J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Army Captain, 10 others killed
Srinagar, November 16
At least 11 persons, including seven militants and a security force official, were killed and two others injured in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday.

Army held responsible for custodial death
Srinagar, November 16
Holding the Army responsible for the custodial killing of a youth, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed the Jammu and Kashmir Government to pay Rs 2 lakh to the affected family.

MLAs to unite to air grievances
Jammu, November 16
Congress legislators from the Jammu region have started an exercise of forming a pressure group for forcing the Chief Minister to “redress the grievances of the people of the region.”

Helping orphans live new life
Jammu, November 16
Savera, a non-government organisation, has identified 7,600 children in Jammu and Kashmir who have been rendered orphans as a result of militancy-related violence during the past 14 years.

6 killed in road accident
Srinagar, November 16
Six persons were killed and 30 others injured when the vehicle in which they were travelling met with an accident in north Kashmir last evening.

Army Captain, 10 others killed
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 16
At least 11 persons, including seven militants and a security force official, were killed and two others injured in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday.

The police here said that an Army Captain was killed and two pedestrians injured when a vehicle of security forces was fired upon by militants at the Gol Chakri market in the Shopian area of Pulwama district last evening.

Two unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Bungam, in Shopian today, the police here said. A house was also gutted in the exchange of fire between security forces and the militants. However, according to reports reaching here, those killed in the encounter were civilians and not militants.

Two persons, including a woman, were killed when they were fiddling with an explosive device at their house at Kanthpora Lolab in Kupwara district last night. The device was brought by the house-owner, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, which led to the death of his son, Mohammad Ashraf. His wife Taja succumbed to her injuries while being shifted to hospital.

A militant of the Harkat-ul-Ansar outfit, identified as Abu Obaidah from Pakistan, was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the Purnima forests of Vilgam in Kupwara district today.

Another militant, identified as Shakeel Ahmad, alias Abu Haris, was killed in an encounter with security forces in the forest area of Sogam in Kupwara district last night.

Two militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Surankote area of Poonch district in Jammu division, police here said. Two AK rifles and three magazines were recovered from the site of the encounter.

A militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces at Majargam, Kishtwar, in Doda district. One AK rifle, two magazines, 27 rounds, a wireless set and a hand grenade were recovered from his possession.

Unidentified militants shot dead Sirajuddin after kidnapping him from his house at Kanipora, Kokernag, in Anantnag district last night.

BARAMULLA: One soldier was killed and 10 others, including an officer, were wounded in 12-day-long operations in the vast forested area of Rafiabad in North Kashmir during which a number of militant hideouts were busted and supplies seized.

Army held responsible for custodial death

Srinagar, November 16
Holding the Army responsible for the custodial killing of a youth, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed the Jammu and Kashmir Government to pay Rs 2 lakh to the affected family.

If the defenders of people act in the way as revealed by the police investigation, then the system is sure to collapse one day under its own burden, the full Bench of the SHRC comprising Chairperson Justice A.M. Mir, Gazi Muzaffer-ud-Din, and S Mohinder Singh observed in the judgment issued yesterday.

Two years ago, Abdul Ahmad Wani, a resident of Giripora-Handwara in frontier district of Kupwara, approached the commission, stating that his son Shamasudin Wani was picked up by the personnel of the Six Rashtriya Rifles from his shop on May 25,2001, and later blown up with an improvised explosive device.

Confirming the arrest of the youth, the Army stated that Wani was killed when they were taking him for recovery.

However, the police investigation corroborated the statement of the father of the victim.

Asking security forces to behave like forces of a civilized nation, the commission remarked this form is the watch dog of civil liberties and human rights and would like the armed forces to behave in the same way in which forces of civilized nations act.

While objecting to the Army's reported non-cooperation in the investigation of such cases, the commission said that the modus operandi of the Army of not subjecting itself to the authority of investigating agency was again a tragic phenomenon. — PTI

MLAs to unite to air grievances
Our Correspondent

Jammu, November 16
Congress legislators from the Jammu region have started an exercise of forming a pressure group for forcing the Chief Minister to “redress the grievances of the people of the region.”

The legislators and other party leaders have been in touch with legislators belonging to the BSP, the State Morcha, the BJP, the National Conference and some Independent MLAs for setting up the forum could mount pressure on the Chief Minister to solve long-pending problems.

The legislators said: “Ministers and senior bureaucrats, paid hardly any interest in the issues being raised by us during meetings with them.”

A Congress legislator said even some features of the common-minimum programme remained unfulfilled and in this connection he referred to the non-implementation of the Wazir Committee report and further delay in the inclusion of Dogri in the 8th Scheduled of the Constitution.

Taking credit for the Central government’s decision to construct houses for border migrants in the Jammu sector, he said: “The acceptance of this project has been the result of sustained campaign launched by the Congress.”

The legislators have been critical of the way limited funds were released for various development projects in this region.

Another legislator said even decisions taken at District Development Board meetings were not being fully implemented.

They said it was sheer “discrimination that people of the Jammu region were being forced to pay higher power tarrif when its recovery had been higher in the region than the Kashmir valley”.

Helping orphans live new life
Our Correspondent

Jammu, November 16
Savera, a non-government organisation, has identified 7,600 children in Jammu and Kashmir who have been rendered orphans as a result of militancy-related violence during the past 14 years.

According to the head of the NGO, and Inspector-General Police, Mr S.P. Vaid, “The aim of our organisation is to adopt as many orphans as possible, depending on the availability of resources.”

Several prominent businessmen and some bureaucrats have been taken on the governing body of the NGO to help these children.

Savera has started providing food, clothing, books and other items to these orphans. In addition to this, vocational training would be imparted to them so that suitable job avenues are available to them.

Salim Ali (12) and Wasim Ali (11), two brothers from Rajouri, have found a new life after having been adopted by Savera. They said: “Life was easy for us till August, 2002, when our father and mother were gunned down by militants. After this incident, we had nothing to bank on. All the time we would weep, but now we have been given a purpose by Savera to live.”

Another orphan, Bunty, also hailing from Rajouri, has appreciated the role played by Savera. She said: “I appeal to militants to abandon violence, which results in the death of innocent people.”

Besides Savera, four other NGOs have come up in Jammu and Kashmir to help orphans and widows. More than 200 widows have been given training in sewing and other vocations.

6 killed in road accident

Srinagar, November 16
Six persons were killed and 30 others injured when the vehicle in which they were travelling met with an accident in north Kashmir last evening.

A vehicle carrying 36 persons from the border area of Keran to Kupwara skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge at Mandiyan, about 105 km from here, official sources today said.

Six passengers died on the spot while 30 were wounded, the sources said, adding that the bodies of four persons had been recovered from the gorge till last night. The injured had been admitted to different hospitals, where the condition of some of them was stated to be critical.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known, the sources added. — UNI

Bhim Singh assails PDP govt
Our Correspondent

Jammu, November 16
The National Panthers Party, headed by Prof Bhim Singh, has criticised the PDP-led Kashmir Government for having instructed revenue authorities not to issue certificates to bona fide youths of the Jammu region confirming them Dogras. In a statement issued here today, Prof Bhim Singh said under an established practice Dogra youths used to get certificates which would help them in the recruitment in the Army where concessions had been earmarked for Gorkhas and Dogras.

He said under the latest instructions issued to the revenue authorities by the state government bona fide Dogra youths would no longer receive the certificates thereby jeoparadising their career.

The Panthers Party chief described this move as “yet another instance of discrimination of people of the Jammu region “ and feared that it may create division among Dogras, living in Poonch, Rajouri and Doda, and the rest of the province. He said he had sent a separate communication to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani, requesting them to intervene.