Jammu, October 27
The interlocutors appointed by the Centre today made it clear that there was no tailored solution to solve the vexed Kashmir problem even as the BJP announced to boycott meeting them.

Interacting with mediapersons just after landing in Jammu, head of three-member interlocutors team Dilip Padgaonkar made it clear that they would not land up on the doorsteps of the separatists and secessionists leaders if they were not interested in dialogue. “I know their (separatists) compulsions but Indian citizens also hold dignity,” Padgoankar said.

Two out of three members reached Jammu at 3.20 pm on a two-day visit to hold talks with a cross-section of people. Only Dilip

Padgaonkar and Radha Kumar reached Jammu, as third interlocutor MM Ansari had left for New Delhi earlier. Before the arrival of the interlocutors in the city, the BJP announced to boycott them in protest against Padgaonkar’s remarks on the role of Pakistan in the solution of the Kashmir problem.

On the outcome of their Kashmir visit, Padgaonkar, a senior journalist, observed that their first visit was fruitful. “Except for the separatists nobody boycotted our visit. We met teachers, students, intellectuals and people from a cross-section of society,” he said. He added that a large number of people turned up to meet them as a majority of the population of Kashmir wanted peace.

Padgaonkar made it clear that there was no immediate solution to the problem. “During our visit we received a number of proposals for the solution of the vexed problem,” he said and made it clear that the aspirations of all regions would be addressed while arriving at a solution of the problem.

He said their engagement in the state was to hold “frank” and “result-oriented” talks with different sections of society. “Our main objective is to make sure that every proposal is listened to.

Our mandate is to listen to a cross-section of people as the problem is lingering on since long,” Padgaonkar said, adding that “We have come here for to listen to the leaders of Jammu and Ladakh.”

The interlocutors also met some separatist leaders like Shabbir Shah, Asiya Andrabi and president of the Kashmir Bar Association Mian Abdul Qayoom in the Kot Bhalwal jail on the outskirts of Jammu city, official sources said.

Meanwhile, the state BJP said today that that it had decided to boycott the interlocutors. It took the decision keeping in view several “irritating statements” made by them, especially Dilip Padgaonkar, on Kashmir and Pakistan, state BJP president Shamsher Singh Manhas said at a press conference here today. The three interlocutors, appointed by the Central government, had aroused doubts about their credibility by making statements like “Kashmir is disputed, involvement of Pakistan in dialogue is necessary”, which hurt the sentiments of the nationalist forces, he said.

Srinagar: Earlier interacting with mediapersons in Srinagar before leaving for Jammu Padgaonkar said, “I think we have got some valuable insights… People discussed everything from law and order situation, suffering schoolchildren and lack of economic opportunities.” He said their final impression was that there was a “yearning for peace” adding that the people wanted a “dialogue based solution and they want a sincere dialogue”.

Jammu, October 27
With scant regards to the mutually brokered ceasefire, Pakistan troops within 48 hours of a similar misadventure resorted to heavy fire targeting at least seven Indian forward posts in Poonch district, 210 km north of Jammu.

Official sources said Pakistan troops this afternoon, around 3.35 pm, fired rockets and mortar shells at Indian posts in Krishna Ghati (KG) sector of Mendhar tehsil in the border district.

The Indian troops retaliated and the exchange of fire continued till 6.30 pm.

Though there was no injury or casualty to the Indian troops, two troopers of the Pakistani Army lost their lives in the retaliatory fire, added sources.

This was second time since Sunday that the Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire and targeted Indian posts, which the Army believed was a diversionary ploy to push armed ultras from across the LoC.

Sources said, Pak troops fired 30 rockets, 45 mortars and 2,000-3,000 of HMG and LMG rounds targeting Kranti, Kirpan, Gorha, Deep Complex, FDL 429, Nangi Tekri, and Sheru posts in the KG sector from their Battal, Yellow Bump, Pimple, Roza, Daku, Stadium and Dilli Bander posts.

They added, in the unwarranted act by Pakistan troops, two rockets also landed in Nambal and Ghani villages, close to the LoC. However, no loss of life or damage to the property was reported.

In the backdrop of today’s misadventure, the Army has increased its vigil on the LoC, particularly at the vulnerable stretches.

“Under the garb of such misadventures, Pakistan tries to divert our attention so as to push militants from other area or sector, but we are alert to their tactics,” said a senior Army officer.

It may be recalled here that on October 24, Pak troops had violated the ceasefire in the same KG sector in which one soldier lost his life.

SRINAGAR (PTI adds): In the second ceasefire violation, Pakistani troops fired towards Indian positions in Uri sector by resorting to unprovoked firing, an army spokesman said.

“Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing towards our positions in Uri sector this evening,” the spokesman said in Srinagar.

He said there were no casualties in the firing.

Jammu, October 27
How does it feel to lose the only male member and that, too, the head of the family? After he attained martyrdom fighting Pakistan raiders, life had never been the same again. That was really a very tough phase for us.

This is how septuagenarian Urvashi Pathania, eldest daughter of Brig Rajinder Singh, shared her memories with The Tribune correspondent this evening on the sidelines of a function organised here to commemorate the 63rd martyrdom of the ‘saviour of Kashmir’.

“We are proud of our father. He was a brave soldier, who obeyed the orders of Maharaja Hari Singh and saved Kashmir from Pakistan raiders,” said Urvashi, who at that time was just 17 years’ old and eldest among the five sisters.

“The news of his death came to us as a big shock because not only we had lost our father but also the only male member and head of the family,” she added.

As she tried to recollect memories, tears welled up in her eyes, but she continued. “After his death, our mother, Ram Dei, raised us and that too at a time when none was around and our financial condition was not sound.”

“I still remember the day. It was October 21 or 22, 1947. There was a pooja in the house because of the Navratra festival. My father was participating in the pooja when suddenly Maharaja Hari Singh called him up. After a brief talk over phone, my father left the pooja mid-way and left the house…never to return,” said Urvashi.

“Though we certainly derive a sense of pride because it was our father who saved Kashmir and that is why he is rightly called the ‘saviour of Kashmir’, but at the same time our family can never forget the hardships it had to undergo after his death,” she added.

“No doubt, we braved the pain and agony of losing our father and there is no denying the fact that time has also changed since then, but what haunts us all the time is that we could not get to see his body even,” said Urvashi.

Usha Parmar, younger sister of Urvashi, who also shared her thoughts saying in the political and military crisis at that time none came forward to help the family, whose head had sacrificed his life in the line of duty and saved Kashmir.

“It is a painful experience. Only we have seen how our mother single-handedly raised us after the death of our father,” she added.

It may be stated here that for exemplary courage Brig Rajinder Singh was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.

Jammu, October 27
Rich tributes were paid to Brig. Rajinder Singh by several social and political organisations here today on his death anniversary. He is also called the ‘Saviour of Kashmir’.

A function was organised under the leadership of the District Vice-President of the BJP, Karan Singh, in Panjtirthi.

BJP former state president and MLA of Jammu east Ashok Khajuria was the chief guest on the occasion. On the occasion, the portrait of Brig. Rajinder Singh was garlanded and floral tributes were paid to him.

Khajuria demanded that the great warrior be decorated with Param Veer Chakra posthumously. He said the state had been passing through turmoil for the past 20 years due to cross-border militancy, sponsored by Pakistan.

“This proxy war has consumed thousands of innocent civilians and security personnel. The lack of will to check militancy has demoralised the nationalist forces in the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, the National Secular Forum (NSF), Jammu University unit, organised a programme in the varsity and remembered the martyrdom of Brig. Rajinder Singh.

NSF activists chanted slogans and paid tributes to Brig Rajinder Singh by garlanding his portrait.

Prof Dhain Singh Bhua, Physical Director, Jammu University, was the chief guest, while Rakesh Chib, president of the Jammu University Research Scholars Executive Association, was the guest of honour. Vikas Sharma, state president of NSF, presided over the function.

Jammu, October 27
The Gandhi Nagar police today arrested a relative of the aggrieved family and three others, all from Amritsar in Punjab, for the daylight robbery at the house of a businessman at Last Morh in Gandhi Nagar here on October 21.

The police said two robbers brandishing knives, who looted some gold ornaments, three mobile phones and Rs 6,000 from the house of Ravi Gupta, had been arrested and put behind bars. Besides, two others, the mastermind of the robbery and a jeweller, who purchased the stolen jewellery, had also been arrested.

The accused were arrested following a clue that they belonged to Punjab, “as they talked to each other in Punjabi while committing the robbery,” said SP (South) Rajeshwar Singh. He added that the family told the police that they had a relative in Punjab and expressed doubt over his activities.

The SP said the complainant had said the accused were talking in Punjabi while committing the crime and the police had also issued their sketches. He added that a team under the supervision of SHO, Gandhi Nagar police station, Rafiq Manhas was constituted and sent to Amritsar to arrest the accused. The team got success and brought all accused here late last evening.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that Rajnish Kumar, a relative of the victim family and resident of Amritsar, was arrested. Rajnish confessed to his involvement in the crime and named his two other accomplices, the SP added.

Those arrested are Rajnish Kumar, Ravinder Sharma, Ravi Kumar and a jeweller, Jatinderpal Singh, all residents of Amritsar. Three mobile phones and some cash were recovered. However, the stolen jewellery was yet to be recovered.

Describing the modus operandi of the accused, the SHO said, “Rajnish Kumar, a relative of the victims, had hatched the robbery and with the help of two accomplices, who also belonged to Amritsar, committed the crime.”

He added, “On October 20, the trio came to the city and stayed at a private hotel here and the next morning Ravinder and Ravi Kumar came to the house of Ravi Gupta posing as employees of the Electricity Department and locked the son of Ravi Gupta in a room. They then committed the robbery.

The SHO said while committing the crime the accused talked to Rajnish over phone and this gave the victims a clue about the involvement of their relative. The aggrieved family also said they were not having good relations with Rajnish. “But we could never expect such an heinous activity from him,” said Ravi Gupta.

A case under Section 392 of RPC had already been registered at Gandhi Nagar police station in this regard.

Jammu, October 27
The Infantry units and personnel of the White Knight Corps at Nagrota and other military stations today celebrated Infantry Day here. Infantry Day is celebrated by the Indian Army to commemorate the air-landing of the 1st Battalion, the Sikh Regiment at Srinagar on October 27, 1948.

This, along with subsequent operations of the Indian Army, thwarted attempts of the advancing Pakistan-sponsored tribals from capturing Srinagar and taking over the Valley.

The occasion was marked by a wreath-laying at War Memorial of the formations under the White Knight Corps and other functions to remember the brave acts of the Infantry heroes.

Special Sainik sammelans were held for all infantry personnel and were followed by Barakhanas at the White Knight Corps camp and other military stations under the Corps. All ranks of other Arms and Services also participated with gusto in the functions to show solidarity with their Infantry comrades.

At the Tiger War Memorial here, serving and retired officers paid homage to the brave soldiers. The wreath-laying was conducted by highly decorated jawans, JCOs, serving and retired officers and General Officer Commanding Tiger Division, at Amar Jawan Jyoti.

Counter Insurgency Force (Romeo) and Counter Insurgency Force (Uniform) also paid homage to the gallant soldiers at their respective headquarters in Palma and Reasi.

Crossed Swords Division also celebrated the day at Akhnoor and other military stations. In a solemn ceremony, GOC Crossed Swords Division, paid homage to the martyrs by laying a wreath at the War Memorial.

Udhampur, October 27
In a gesture befitting the commemoration of Infantry Day, a bust of the legendary Dogra warrior, Gen Zorawar Singh, an icon in Infantry, was unveiled at Sharadhanjali Park, adjoining the transit hub in the Udhampur military station, here today.

As part of the celebrations, a solemn wreath-laying ceremony was organised at the Dhruva War Memorial at the HQ Northern Command. Chief of Staff, HQ Northern Command, Lt-Gen Jasbir Singh, the senior-most serving infantry officer present on the occasion, laid a wreath.

On the occasion, it was recalled with pride that the Infantry, the largest component and premier fighting arm of the Indian Army, is one of the most battle-hardened and combat-rich forces in the world. The gallant foot-soldiers have kept alive the rich traditions of valour and sacrifice inherited by them over the generations.

In his special message, Lt-Gen BS Jaswal, GOC-in-C Northern Command, felicitated all Infantrymen of the unit and commended their exemplary performance in combating terrorism as well as guarding our frontiers. Highlighting the significance of this day for the Northern Command, he said it was a reminder to the people of the country of the constant vigil maintained by its troops from the Siachen Glacier right down to the plains of Jammu.

As a result of sustained Infantry-oriented operations since January 1 this year, 216 terrorists had been killed while 39 had been apprehended and six surrendered. The Army suffered 43 fatal casualties while 81 soldiers were injured during the counter-insurgency operations.

A special Sainik sammelan and barakhana was also organised on the occasion at the military station.

Jammu, October 27
To celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the Union of India, the Panthers Party organised a function at the Mubrak Mandi complex here today which was a seat of power of the Dogra rulers for more than 100 years. The last Dogra ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, had singed the Instrument of Accession to accede the state to the Union of India.

A large number of distinguished citizens and leaders of several political parties participated in the celebrations. A resolution was passed unanimously during the function. In a resolution, the party declared that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and shall remain so. “This is the mandate of the Constitution of India and one billion people of the country,” the resolution reads and demanded legal action against all those who had been violating the law and its mandate.

It demanded the immediate dismissal of the Omar Abdullah government and appropriate legal action against his hate speech in Srinagar and Jammu. The unanimous resolution sought the reorganisation of the state on the basis of cultural, linguistic and geographical and historical basis by allowing the Civil Secretariat to function both at Jammu and Srinagar simultaneously.

Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh congratulated the nationalist political parties, people and social organisations for organising Accession Day celebrations and demanded “azadi” from a corrupt, inefficient and communal government of the National Conference and the Congress.

The other prominent leaders who addressed the function included Harsh Dev Singh, Balwant Singh Mankotia, Yashpaul Kundal, Faqir Nath, Randhir Singh, Dhan Raj Badgotra, Daljit Singh, Major Gen (retd) Goverdhan Singh, BB Kotwal, Anita Thakur, HC Jalmeria and others.

Jammu, October 27
The police has denied the rumoured recovery of an IED from the venue of the 63rd J&K Accession Day celebrations, being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party at Mubarak Mandi here.

In a press release issued by the JKNPP, it was mentioned that the city police today acted smartly and saved the lives of hundreds of people from a tragedy, after detecting a bomb, which was hidden under the stage where the leaders of the Panthers Party were sitting.

Those present during the celebrations included Prof. Bhim Singh, Harsh Dev Singh, Balwant Singh Mankotia, Goverdhan Singh, Dhan Raj Badgotra, Thakur Randhir Singh, Udey Chand and many others.

Chairman of the JKNPP Bhim Singh, in the press release, has also appreciated the police for their highly alert action.

But on the other hand, the police said it had not recovered any explosive substance from the spot. “The press release issued by the JKNPP is totally false with no facts in it,” said Randeep Kumar, SP City (North).

He added, “The police has not recovered anything like bomb or an IED from the venue of JKNPP’s programme.” The police said the JKNPP activists informed them about the recovery of some “explosive” substance lying near the stage, where they were holding a function.

Acting swiftly on the information, a team of cops reached the spot, but found nothing, the police added.

Jammu, October 27
The Rice Growers Association of RS Pura today claimed that the paddy growers of the Jammu region had lost their total crop in the recent hailstorm.

Addressing a press conference here today, president of the association Dev Choudhary sought the attention of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and demanded compensation for the farmers.

“Generally a farmer invests Rs 16,000 on paddy grown over one acre and expects to earn nearly Rs 35,000 from it,” Choudhary said. He added that nearly three lakh families were associated with paddy cultivation across Jammu province.

“Officials from agriculture and revenue departments should take the immediate stock of the losses incurred by farmers,” he said. He urged Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir that the affected farmers be given free seeds for the next crop.

Jammu, October 27
In what appears to be a big relief to an aggrieved family from Panipat in Haryana, which has been clamouring for justice for the past over 23 years, the Principal District Judge, Samba, Suresh Kumar Sharma, has attached a major expense head (number 2050-Sec General Service) of Chief Secretary SS Kapur to the tune of Rs 33,31,750.

The court has also expressed anger over the official apathy and inordinate delay on the part of the state government in giving compensation to the family.

In an unfortunate incident on March 30, 1986, a family from Model Town in Panipat had visited the Mansar Lake near Samba. On the fateful day, Umesh Chawla, husband of Vinny Chawla and father of Abhinav Chawla, drowned after their boat capsized in the lake.

Though the grief-stricken family, which lost its sole bread winner in the tragic incident, filed a suit for damages in the court on July 14, 1986, the matter remained pending before various courts.

Ultimately, the state was held liable for negligence and the suit was decreed on October 20, 2009, with a direction to the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh with costs and interest to the aggrieved family.

However, as per the statement submitted by the decree holder, Vinny Chawla, and which was not disputed by public prosecutor Sukh Dev Singh, compensation amounted to Rs 33,31,750 till June 4, 2010. Vinny and her son Abhinav had filed the present execution on October 1, 2009.

The court of Principal District Judge in its judgement also observed that despite affording numerous opportunities the state represented by the public prosecutor failed to make payment.

The public prosecutor had sought opportunities to file the objections, including the last and final opportunity, and the same were afforded in the interest of justice.

“But neither the objections have been filed nor the payment has been made so far. As such, the right to file objections is hereby closed,” the court observed in its judgement.

“Had compensation been provided to them (Chawlas) at the appropriate stage when they required it the most, the things might have been different for them in giving them a bit of solace to withstand hard times,” it observed.

However, it took more than 23 years to seek compensation, which was finally awarded on March 20, 2009.

Unfortunately, the family still had to undergo excruciating wait to get the compensation just because the state appeared to have been in deep slumber. They (government) neither filed objections despite numerous opportunities nor bothered to pay compensation to the unfortunate victims.

“So, this court is left with no other option but to enforce the decree by resorting to the extreme step of attaching the major head of the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir state,” observed the court.

Srinagar, October 27
At least eight persons, including three policemen, were injured in the clashes in Bandipore town, while the curfew was imposed on Srinagar and other major towns of the Kashmir valley to prevent the separatist Hurriyat’s march to the UN office here today.

The authorities imposed curfew restrictions on Srinagar city, apart from major towns of the Valley, to prevent any protest demonstrations and march by the moderate APHC faction to the UN office here this morning.

Restrictions were imposed on Pulwama town and the Kakapora areas of Pulwama district. In Baramulla, restrictions were imposed on Baramulla town, Sopore Pattan, Delina, Palhalan, Tangmarg and Kunzer areas. The restrictions also remained enforced in Kralpora, Trehgam, and Kupwara town areas of Kupwara and in Handwara, Kulangam and Chotipora areas of Handwara.

These restrictions were relaxed after 5 pm in Srinagar city and after 3 pm in Handwara areas of Kupwara district, the police said.

Trouble erupted for the third consecutive day today in Bandipore district of north Kashmir, where eight persons, including five civilians and three policemen, were injured in the clashes.

Protesters resorted to stone-throwing on security forces in which three policemen were injured this morning. In the retaliatory action by the police, five civilians were injured, one of them seriously, who was later shifted to the hospital here.

Meanwhile, a man received head injuries when his Scorpio vehicle was intercepted by protesters indulging in stone-throwing at Nowhatta here last evening. The vehicle was also damaged and the driver had to be admitted to the SKIMS Hospital.