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| Monday, February
26, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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SPO among three killed in J & K Army’s
plea to people Ultras attack police station Valley to have 9-hr power
supply Panel to monitor job
plan |
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J & K to introduce regional
languages Bhim Singh for all-party government in J&K 4 migrants trapped in flames, killed
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SPO among three killed in J & K Srinagar, February 25 Militants attacked a police station and two force camps while special operation group of Jammu and Kashmir police arrested three suspected ultras in the valley since last evening. A police spokesman said the militants attacked a security force patrol party at Arkhai Mohalla in Doda district of Jammu region last evening causing on the spot death of an SPO and injuries to five others. However, the militants managed to escape, he said and added that one house was damaged in the shootout. The ultras attacked a police station at Handwara in North Kashmir last evening with automatic weapons and grenades. Police guards also retaliated but no casualties were reported. Militants also fired at a security force camp in Anantnag district late last night but no injuries were reported. In another incident, militants of Al-Omar Mujahideen lobbed three grenades towards a CRPF camp at Gopalpora in the central Kashmir district of Badgam this afternoon. The police said all grenades missed the intended target and exploded without causing any damage. The demonstrators said Ghulam and Mansoor Ahmad were picked up by security forces yesterday and were handed over to Shopian police this morning in a very serious condition. Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din died in hospital today, while the condition of Mansoor is stated to be very critical.
UNI Army’s
plea to people Srinagar, February 25 “We appeal to the peace-loving public of the Kashmir valley to dissociate from any anti-national elements seeking to impede free flow of the Army convoys which are on operational duty or cause damage to the government property”, a Defence spokesman stated here in its appeal. The spokesman warned that “if the Army personnel are presented with such a scenario, as they are duty bound, will be left with no option but to act as per law”. Seeking the cooperation of public, the spokesman said the Army convoys were plying on various roads in Kashmir in support of operations for security and defence of the Kashmir valley. The flow of Army convoys and its vehicles came under severe criticism leading to public resentment following the incident at Haigam. The Srinagar-based Commander of the 15 Corps of Army here on Sunday last, three days after the incident, announced that the Army had also ordered a detailed enquiry into the incident, “notwithstanding the judicial enquiry that has been ordered”. In another incident of firing at Maisuma on February 16, the Army have also started investigations into the death of a youth. |
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Ultras attack police station Srinagar, February 25 The Special Operation Group of Jammu and Kashmir police arrested three suspected militants in Srinagar and Tral last evening. Militants attacked a police station at Handwara in north Kashmir last evening with automatic weapons and grenades. Police guards also retaliated, but no casualties were reported. Militants also fired at a security force camp in Anantnag district late last night, but no injuries were reported. Official sources said the body of Ghulam Ahmad, a resident of Sumbal, was recovered at Amarpora Sopore this morning. People at Mahandpora Shopian took to the streets to protest the death of a 65-year-old Ghulam Mohi-ud-din, who they alleged, died due to torture by security forces.
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Valley to have 9-hr power
supply Srinagar, February 25 Announcing this at a high-level meeting of the officers of the Power Development Department here the Power Minister, Mr S.S. Salathia, said the nine-hour power supply would be made uniform in the rural and urban areas of the valley. He said the power supply would be made available to consumers in different slots. He said the restoration work on the 220 kv line had also been taken up but efforts were on to have it temporarily restored to ease the inconvenience faced by the people in Kashmir. An official spokesman said that the minister regretted that the consumers of the valley had to undergo lot of difficulties due to the damage caused to two transmission towers. He said engineers were working hard to completely restore the power supply. The minister urged the people to make judicious use of the available power and pay their power bills in time. He said that there was a vast gap between the requirement and the availability of the power. The meeting discussed the latest power situation and decided to notify the revised curtailment schedule soon. The minister called upon the engineers of the Power Development Department to ensure faultless implementation of the schedule. The entire Kashmir valley was plunged into darkness on February 17 due to the damage caused to the transmission towers near
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Panel to monitor job
plan Jammu, February 25 This was revealed at a meeting of the Committee of Secretaries held here with the Chief Secretary. The Chief Secretary said he had a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary in Delhi recently and discussed in detail the issue of employment to the youth of the state. The Cabinet Secretary had agreed to convene a special meeting in Delhi shortly regarding employment to the state’s youth in Central Government departments and PSUs. The Centre would also be requested to launch special recruitment drives in the state for the purpose. The government had also discussed the possibilities of jobs for the state’s technocrats and professionals in the private sector with the All-India Management Association. The bio-datas of 2,000 such unemployed youth, who were willing to serve outside the state, were being documented for about 500 positions. So far, the bio-data of 1,700 such youth had been procured and were being computerised, he added. The newly set up employment cell of the state government in New Delhi had so far sponsored establishments in response to their 1,643 candidates to 103 requisitions. Of them, 200 candidates had been interviewed and their placement was in the final stage. The Chief Secretary asked the Employment Department to organise counselling for the candidates appearing in interviews for various jobs. |
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J & K to introduce regional
languages Jammu, February 25 The Board of School Education is preparing teaching and learning material for the purpose. This was stated by the Minister for Education, Mr Mohammad Shafi, in reply to a question by Mr M.V. Taing during question hour in the Legislative Council yesterday. The minister said the change in the language policy would be applicable to government and private schools. Replying to supplementaries, Mr Shafi said the government had also included other languages like Pahari, Goijri, Balti and Dardi in the Sixth Schedule and was planning to introduce these languages from the sixth to eighth classes in the second phase. The minister said language experts were being consulted for preparing the material in this regard and added that the teachers were also being trained. |
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Bhim Singh for all-party government in J&K New Delhi, February 25 Talking to mediapersons here, Prof Singh claimed that such a government was permissible under the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir without invoking Article 356 of the Constitution. Demanding an emergency meeting of the National Integration Council on the prevailing situation in Kashmir, he said that a meeting with representatives of all political parties operating in Jammu and Kashmir should also be convened to seek views on the so-called ceasefire. “Both Central and state governments are responsible for the present situation in Kashmir due to their casual conduct,” he alleged. The extension of ceasefire by the Prime Minister has created an alarming situation for the peace-loving and nationalist population in the state,” he said, threatening the security of the state and safety of the citizens besides causing demoralising effect on the police and the security forces. The declaration of the Prime Minister on the extension of the ceasefire does not identify the enemies against whom the ceasefire has been declared. Is it against the trespassing law breaking and gunwielding foreign fundamentalists or in respect of Pakistan with whom India had signed ceasefire on January 1, 1998 following the UNCIP Resoluation. The PM’s declaration has two dimensions, either the BJP Prime Minister under the Anglo-American pressure has secretly resolved to implement Dixon Plan by allowing a buffer Islamic state of Kashmir or this is a ploy to go for a short nuclear war against Pakistan in understanding with military dictator of Pakistan. Either way the extension of ceasefire has caused further threat to the citizens in Jammu and Kashmir as well as to the security of the state. Haigam incident provides sufficient evidence about the failure of the local administration to allow such a situation to arise. One Jalil Ahmed Shah, a local chemist was killed in custody, according to the local people and his family living in Haigam. He was in police custody and not in the army. After his death people of Haigam came on the streets protesting against this alleged custodial death. The people declared that they would walk up to highway and block the road. Thousands of people in fact walked from Haigam to the highway (Srinagar to Baramula) near Sangrama. It might have taken at least three hours to cover eight-10 km on foot. The angry crowd could have been stopped by the intervention of the administration. The Chief Minister and his government had full information about this march by the locals of Haigam. There was no difficulty in persuading the people to abandon the march. The state government also knew that noontime was the time of the movement of the military convoy carrying defence material and foodstuff to troops around the LoC.The crowd was allowed to reach the highway and block the road. Had the state administration intervened in time and according to the situation highway killings of six persons including 3 women could have been avoided. |
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4 migrants trapped in flames, killed Jammu, February 25 Eyewitness accounts said a group among these migrants had come to the forest belt at Sidhra to build temporary hutments for the refugees from Poonch and Rajouri. Over 4,000 persons from these border areas, both Hindus and Muslims, had migrated after they felt threatened by the increase in militant activities. Soon after reaching Jammu they started living under tents in the Belicharana area, 15 km from the winter capital. During the past three months, these 450 families faced many hardships and they were on the lookout for a suitable place where they could set up temporary hutments. After surveying the area more than 3,000 migrants reached Sidhra in buses and trucks. Someone among them suggested that they should first torch the sarkanda (wild grass and bushes) to have a level space for the hutments. The moment the sarkanda was set ablaze, winds blow, engulfing the entire area in flames. Four migrants were trapped. The police said two migrants, Dr Tahir Mohammad and Mohabat Ali, were burnt alive while two others were admitted to a hospital in critical condition. Both of them died. After the tragedy, all migrants fled back to the Belicharana area leaving the job of extinguishing the fire to the forest officials who summoned fire engines. Till the filing of this report, the flames had not been controlled. A senior forest official said since the tragedy had taken place in the forest belt the fire engines could not cover bigger areas in the absence of motorable roads. |
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