M A I N   N E W S

Man kills four members of family
Jatinder Sharma

Rohtak, July 7
Jit Ram, who was under depression allegedly stabbed to death his wife Meena (32), son Rohit (13), daughter Poona (5) and father-in-law Ram Chander Balmiki (55) in the wee-hours in the Para Mohalla locality here today.

His mother-in-law Gora (50) is battling for life in the local PGI Medical Sciences. She, too, was attacked by her son-in-law with the wo-foot-long sharp-edged dagger, says the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr A. S. Ahlawat.

Immediate cause for the killings is not known but the police believes that Jit Ram had acted in frustration as his wife had not been living with him for the past couple of years. She had been living with her parents at Rohtak.

Though Jit Ram belonged to Dujana village in Jhajjar district, he was living in Mangolpuri (Delhi) for the past many years. He allegedly was a man of shady character.

The 10-year old Ruby and younger son, six-year old Narinder escaped their father’s wrath as they took shelter into neighbour’s house. They reportedly told the police that their father had murdered their mother, Rohit, Poona and their grand-father Ram Chander.

According to the police Jit Ram arrived at the house of his father-in-law past mid-night and attacked his wife, son, daughter and father-in-law with the dagger. He also stabbed his mother-in-law who survived the attack and was admitted in a critical condition in to the PGIMS.

Neighbours of the deceased family were not prepared to give any information on relations between the husband and his wife and her parents.

The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination to the PGIMS and the police has registered a case under Sections 302/307 of the IPC against Jit Ram, who allegedly is absconding after committing the murders.

3,500 militants active in Valley
DIG for policy of no talks with kidnappers
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Srinagar July 7
He has been in the thick for almost a decade now on account of his giving a tough time to militants in the Jammu and Kashmir area. After successful innings as SP City, Srinagar, SSP, Srinagar, followed by DIG, Doda and then DIG, Rajouri Poonch area, Mr K. Rajendra, the 1984 batch IPS officer, proceeded to take over as the DIG, Kashmir Range, about one and a half years back. Having been posted in the most sensitive of areas, including Doda, Rajouri and Ponch, Mr Rajendra has tackled militancy from very close quarters and has been fairly successful in foiling many a militant mission.

In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, the daring officer, who is on the hit list of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Ansar and Lashkar-e-Toiba, stressed upon the urgency of evolving a Central policy of no negotiation in case of kidnappings and abductions by the militants. He also talked about the strategy being adopted by the Kashmir police to nail active terrorists in the Valley which comprises Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Anantnag, Pulwama, Avantipora and Kulgam. Excerpts:

Question: Is abduction still the favourite tool of pressure exertion for militants?

Answer: All through these years of turmoil, abduction has been a favourite tool with the militants. It is still popular. It all began with the kidnapping of Ms Rubiya Sayeed in December, 1989, when we had to release five militants, who later played havoc in the Valley. We also cannot forget the Kandhar hijack tragedy, when again we had to set free two most dreaded militants namely Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar and Azhar Masood of Jaish-e-Mohammad. We had almost crushed Jaish-e-Mohammad in the Valley. It was Masood who, after his release, went back to Pakistan and revived the organisation in Kashmir. Many ineffective militant outfits have actually been revived by militants who have been set free in exchange for abducted people. It’s time the government formulated a policy of no negotiation in case of hijacking and abductions. Setting these militants free is not in the interest of security in the Valley. We have lost some of our best officers in nabbing them initially.

Q: Which districts are most prone to terrorist attacks? What is your knocking out plan?

A: It is very difficult to compartmentalize, but we suspect that there should at least be 3,500 militants in the entire Valley. Srinagar alone should have 40. The militants are more active in rural parts. As far as our knocking out strategy is concerned, we have categorised the top ranking militants on the basis of reports we received till April 3 this year. We have identified them from Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Anantnag, Pulwama, Avantipora and Kulgam. The categorisation is based on the popularity of the militant, the strength of his organisation, the intensity and frequency of his operations in the Valley. We have also put premiums on their heads. Anyone offering information leading to their arrest is heavily rewarded.

Q: What is the role of Fidayen (suicide squads) in the Valley?

A: The Fidayen are activating themselves like never before. They have mainly been raised by the Lashkar-e-Toiba and also in some measure by the Jaish-e-Mohammad (the Army of the Prophet). We cannot forget the worst attack they launched on 24 Rashtriya Rifles at Burwah killing 11 soldiers and one Major. They have been entering into the security areas and causing immense losses to us. Our immediate concern is to tighten our access control and prevent the Fidayen from firing rockets into the security areas.

Q: Which areas in the Valley are most likely to be targeted and what measures have you adopted to secure them?

A: The most attack-prone areas are the Civil Secretariat, the police headquarters, Radio Kashmir, Airport, the residences of the Chief Minister, judges and other government officers, and of course the Raj Bhawan. Hazratbal shrine which houses the Holy Relic of Prophet Mohammad continues to be a sensitive place. We have provided a three-tier security system in the Secretariat and we have police forces deployed at all the other places. We are especially guarding the Radio Kashmir building and the Airport.

Q: Which outfits are the most active?

A: The most dangerous of all is the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, followed by Lashkar-e-Toiba, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Jamait-ul-Mujahideen and the JKLF to some extent.

Q: Why are the militants increasingly using religious places as hideouts?

A: The use of religious places for hiding is not a new practice. We have seen this in Punjab during days of turmoil. Militants in the Valley have used Charar-e-Sharif as a hideout in 1994. It’s easy for them. When chased in hot pursuit, they know it is best to enter religious places and ties the hands of security forces. Even when the militants had set Hazratbal shrine on fire, they launched a disinformation campaign against the security forces, which happen to be the only visible symbol of authority at a given point in time. We have now learnt to deal with them.

Q: Are you using counter insurgents in anti-militant operations?

A: We don’t require them. We also cannot afford to hand over a gun to a civilian and then expect him to maintain order. They are welcome to pass on information to us, but they cannot be a part of our operations. We have trained men for that.

Q: How powerful is Jamait-e-Islam’s women’s wing Dukhtaran-e-Millat?

A: The Millat, with 300 activists, has organisational value in the region and forms a support structure for the militant outfits. Women militants are generally used to carry information and weapons. We have been arresting them off and on. Their leader Aisha Andra Bi was imprisoned for four years on charges of sedition, but now she is free and active. Her husband is the publicity chief for Jamait-ul-Mujahideen. The Millat is trying to propagate fundamentalism in the Valley. They have been trying to penetrate into colleges and schools but they have not received an encouraging response. They are active nevertheless.