Srinagar, September 4
After losing its unarmed jawans to militants, the CRPF has categorically told the state police that its men requisitioned by the police for law and order problems would not carry out static duties, which is a violation of the standard operating procedure (SOP) as well.

A senior CRPF official told The Tribune the decision was conveyed to police officials present in a top-level meeting attended by security agencies in the wake of the killing of two CRPF jawans on August 31. Both jawans were on static duties outside an ATM.

He said the state police had made it a practice to deploy CRPF personnel requisitioned to deal with volatile situations like protests on standing duty on roads and in market places, a job meant for the police. “Since these jawans were meant for law and order duties, most of them would carry only batons and only a small component would be armed. By deploying them on static duties, the police violated the SOP,” he said.

The top CRPF brass has told the police that their men requisitioned for a “specific purpose” should be called out for a “specific job” only.

The effect of the decision is already visible in Srinagar and the sight of baton-carrying CRPF jawans has disappeared.

Though the SOP also makes it clear that long-term deployment of the CRPF would not be for law and order duties the peculiar condition of Kashmir, where protests are common which had seen a renewed vigour this year before the police clamped down on separatists, meant the paramilitary force often did what it was not supposed to. And the deployment of their unarmed jawans on static duties in crowded and often hostile areas was almost an invitation to militant attacks.

The CRPF is also responsible for keeping the highway safe, called ROP (road opening parties) duty in official parlance, but these jawans are armed and deployed strategically.

Udhampur, September 4
The security forces shot dead a dreaded self-styled commander of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in the forest area of Mahore tehsil of Reasi district today. The security forces tracked down the terrorist, who was being chased after he was spotted in the forest area, after a six-day search.

The slain militant identified as Abu Jindal, alias Mohammad Aboias, codenamed Zuman, was a Pakistan national and was active in this belt for the past six years. A large quantity of arms and ammunition were also seized from his hideout.

According to the police, the security forces with the local police had launched a combing operation in the Bathoi forest area of Mahore six days ago.

Though two of his accomplishes were eliminated by the security forces three days ago, the dreaded militant repeatedly gave the security forces a slip taking advantage of the topography of the area.

This morning, when the security personnel searched Bathoi Nullah, where he was hiding, he started firing indiscriminately. An encounter ensued and he was killed after an hour-long gun battle.

Unconfirmed sources said two militants, who were accompanying Abu Zindal, managed to escape from the encounter site. The killing of Abu Zindal is being considered a big success as he had mastermind terrorist activities in Mahore and adjoining localities. Zindal was involved in more than 20 militancy-related incidents in this belt.

Before joining the LeT, Zindal was the commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen. He was one of the longest surviving militants in the Mahore belt.

According to the police, around 20 militants, including some foreigners, were still active in Mahore, especially in the Gulabgarh area bordering south Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the Kishtwar police this evening arrested a militant of the Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) from the bus stand. The militant has been identified as Akther Hussain of Patimall of Kishtwar.

Udhampur, September 4
An engineer and three students were washed away in the Chenab in Ramban district in two incidents today. The body of the engineer has been recovered, while efforts were on to trace the bodies of the students.

Engineer Akshay Gupta of Gandhi Nagar, Jammu, was inspecting gate number 12 of the Baglihar hydroelectric project at Chanderkot. During the examination, he fell into the Chenab due to a big splash from the currents of the water. Within seconds, he was washed away in the strong water currents of the river. His body was later recovered.

In another tragic incident, three students of Government Middle School, Maitra, were drowned in the Chenab. The students were taking a bath in the river when strong currents of water washed them away.

The dead students have been identified as Mohammad Ashraf, son of Mohammad Yusuf, Tanveer, son of Abdul Majeed, and Mohammad Ashiq, son of Abdul Hamid.

Jammu, September 4
The police has arrested the co-accused in the Shastri Nagar shooting incident of August 29, which led to the killing of a former MLC’s son here.

Official sources said Royal Singh of Mohalla Dalpatian was nabbed by a special police team from neighbouring state Punjab. A senior police officer told The Tribune that Royal Singh was nabbed from a suspected hideout in Punjab. However, he refused to divulge details.

“I will confirm his arrest only after he is brought here by the special team,” he said and hinted that the co-accused was expected to reach Jammu this evening.

The main accused in the incident, Jatinder Singh, alias Raja, was arrested on the day of the incident on August 29 from the Sainik Colony area.

The weapon of offence, a country made pistol, a Swift car and a motorcycle used in committing the crime had already been seized.

It may be recalled here that Jatinder Singh, son of Choudhary Nagar Singh, a resident of 33 A/D Gandhi Nagar, had allegedly shot 25-year-old Amandeep Singh, son of former MLC Deepinder Kour, outside the latter’s residence in Shastri Nagar on August 29.

The victim died at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi the next day.

Amandeep Singh was allegedly involved in a shooting incident in Jammu University in March this year.

Jammu, September 4
Panic gripped the railway station area here today when a waiter of a hotel allegedly attacked three persons, including a constable, with a machete.

Official sources said trouble started when an Amritsar-bound passenger Harvinder Singh and Pawan Kumar (26), waiter, from Akhnoor entered into a verbal duel over food served to the former.

As tempers ran high, Pawan attacked Harvinder with a machete, who sustained injury on his right shoulder, sources said, adding dumbstruck by the scene other people in and around the hotel - Annapurna - ran helter-skelter to save their lives.

However, Asgar Ali, constable, who was on patrol duty, tried to rescue Harvinder but the waiter also attacked him causing a deep stab injury on his chest.

Sources said an auto-rickshaw driver Suresh Kumar of Gandhi Nagar, who tried to save Asgar and Harvinder had to bear the wrath of the waiter. Pawan also attacked him with the machete.

Sources said a police party led by SHO YP Jamwal, which immediately rushed to the spot along with few locals in the vicinity, overpowered the assailant.

Later, the assailant and seriously injured cop, besides two others, were shifted to the Government Medical College here. A case under Section 307 RPC has been registered against the accused and the weapon of offence also been seized.

Jammu, September 4
The state government has asked the Crime Branch to probe alleged encroachment and fire incident in the Karnaila Chak area of Belicharana on May 9.

SSP, Crime, JP Singh said the Crime Branch had initiated an inquiry into incident in which 48 makeshift hutments of Gujjars were gutted on May 9.

Official sources said the government had ordered IGP, Crime, SM Sahai to get the inquiry conducted into the role of Jameel Choudhary of Belicharana for conspiring to encroach the forest land through Gujjar families and Vijay Kumar with his accomplices, who had claimed ownership rights over the land situated in Khasra number 56-Min.

Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kotwal had also conducted an inquiry into the matter and pointed out role of some local land grabbers and anti-social elements to be probed further.

Mohali, September 4
Students in Jammu and Kashmir, who have opted for optional Punjabi subject, will be taught the subject as per the syllabus adopted in Punjab schools.

Starting from class V to the senior secondary level, the students studying in schools affiliated with the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education are being given textbooks printed by the Punjab School Education Board. In a communiqué to the Punjab Education Secretary, the Jammu and Kashmir education authorities have sought Punjab’s help in providing textbooks to its students, who have opted for the optional Punjabi language.

The state government has forwarded the request to the Punjab education board for necessary action. Confirming the development, Dr Dalbir Singh Dhillon, chairman of the Punjab School Education Board, said the board had wilfully agreed to provide the textbooks at 20 per cent discount. It was a gesture toward the neighbouring state, as it was the matter of the promotion of Punjabi language.

The textbooks would be dispatched through the Pathankot depot. “At this stage, we have not been told about the exact requirement. But we will be able to fulfil the need of the Jammu and Kashmir board,” Dhillon said.

The Punjab board has been in a controversy over the publication of “inferior quality” textbooks for the Sarv Sikhya Abhiyan (SSA) authorities. The SSA authorities had alleged that the textbooks of low quality had been supplied.

However, the Punjab Chief Minister prevailed upon the board and it had again been given the order of publishing the textbooks for the SSA, besides publishing books for its students. “The matter has been politicised. At last, the truth has prevailed,” said the board chairman.

As per earlier security guidelines, the telecom companies had to keep its towers at least 10 km from the border. — TNS

Srinagar, September 4
Impressing upon the government to take steps to save the burgeoning industry based on gypsum, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has urged it not to stop the mining of gypsum in the Uri sector.

According to Dr Mubeen Shah, president of the KCCI, the Geology and Mining Department had leased out 12 operational mines. “There are still huge deposits of gypsum that can be leased out.”

He said in every gypsum mine about 100 to 150 labourers were working and 150 trucks were involved in transporting the mineral. “All plaster of Paris manufacturing units in the Kashmir region are fed by these mines and gypsum is an important ingredient for the manufacturing of cement,” he said.

“It is important that the state government takes effective steps to ensure that these mines are not stopped from extracting gypsum. If extraction is stopped, all plaster of Paris manufacturing units will face problems and even our cement industry, the largest industry in Kashmir, will become sick,” said Mubeen.

He said the state government had given 156 sq km to the Wildlife Department in the Uri sector in exchange of one sq km on the Mughal Road for the development of a national park for the preservation of wild animal, Markhor.

The KCCI apprehended that the development of the national park would lead to the closure of these mines.

Jammu, September 4
Concerned over the misuse of agricultural land for the commercial and residential purposes, the state government has formed a committee to formulate a plan to save the agricultural land.

“It is unfortunate that the state is fast losing the agricultural land as people are using it for construction purposes,” Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir said. The government is also planning to come out with legislation to prevent the sale and use of the agricultural land for commercial and residential purposes.

Mir said the land under agricultural cultivation had also been reduced as a large number of farmers were shifting towards growing fruits. “Farmers are converting their farmland to orchards. This has given a boost to the state economy and the state has become one of the largest fruit producer in the country,” Mir said.

He said with the conversion of farmland into orchards the state had to import foodgrains from other states. However, the boost in the economy has increased the purchasing power of the people associated with the fruit trade.

When asked to comment on the damage to the state agriculture sector following the dry spell in the country, Mir said that the state has suffered losses of around 50 percent due to the drought like situation, “At some places the damage is 50 percent and at some the damage is less than 50 percent” he said

Mir said the state had been hit by the present drought-like situation. He said relief under the national calamity relief fund would be given to the farmers who had suffered more than 50 per cent losses.

Jammu, September 4
The condition of some 50 houses of Evacuee Property Tenants (EPT) has deteriorated due to recent rain. Twenty out of these are in a dilapidated state. The EPT Welfare Society blames officials of the Custodian Department for neither repairing these houses themselves nor letting the tenants do so.

The department had assured them that it had asked for financial assistance from the state government to repair these houses. Some of these houses were built even before year 1947 and are in a very bad state.

The rain has further worsened their condition. The tenants of these houses alleged that whenever they approached the Custodian Department for seeking permission for carrying out repair work, the officials asked them to give an affidavit agreeing to pay the revised rent.

Krishan Lal Gupta, chairman of the society, said, “Many evacuee properties have collapsed in recent rain, some have developed leaking roofs and others are in a dilapidated condition. It has become dangerous to live in these houses. 

The department spends only up to Rs 10,000 on repair work in our houses, whereas it spends lakhs on the houses of bureaucrats, MLAs and ministers.” He also complained that despite assurances from Bashir Ahmad Khan, new Custodian General Evacuee Property, during a visit to Jammu that the EP tenants would no longer face harassment, the department officials were still harassing them.

However, Abdul Wani, custodian, said, “The Custodian Department is an autonomous body, which is permitted to spend up to 33 per cent of its income. And the limit of Rs 10,000 for repair work, which was set in the Custodian Act as per the living cost of 1950s, is too little in today’s times.

I have written to the government to provide us funds to repair these 20 houses, the list of which was provided to us by the society. I am hopeful the repair work will be done this monsoon only.”

Wani said he had offered the tenants to vacate the decrepit houses for the time being so that the department could carry out the repair work, but people were not ready for it.