J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

BJP suspects role of Mukti Morcha, Praja Parishad
Jammu, January 16
The state unit of the BJP, which sees in the Congress its main opponent in the ensuing elections to the Jammu Municipal Corporation and in the poll to the urban local bodies in the region, has started suspecting the role of the Mukti Morcha and the recently floated Praja Parishad.

Chattisinghpora massacre pain persists
Chattisinghpora (Anantnag), January 16

Five-year-old Arandeep Singh is hardly aware of the circumstances leading to the deployment of the security forces in this remote Chattisinghpora village, in Anantnag district of south Kashmir, about 70 km from Srinagar. Five-year-old Arandeep Singh, who lost his father Sartaj Singh in the Chattisinghpora village massacre, with his grandfather Niranjan Singh outside their house in the village on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Amin War

5 women held, illicit liquor seized
Jammu, January 16
Five women have been arrested and a huge quantity of countrymade liquor seized in Jammu and Kathua districts, official sources said here today.

Pak constructs 41 new bunkers, bundhs
Suchetgarh Border (J&K), January 16
Taking benefit of over 13-month truce with India, Pakistan has strengthened its defences by constructing 41 new concrete bunkers and bundhs, measuring over 500 metre, along the international border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Anti-militant protests over social worker's death
Jammu, January 16
Anti-militant demonstrations were held in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir today to protest against the killing of a social worker by militants, official sources said.

839 file papers for MC poll
Jammu, January 16
As many as 839 candidates have filed nomination papers for civic poll in Jammu, Srinagar, Baramula and Kupwara districts of Jammu and Kashmir, state election department sources said.

Two killed, 29 hurt in Poonch mishap
Jammu, January 16
Two persons were killed and 29 injured in an accident in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir today, official sources said here.

Property worth Rs 20 lakh gutted in fire
Jammu, January 16
Property worth Rs 20 lakh was destroyed in a fire that broke out in a house at Palakhi near Ramkote in Kathua district last night.

BJP suspects role of Mukti Morcha, Praja Parishad
Our Correspondent

Jammu, January 16
The state unit of the BJP, which sees in the Congress its main opponent in the ensuing elections to the Jammu Municipal Corporation and in the poll to the urban local bodies in the region, has started suspecting the role of the Mukti Morcha and the recently floated Praja Parishad.

The Praja Parishad had been revived by a group of disgruntled BJP leaders and has wooed the general secretary of the Women Wing of the BJP, Ms Geeta Thakur, to its fold.

A senior BJP leader told this correspondent here today that Ms Thakur had resigned from the post of general secretary but had not given up her primary membership of the BJP.

However, Mr Chander Mohan Sharma, president of the BJP, said after Ms Thakur was denied the ticket for contesting the municipal corporation poll, she left the party. He said the Praja Parishad would field her from one of the constituencies in the city.

Sources said the Praja Parishad was waiting to accept those BJP men who fail to get the party ticket.

The president of the BJP, Dr Nirmal Singh, said “Individuals do not matter for the BJP while referring to the resignation of Ms Geeta Thakur.” He said after finalising electoral understanding with the Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal the BJP stands on a strong wicket.

At the same time the Jammu Mukti Morcha, headed by Prof Virender Gupta, has not joined hands with the BJP. While confirming it a senior BJP leader alleged that the Mukti Morcha had decided to field its candidates for the Jammu Municipal Corporation poll simply to create difficulties for the BJP.

He alleged that both the Mukti Morcha and the Praja Parishad leaders were being encouraged by the Congress to field their candidates so that the traditional vote bank of the BJP got split thereby making it difficult for the BJP to win majority in the 71-member corporation.

The BJP leader said “we have decided to expose the Congress misrule with reference to its failure in fulfilling its promises made in the 2002 Assembly poll and its inability to improve drinking water supply and other civic amenities.”

The Congress leadership has asked its three MLAs, who represent the entire Jammu city that falls within the limits of the municipal corporation, to muster voters support for the party candidates.

In this context the three legislators, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Raman Bhalla and Mr Yogesh Sawhney (both ministers of state) have been spending hour together in their respective constituencies for interacting with their supporters and workers.

Indications are that despite a large number of candidates in the field in Jammu the contest may ultimately be among the candidates belonging to the BJP, Congress and the National Conference.

The National Conference leadership has decided to concentrate in the Kashmir valley, where it faces the main challenge from the PDP and Congress, and in Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts besides the hilly belts of Udhampur district.

Chattisinghpora massacre pain persists
Ehsan Fazili
Tribune News Service

Chattisinghpora (Anantnag), January 16
Five-year-old Arandeep Singh is hardly aware of the circumstances leading to the deployment of the security forces in this remote Chattisinghpora village, in Anantnag district of south Kashmir, about 70 km from Srinagar. His father, Sartaj Singh, was among the 36 Sikhs killed by unidentified gunmen here on the night of March 20, 2000, when he was hardly six months old. This village hit the national and international headlines due to the killings while the then US President, Mr Bill Clinton, was on a visit to India. Arandeep’s childhood has been divided into the company of his 72-year-old grandfather, Niranjan Singh, and his widowed mother, who has shifted to her parents’ house. She has been awarded cash compensation and a compassionate job in Jammu and Kashmir Bank in place of her husband. Arandeep’s grandmother, Reshma, who has suffered a paralytic stroke deeply feels the absence of Sartaj Singh, the youngest of her four sons.

It is no different for the little son and daughter of Gurdeep Singh in Shouqeen Pora at the other end of this village, who was killed along with his younger brother, Ajitpal Singh, and old father, Jagir Singh. After the tragedy struck this village five years ago, Gurdeep’s sister, Amrit Kaur, had to shift with her husband from their home away in the Achchabal area to be with her widowed mother. The widowed daughter-in-law, Neelam Kaur, got a government job on compassionate grounds like several other kith and kin of those killed. There is another isolated house without any life, with its inmates, all women, having temporarily shifted to Jammu as do many of the affluent people during the winter

That is the house of Gurbaksh Singh and his brother, Uttam Singh, who were among the victims. Gurbaksh left behind his widow, Narinder Kaur, and two daughters, now studying in Classes VIII and VI, while Uttam Singh is survived by his widow and two daughters in Class X and Class VIII. Similar are the tales of woe of the other families who lost their loved ones in the massacre.

This remote village with a population of about 2,500, both Sikhs and Muslims, spread over a few mohallas has a police post at its entry point. There are three other security posts manned by the CRPF at the main gurdwara and at the other far end of the village, surrounded by paddy fields and orchards. These security posts were set up after the massacre. A memorial each has been set up at the two village gurdwaras in memory of those killed in the massacre. “Some more work like the inscription of the names of those killed needs to be done at these memorials,” said Jagir Singh, the village head, adding that it awaited some finances.

Jagir Singh is sore about the lack of proper basic facilities of drinking water, power supply, telephone and “pucca roads”. “Next of kin of the victims have received jobs and compensation,” Jagir Singh concedes but laments that the assurances given by the then government at the Centre and in the state have not been fulfilled even after five years. “We were assured that this would be a model village. But it is the same as it was in 1947,” he claimed. “Only the poor ones like us are left here,” said another village elder, adding that those with cash compensation and government jobs had “since left for better prospects”. “Woh aish kar rahen hein…. Hum gharib log yahan maray gayay,” he laments.

The three-room Government Primary School which was burnt down at the time of the massacre, continues to remain unattended. Of the three rooms, one has been covered temporarily by tin sheets to accommodate the school records and furniture. Another room is half-covered by canvas by the CRPF personnel deployed in the main gurdwara. And the third one is uncovered and hence open to rains and snow. “It is very difficult for schoolchildren,” said Jagir Singh.

The school, he said, remained open only in fair weather. The school, which is closed for the winter now has 60 students, including only four Sikh students, with two teachers and three teaching assistants. Several other Sikh children are enrolled at the nearby Khalsa School

5 women held, illicit liquor seized

Pak constructs 41 new bunkers, bundhs

Suchetgarh Border (J&K), January 16
Taking benefit of over 13-month truce with India, Pakistan has strengthened its defences by constructing 41 new concrete bunkers and bundhs, measuring over 500 metre, along the international border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Pakistan is taking full benefit of Indo-Pak ceasfire and has constructed 41 new defence structures, including 25 concrete bunkers and 16 bundhs along the international border in Jammu frontier during over 13 month-long ceasefire period,” top BSF sources said here.

About defence works undertaken by Pakistan in Sialkote sector, they said out of 41 defence works, one bundh measuring 50-55 metre set up by Pakistani rangers had been constructed in disputed land in the Dhamala nallah near border pillar No 62 in Jammu sector.

Pakistan had constructed 16 bundhs measuring 5072 metre along the IB in its area, including Dhamala nallah, Kurar, Pir Baba, Pir Baba-Kajlial, Kharibase, Peergirans-1, Peergirani-2, Jarwal, Aarpat, Jarwal-1st, Harnawali, Jawal, Morda, Tarangot and Jarwal-2, they said.

Similarly, 25 concrete bunkers had been constructed in Morha, Umranwali, Dhamala Nallah, Kajlial, Chaprar, Putwal, Kujpur, Kunjpur, Kajlial-1, Peerbaba, Peerbaba-1, Kunarpur, Kunarpur-1, Kurar, Lahari Kalan, Peergirana, Jarwal, Jarwal-1, and Zarafkabagh, they said. — PTI

Anti-militant protests over social worker's death

Jammu, January 16
Anti-militant demonstrations were held in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir today to protest against the killing of a social worker by militants, official sources said.

Over 900 residents of Koti-Khanngna village took out a rally raising slogans against the killing of social worker and businessman Ved Raj by militants at the outskirts of the village yesterday, they said.

The protesters blamed the state government and the police for the 'failure' to protect the social worker despite his request for security. They also presented a memorandum to the Doda Deputy Commissioner to this effect.

The district administration has sanctioned an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh to next of the kin of the deceased. — PTI

839 file papers for MC poll

Jammu, January 16
As many as 839 candidates have filed nomination papers for civic poll in Jammu, Srinagar, Baramula and Kupwara districts of Jammu and Kashmir, state election department sources said.

The highest, 337 candidates filed their nominations for 108 wards in the Baramula Municipal Committees, followed by 244 in 61 wards in Srinagar Municipal Corporation, and 125 in 26 wards of the Kupwara Municipal Committees, the sources said.

The last date of filing of nomination papers ended yesterday in the Kashmir valley, they said.

Similarly, 83 candidates have filed their papers till yesterday in 97 wards of the Jammu Municipal Corporation, for which tomorrow is the last date for filing of nominations, they said, adding that the scrutiny in Srinagar and Jammu would be held on Tuesday. — PTI

Two killed, 29 hurt in Poonch mishap

Jammu, January 16
Two persons were killed and 29 injured in an accident in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir today, official sources said here.

A mini bus skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in the outskirts of the Poonch town this morning, the sources said.

The injured were later admitted to a Poonch hospital, they added.

The district authorities have announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 5000 to next of the kin of the deceased and Rs 500 to the injured. — PTI

Property worth Rs 20 lakh gutted in fire

Jammu, January 16
Property worth Rs 20 lakh was destroyed in a fire that broke out in a house at Palakhi near Ramkote in Kathua district last night.

The police said the fire broke out at about 11.50 pm and soon engulfed the entire house which belonged to Nath Ram and Mast Ram, both brothers.

Three fire tenders were pressed into service and the flames were brought under control this morning after an over five-hour-long operation, the police added.

Electric short-circuit was stated to be the reason behind the incident. — UNI