J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Additional forces needed for Amarnath Yatra
Jammu, April 20
Following the pulling out of nine companies of the CRPF from the Kashmir valley for posting in the states going to assembly elections, additional forces are required by the Jammu and Kashmir Government for the Amarnath Yatra that begins on June 11.

SPO killed, 5 injured in grenade attack
Jammu, April 20
One Special Police Officer (SPO) was killed and five others were injured when terrorists burst a grenade at them in Bhaderwah town where Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is contesting the byelection for the Assembly seat.

Chinks in PDP deepen
Srinagar, April 20
Differences within the PDP have further deepened with former Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir perceiving a threat to the life of Shoaib Lone, who is contesting byelection from the Sangrama constituency as an Independent candidate against the coalition candidate of the PDP.

BSF Inspector commits suicide
Srinagar, April 20
An Inspector of the Border Security Force (BSF) committed suicide by hanging himself in his room inside a training centre near here, official sources said today.

Additional forces needed for Amarnath Yatra
Our Correspondent

Jammu, April 20
Following the pulling out of nine companies of the CRPF from the Kashmir valley for posting in the states going to assembly elections, additional forces are required by the Jammu and Kashmir Government for the Amarnath Yatra that begins on June 11.

Official sources said the government was assessing the security situation and if the deployment of additional forces for containing the activities of militants was found necessary, the Union Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry would be informed accordingly.

But for providing adequate security to the pilgrims during the two-month pilgrimage, additional forces were required.

A senior police officer said ,“We do not have enough forces in our reserves when the security grid had been already disturbed in the summer capital by sending nine companies of the CRPF for election duty outside the state.”

Last year, more than 10,000 personnel of the Army, paramilitary forces and the police were deployed to provide security to the pilgrims and for sanitising the Pahalgam and Baltal routes for the pilgrimage.

He said since the government had decided to have two-month-long yatra this season “we need more then 10,000 security personnel for ensuring incident-free yatra”.

Another government functionary said while the troops were deployed on the hilltops on these routes, the men from the BSF were posted to carry out road opening exercise and the CRPF personnel for providing security in and around the camps where the pilgrims stay on way to the cave.

Police personnel carry out patrolling of the mountain route and lend assistance to pilgrims whenever they are in any sort of difficulty.

For sanitising the mountain routes from Baltal and Pahalgam, the Army authorities deploy around 6,000 soldiers and two Brigadiers.

Usually, the security personnel have to be deployed on the routes 15 days before the start of the yatra and are withdrawn 15 after the yatra ends. As such more forces are required to allow soldiers and men of the police and paramilitary forces have rest on rotational basis.

Sources said besides the Union Home Secretary, Mr V.K. Duggal, the Chief of the IB, Mr E.S.L. Narsimhan, visited Jammu and Srinagar for reviewing the security situation.

While Mr Duggal interacted with senior government functionaries, including the Governor, Mr S.K.Sinha, and the Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mr Narsimhan, had detailed discussion with IB officials in Srinagar. He later flew to the Poonch Rajouri areas for an on-the-spot assessment of the security scenario.

Sources said the Governor and the Chief Minister conveyed to Mr Duggal the need for having additional security forces for providing efficient security grid for the Amarnath pilgrims.

SPO killed, 5 injured in grenade attack
Tribune News Service & UNI

Jammu, April 20
One Special Police Officer (SPO) was killed and five others were injured when terrorists burst a grenade at them in Bhaderwah town where Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is contesting the byelection for the Assembly seat.

Reports said that the terrorists attacked the policemen right in front of the police station in the heart of the town while they were patrolling.

The Deputy Commissioner of Doda district told The Tribune over the telephone that the area was being combed as the terrorists escaped from there after hurling the grenade.

One SPO died on the spot, while the condition of two others was serious, he said.

The DIG of the Doda-Udhampur Range and the SSP of Doda reached the spot.

A number of ministers and legislators, who are campaigning for Mr Azad, were camping in the town when the incident occurred.

Because of the VIP constituency, terrorists have started targeting the town and areas around.

Srinagar: A militant of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) holed up in a mosque in Anantnag district was killed by the security forces on Thursday afternoon, official sources said.

The sources said the security forces received information that some militants were hiding at Mattan in Anantnag district. However, when troops and the State Task Force (STF) of the Jammu and Kashmir police were sealing the area, militants attacked them with automatic weapons from the mosque.

The security forces immediately cordoned off the mosque and asked the holed-up militant to surrender, but he continued firing on them.

Chinks in PDP deepen
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 20
Differences within the PDP have further deepened with former Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir perceiving a threat to the life of Shoaib Lone, who is contesting byelection from the Sangrama constituency as an Independent candidate against the coalition candidate of the PDP.

Shoaib Lone, son of slain former minister and PDP leader Ghulam Nabi Lone, had been denied mandate by the party that fielded Javed Hussain Beigh, nephew of Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh.

Addressing a press conference here today, Ghulam Hassan Mir dared Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh to resign and seek a fresh mandate.

This was in response to Beigh’s latest remarks asking Mir to leave the party. “We belong to the real PDP,” Mr Mir accompanied by senior colleague and former minister Sarfaraz Khan said.

“I got him (Beigh) in the party,” Mir said. “I advise him to resign and then let us go to the people and seek a fresh mandate,” he added.

He blamed the party for the “wrong decision” of denying mandate to Shoaib Lone. “I challenged PDP for the wrong decision… there are also ideological differences,” he commented.

He said his party had decided to field Shoaib Lone from the Sangrama constituency in view of the “ground-level support, qualifications and capabilities”.

He lamented the “political feudalism” within the PDP that led to the decision of denying mandate to Shoaib.

Ever since the announcement of the candidature, Mir has been openly opposing the PDP leadership and has extended support to Shoaib Lone.

The National Conference has not fielded its candidate from the constituency. It has extended support to Shoaib Lone on “political and moral grounds”.

As regards threat to the life of Shoaib Lone, Mir blamed the Deputy Chief Minister of taking services of surrendered militants and “using them in elections”. He alleged that the anti-election posters displayed in parts of the three constituencies going to the bypoll next week, were because of the Deputy Chief Minister.

He added that these forces “feared defeat” in the elections and, therefore, made use of the name of militant organisations. He also blamed Beigh for involvement in various incidents of violence and attacks in these areas.

BSF Inspector commits suicide

Srinagar, April 20
An Inspector of the Border Security Force (BSF) committed suicide by hanging himself in his room inside a training centre near here, official sources said today.

Inspector Chander Paul, a resident of Bulandshaher in Uttar Pradesh, was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his room in the residential quarters at the Subsidiary Training Centre at Humhama, near Srinagar airport, last night, the sources said.

The motive behind the 40-year-old officer taking the extreme step was not known immediately, they said, but added he was reported to be tense over some family problem for the past few days.

The police has registered a case. — PTI