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Fake Killings
Mughal Road: SC nod denudes forest cover |
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7 youths die in road mishaps
Gujjars have started migrating early to the plains in Jammu from the upper reaches. — Tribune photo by Anand Sharma
Sanjay Dutt on way to Vaishno Devi shrine
Musk deer rescued from poacher
2 held, Rs 3 lakh
meant for militants seized
Tyre burst creates panic among Armymen
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Admn accused of delaying investigation
Shariq Majeed Tribune News Service
Rajouri, September 2 Muhammad Farooq, brother of Muhammad Yousuf, who along with two others was allegedly killed by troops of 18 Dogra Regiment in a fake encounter and buried in a pit near the Army camp in the Peer Badeswar area, has alleged that the body of the deceased was exhumed four months after they had requested the then DC Pervez Ahmed Malik to start an inquiry in March 2007. “After my brother’s body was exhumed in June, 2007, it took the district administration one and half months to send the DNA and other samples to the central testing laboratory in Kolkata. The laboratory sent back the team that had gone with the samples saying its prescribed methodology was not adopted by the district administration in the collection of samples”, Farooq alleged. “I heard that the laboratory authorities had also asked the police team to get the blood samples of members of our family to ascertain the identity of my brother. The blood samples were to be collected in the presence of a magistrate and to be packed along with the remains of my deceased brother, but none of the procedures were followed. This clearly indicates that the district administration is trying to save the culprits”. He further alleged that blood samples were to be collected during day time, but were collected in the night hours. DC, Rajouri, Sheikh Rafiq told The Tribune that most of the allegations are unfounded and far from the truth. “In no way are we delaying the investigations, and why should the district administration be trying to save the accused Armymen? We don’t mind recommending the severest action for the accused, if their involvement is proved,” the DC said. In response to the allegation of the family members regarding blood samples being collected and packed with the remains of the victim’s body in the absence of a magistrate and the collection being carried out in the evening hours, he said if there was some discrepancy in the blood sample collection, these could be collected again.
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Mughal Road: SC nod denudes forest cover
Jammu, September 2 The road is being constructed through the forest at an estimated cost of Rs 255 crore to directly link Kashmir with the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. A large number of full-grown trees were being felled to make way for the 84-km-long road that will dissect a few wildlife sanctuaries en route. Besides deodar, a wide varieties of trees, like the oak, are also being felled. Trees that were not marked for felling have fallen due to the indiscriminate blasting of hard rocks coming in the way of the road alignment. This man-nature conflict has resulted in a few incidents where leopards and bears strayed into Poonch and Rajouri villages as their habitat was being disturbed. Sources said a large number of deodars had been axed in the Shopian belt where the road would enter the Kashmir valley, several other species were being felled in the 44-km stretch between Bafliaz and Peer-ki-Gali. The Supreme Court had earlier stayed the construction of the road when an NGO filed a PIL claiming that not only the green cover, but also the wildlife would suffer due to its construction. The court recently gave a green light for constructing the road, but with a few riders. However, reports indicate that the engineers were felling the trees by ignoring conditions laid down by the apex court. A top Forest Department officer said at few places absolutely no corridor had been spared for the wildlife as the Mughal road was cutting across the heart of these sanctuaries. The state Cabinet has granted the contract to Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) for building the road between Bafliaz (Poonch) and Shopian (Pulwama) at a cost of Rs 214.4-crore. Construction of this road has been included in the Prime Minister’s reconstruction plan for the state. The state and the Centre will equally share its cost. Work on the road was initiated in 1979, but was held up because of objections raised by a few environmentalists and the defence ministry. The Army objected on the ground that Pakistani terrorists would use it to reach the valley and other places after infiltrating into the Indian territory. PWD minister Gulchain Singh Charak, who recently toured the sites, said a 30-km road from the Bafliaz side and 28 km from the Shopian side with an expenditure of Rs 93 crore had so far been laid.
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7 youths die in road mishaps
Udhampur, September 2 Three youths working with a private bank died on the spot when Indica car they were travelling in skidded and fell into a gorge near Chenani, 25 km from Udhampur, on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. Two other passengers of the vehicle received severe injuries. The deceased have been identified as Niranjan Singh(26), Anil Kumar (25 ) and Rohit Sharma (28), while the injured as Vinod Sharma and Vineet Mahajan. The injured and deceased were residents of Jammu and on way to Patnitop. According to the police, the youth driving the car lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a blind turn at Thronthal near Chenani. As the car rolled into a nullah, three persons died on the spot. In another accident, a Tata Mobile vehicle carrying three officials of a construction company skidded near Sheran village in Gandoh tehsil of Bhaderwah. The vehicle fell into a 600-foot-deep gorge resulting in the death of all three persons in the vehicle. The deceased were identified as Sachin of Mumbai, Vinod Kumar of Nowshera of Rajouri and Khalid Hussain of Kishtwar. SPO Arvind Kumar was killed when his bike was hit by a vehicle near Bhaderwah. The mishap occurred at Saigawara village when he was returning home.
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‘Early tribal migration due to Ramzan’
Jammu, September 2 Normally, they start their seasonal migration towards Poonch, Rajouri , Kathua, Doda, Jammu and other areas in and around last week of September every year, but keeping in view the holy month of Ramzan, these nomadic tribes have pre-poned their backward journey by a month, said Javed Rahi, secretary, Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, an organisation working for tribal affairs of the state since 1998. Rahi said the nomadic tribes had pre-poned their seasonal migration because as per the Hijra (Islamic) calander, the holy month of Ramzan falls in the month of September after every 36 years and as per folklore of the Gujjar and Bakerwal tribes they preferred to celebrate Eid in warmer areas. The nomadic tribes will face the brunt of heat and a shortage of fodder in the plains but, at the same time they prefer to observe Ramzan and celebrate Eid in the winter zone. However, they will have to take special care of their livestock in the warm weather. The other tribes of Hindus and Buddhists that include Gaddi, Sippi, Changpa and Brockpa will start their seasonal migration in time, during the last week of September, as per the past
practice.
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Sanjay Dutt on way to Vaishno Devi shrine
Katra, September 2 Dutt, convicted by the special TADA court in the Mumbai bomb blasts case for keeping illegal arms and sentenced to six years, got interim bail on August 22. He has
been released from the Pune jail. After release, Dutt has been visiting various shrines all over the country to seek blessings of the Almighty. Some days back, he visited the Sidhi Vinayak temple. Interacting with reporters, Dutt said he was going to the darbar of Ma Vaishno Devi to seek blessings. He repeatedly urged reporters not to follow him and allow him to perform his
yatra. Instead of replying to questions of reporters, he chanted “Jai Mata di”. From
Saturday, mediapersons and Dutt's fans were waiting for his visit to the
shrine. About the 36-hour hide and seek drama ended this evening when Dutt landed at the Jammu airport at 3.30 pm. |
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Musk deer rescued from poacher
Rajouri, September 2 Giving details, divisional forest officer (DFO), Poonch, Brij Mohan Sharma, said department officials on a specific tip-off raided a house at Kalar Kattal village and rescued the deer. He said the poacher had inflicted severe injury on the hind limb with a sharp-edged weapon. “We have taken cognizance of the matter and are in the process of launching a preliminary investigation into the matter,” Sharma said. “My team is on the spot and we will lodge an FIR by tomorrow after it returns”. He further said the rescued deer was being treated and had been housed in a temporarily raised rescue centre at the Poonch forest campus. Meanwhile, the department has also rescued a hog deer (fawn) from Poonch district. |
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2 held, Rs 3 lakh
meant for militants seized
Udhampur, September 2 Ruppees three lakh was also recovered from the arrested persons. The arrested OGWs were identified as Nazir Ahmed son of Bashir Ahmed of Paneja Bhaderwah and Mukthiar Ahmed son of Mohammed Amin of Nalthi, Bhaderwah. According to the police, on a tip-off two suspects who were carrying two bags with them were nabbed. Rupees three lakh was found from their possession. According to the police this money was dispatched from Kashmir to distribute it among some self-styled commanders of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). Arrested duo were members of a hawala gang active in the state to provide financial aid to militant outfits active in different areas of J&K.
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Tyre burst creates panic among Armymen
Srinagar, September 2 The police said a tyre of a Sumo vehicle, in which the division officer of Mirgund was escorting education minister Peerzada Mohammed Syed, burst when the minister was on his way from Srinagar to Sopore. Overzealous Armymen, whose convoy was also passing through, but not attached with the minister, started firing thinking militants were firing at them. However, north Kashmir Range DIG B. Srinivas said nobody was hurt in the incident which happened near Sangrama. The flabbergasted minister later went ahead and attended the scheduled
programmes in Baramula. |
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Armed with a “go- ahead” order from the Supreme Court, the state government has deployed a large manpower and machines for
constructing the much-politicised Mughal Road between Poonch and the Kashmir valley that has denuded the so far untouched thick forest cover and wildlife sanctuaries.
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