J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Close down unlicensed chemist shops, HC tells govt
Srinagar, April 24
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the state government to close down private hospitals, nursing homes and chemist shops operating without proper registration and licence.

Police skeptical about youths returning from Pakistan
Jammu, April 24
The police authorities are in a fix over the issue of granting the Kashmiri youths who had ‘‘returned’’ from Pakistan and had surrendered to the troops the permission to walk free.

Doctor gets 5-year jail term for forgery
Srinagar, April 24
The Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Kashmir, today sentenced a doctor to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 4.15 lakh for forging his date of birth certificate and drawing excess salary to the tune of Rs 3.55 lakh from the state exchequer.

2 killed, 12 hurt in valley
Srinagar, April 24
Two persons including one militant, were killed and 12 others injured in separate incidents in Kashmir valley today, while the police and security forces smashed two hideouts and recovered of arms and ammunition in Baramula and Kupwara districts.

Close down unlicensed chemist shops, HC tells govt

Srinagar, April 24
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the state government to close down private hospitals, nursing homes and chemist shops operating without proper registration and licence.

The court also directed the authorities to fill 200 vacancies of doctors in the Health Department.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Bashir Ahmad Khan and Mr Justice Nirmal Singh gave the direction on a public interest litigation (PIL).

We feel concerned at the growing number of unregistered and unlicensed druggists and chemists in the state, the court said.

Controller Drugs is, accordingly, directed to take immediate steps to seal all unregistered and unlicensed druggists and chemists’ shops, establishments and complete the operation within six weeks, the court added.

The court further said it was disturbed at the alarming reports of alleged volume of spurious drugs trade in the state and also lack of requisite machinery to check the menace. The court directed the government through its Chief Secretary to constitute a committee of experts to be headed by Principal Secretary to Government, Health and Medical Education Department again, to suggest ways and means to deal with the spurious drugs trade.

This committee should be constituted within three weeks from the date of receipt of the order by the authority concerned, the court added.

The court directed the state government, to constitute a committee to be headed by Principal Secretary of the Health and Medical Education Department to evolve and formulate suitable criteria for the registration of private hospitals, nursing homes and clinical establishments and laboratories. — UNI

Police skeptical about youths
returning from Pakistan
Our Correspondent

Jammu, April 24
The police authorities are in a fix over the issue of granting the Kashmiri youths who had ‘‘returned’’ from Pakistan and had surrendered to the troops the permission to walk free.

Official sources said during the past one week as many as 30 Kashmiri youths, who had been camping in Muzaffarabad and its adjoining areas for the past several years, had returned to the valley from the Uri sector. Soon after crossing the border they had surrendered before the troops guarding the border. And immediately after their surrender the Army had handed them over to the police which allowed them to go free. ‘‘Since these youths had been shown to have surrendered we cannot detain them,” said a senior police officer.

As the police was apprehensive of the strategy adopted by the troops in encouraging these boys to return, the matter was taken up with senior Army authorities by none other than the Inspector General Police, Kashmir Range, Mr K. Rajendra.

Official sources said Mr Rajendra conveyed his fears on the plea that the return of the Kashmiri youths could be a ploy used by the Pakistani agencies to strengthen the manpower in the militant outfits. Since most of these youths had received arms training in camps across the border their return could help the rebels in escalating violence.

For the time being the Army authorities have brushed aside the objections raised by the police on the ground that it was better if more and more youths laid down their weapons.

According to sources as many as 4,000 Kashmiri youths had conveyed to the Kashmir Government their willingness to return and join the mainstream. The issue was raised by members of almost all parties in the Assembly during the budget session held recently. The Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, had announced that he would take up the matter with the Government of India.

The PDP leadership has been in the forefront of those campaigning for granting permission to these youths to returning to Kashmir. But the police was of the view that even if permission was granted to them they needed to be screened thoroughly and should be subjected to sustained questioning at the joint interrogation centre.

According to the police, the troops guarding the border lay emphasis on immediate gains but forget that permission being granted by the Pakistani forces to the youths to return to Kashmir could prove counter productive in the long run.

Doctor gets 5-year jail term for forgery
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 24
The Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Kashmir, today sentenced a doctor to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 4.15 lakh for forging his date of birth certificate and drawing excess salary to the tune of Rs 3.55 lakh from the state exchequer.

A spokesman for the State Vigilance Organisation said the accused, Dr Ghulam Hassan Mir, a former Medical Officer (Unani), had forged his date of birth from 1938 to 1946 and drawn an excess amount of Rs 3,55,106 by way of salary. He added that in case of default in the payment of the fine, the accused would have to undergo rigorous imprisonment for further period of one year.

The accused is further sentenced to three years and fine of Rs 10,000. In case of default, he shall have to undergo further rigorous imprisonment of one month.

For the offence of fraudulent act, the accused has been sentenced to two years and a fine of Rs 5,000.

In default of the payment of the fine he shall have to undergo further rigorous imprisonment of 15 days. All these sentences shall run concurrently, the spokesman added.

2 killed, 12 hurt in valley
Tribune News Service

Women mourn the death of Abdul Aziz who was killed in a grenade blast at Khanyar on Monday. — Reuters photo

Srinagar, April 24
Two persons including one militant, were killed and 12 others injured in separate incidents in Kashmir valley today, while the police and security forces smashed two hideouts and recovered of arms and ammunition in Baramula and Kupwara districts.

Unidentified militants hurled a grenade towards a vehicle of the security forces at Khanyar here this afternoon in which one pedestrian was killed and 10 others, including six security personnel were injured. The vehicle was damaged in the explosion that took place at 2 p.m., the police here said. The pedestrian, who died on the spot, was identified as Abdul Aziz Bhat of the same area.

An unidentified militant was killed and two security personnel were injured in an encounter at Arin, Bandipore in Baramula district today. Till last reports came in, the operation was going on, a Defence spokesman said here.

Security forces recovered 18 RPG rods, 15 UBGL grenades, six hand grenades, four mines, two radio sets, two mortar rods and four AK magazines in Duniwar forest area of Baramula district.

A party of the police and security forces recovered and IED weighing 10 kg from a house in Tutigund village of Kupwara district.