M A I N   N E W S

Police stations attacked in valley

SRINAGAR, Jan 17 (UNI) — A series of grenade explosions and militant attacks in the valley left two persons, including a militant, dead and five persons injured since last evening.

Official sources said militants fired at least four rifle grenades towards a police station at Soura today but they exploded on the ground without causing any damage.

Militants also hurled a hand grenade towards the police station at Karan Nagar last evening and followed it with automatic fire. Police personnel returned the fire but there were no reports of any casualty.

Militants fired a rifle grenade towards a security force picket at Nowhatta in the downtown city this evening at around 5.55 p.m. but the grenade missed its target and exploded on the roadside, injuring three.

Sources said militants attacked a special operations group (SOG) patrol party at Palhalan Pattan in Baramula district today with automatic weapons. Two SOG personnel were injured in the crossfire.

An official spokesperson said a few houses were also gutted in the shootout. However, the villagers alleged SOG personnel had set the houses ablaze after the militants escaped.

The spokesperson said one militant and a civilian were killed in an encounter at Manjoos Khari last evening. Some arms and ammunition were also seized.

He said one militant surrendered along with arms and ammunition at Baramula last evening.

Meanwhile, the girl killed in the airport shootout yesterday has been identified as Nasreena Begum, daughter of a Delhi resident Afzal Hussain.

In another incident, the police fired in the air and burst teargas shells at Humama to disperse demonstrators who were demanding the bodies of the Lashkar-e-Toiba militant, who were killed when they tried to storm the Srinagar airport yesterday.

The demonstrators wanted the bodies to be handed over to them for burial at Humhama.

Airport attack: 3 officials held

SRINAGAR, Jan 17 (UNI) — The Special Operation Group (SOG) has arrested five persons, including three government officials, in connection with yesterday’s Lashkar-e-Toiba suicide squad attempt to storm the high-security Srinagar airport.

Inspector-General of police Ashok Bhan said the SOG of the Jammu and Kashmir police had taken into custody the driver of the Forest Department vehicle used by militants to reach the airport, two forest officials and two motor mechanics.@@All five are being interrogated, he said, adding that their involvement in the crime could be ascertained only after some time.

However, there definitely was some connection between the driver and the LeT militants, he added.

Six members of the suicide squad were killed when they made an unsuccessful attempt to storm the Srinagar airport last afternoon. 

Four CRPF personnel, including a woman constable and two civilians were also killed in the shootout. 

Meanwhile, militants attacked a police station in Soura with rifle grenades, while two members of the SOG were injured at Pattan today.

Official sources said militants attacked an SOG patrol party at Palhalan Pattan in Baramulla district with automatic weapons. Two members of the SOG were injured during the cross-fire. 

Militants also fired at least four rifle grenades towards a police station at Soura today. The grenades missed the target and exploded without causing any damage. 

SC upholds HC verdict
Recruitment of cops in Haryana
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 17 — The Supreme Court today upheld the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in quashing the recruitment of 1,600-odd constables in the Haryana police made in July, 1995. The apex court also directed the Haryana Government to fill these posts within the next six months after giving a public notice in newspapers within next two weeks.

The landmark judgment, given by Mr Justice G.V. Patnaik and Mr Justice B.N. Aggarwal after some of the candidates recruited in July, 1995, filed Special Leave Petitions against the verdict of the Punjab and Haryana Court, also took a lenient view of those who had been working in the Police Department on the basis of the impugned recruitment.

The Supreme Court made it clear that any of the dismissed constables could apply afresh and would be given age relaxation in case they had become overage since their recruitment in July, 1995. The apex court also wanted that some weightage should be given to the dismissed constables for the experience they had gained in working in the department.

Mr Mahabir Singh represented the Haryana Government in the case.

The Haryana police had recruited 1600 constables against 703 vacancies in July ,1995, when Mr Ramesh Sehgal was the Director-General of Police and Mr Bhajan Lal was the Chief Minister. Some of the unsuccessful candidates, however, challenged the recruitment alleging irregularities, both in advertising the posts of constable and the recruitment procedure followed by the Haryana police.

On a petition moved by Mr Balbir Singh, one of the unsuccessful candidates, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice T.H.B. Chalapathi, quashed the recruitment mainly on two grounds.

The first was that the method adopted for advertising these posts through village chowkidars was not appropriate as no public notice or advertisement was inserted in any newspaper to invite applications from the eligible candidates. The high court also upheld that the recruitment method as given in the Punjab Police Rules was outdated and rejected it.

Some of the successful candidates and the Haryana Government went in for Special Leave Petitions in 1996. After Mr Bansi Lal took over as Chief Minister of the state, the government withdrew its SLP and ordered an enquiry into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of the constables.