it,” he said

He declined to divulge the place from where they were arrested, saying it could hamper investigations.

Asked about the possibility of recurrence of carnages in view of the Prime Minister’s Washington visit, Mr Gill said the security forces across the state had been alerted. It was not possible to provide security to each village, he said.