Nagrota, May 5
Close on the heels of Osama bin Laden’s killing vis-à-vis its possible repercussions in the state and intelligence inputs of a spurt in infiltration bids this summer, Lt-Gen KT Parnaik, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, said today that the Army was fully prepared to meet the situation with full might.

“In the past few months, violence parameters in the state have been down. We have managed the situation very well. Infiltration has not started till recently. But there are indications that infiltration is likely to commence as snow levels have come down. We are intercepting messages about the attempts to infiltrate from the traditional routes,” Lt-Gen Parnaik told mediapersons on the sidelines of a conference on disaster management here today.

On the possible repercussions of Osama’s killing in the sate, he said he did not see any immediate reaction in the state as such. “What has happened actually is that the Americans have achieved their target, which they had set after 9/11. It is a global matter, not concerning India and Pakistan only,” he said.

“For whatever has happened, Pakistan is under considerable pressure, as after all Osama was killed in Pakistan and that raises a lot of questions. So, let us wait and see. As far as we are concerned, we are fully prepared to meet any situation,” Lt-Gen Parnaik said.

Asked whether the Army should also go for surgical operations across the LoC, including covert operations against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and Kandhar hijacking mastermind Masood Azhar the way the US forces did in Abbottabad, the GOC-in-C said it was not fair to draw parallels. “We should not draw parallels between what the Americans are doing and what we are doing, as we are in totally different circumstances,” he said.

Moreover, these were actions required to be taken at the national level. The Army was an instrument of the state and as and when the state decides to take such actions, the Army would play its role, he added.

On the active involvement of the present regime in Pakistan to foment trouble in the state, Lt-Gen Parnaik said Pakistan had always calibrated infiltrations and violence in the state. They were capable of calibrating violence and had reasons to put it down and increase it. Capability and infrastructure to foment trouble in Jammu and Kashmir lied with Pakistan, he added.

On the Udhampur car-bomb explosion, the Army commander said security had been beefed up in the garrison town. “Yes, we are worried over the blast near the Northern Command Headquarters.

It is something that has not happened in Udhampur and in areas south of the Pir Panjal range for a long time. But we are aware that because of their (ultras) flagging morale, they will attempt such things. We have taken enough precautions,” he added.

Jammu, May 5
Policemen in mufti beat up a mentally challenged youth at Nai Basti Morh near the auto-rikshaw stand here this evening. Instead of helping him to a hospital or uniting him with his family, a group of five to six policemen in civvies thrashed the youth, who was apparently stranded in the area.

An eyewitness said the incident took place around 5 pm when the mentally disturbed youth arrived near the auto-rickshaw stand and started fiddling with the motorcycle of a policeman standing nearby. The group of policemen, without inquiring anything from the youth, started beating him in full public view.

The motorcycle of the policeman was supposedly bearing a chassis registration number CH 2507 with word khauf (sic) denoting terror in red colour on the number plate. While the police was thrashing the youth, the Tribune team incidentally reached the spot and took photographs of the policemen in action. In a jiffy, the cops bundled the youth into an auto-rickshaw and drove him to Gandhi Nagar police station.

Asked about the matter, the policemen said, “He attacked us with a stone. We are policemen and he is being taken to Gandhi Nagar police station”. The frightened youth, however, did not say anything. Curiously enough, neither a case was registered against the youth nor was he admitted to hospital. He was set free and was again spotted roaming in the locality after half an hour.

However, the passersby raised serious concern over the police highhandedness. “The youth was not violent. As a matter of duty, they should have taken him to police station and, if necessary, registered a relevant case against him,” they said.

The passersby added, “The incident reflects some policemen consider themselves above law”. A little later, some of the same policemen stopped a teenager, who was riding a motorcycle. While they “intimidated” the erring teenager, an overenthusiastic policeman slapped his 12-year-old friend publicly.

Thereafter, a patrol party came and the teenager was pushed into the police vehicle. SSP, Jammu, Basant Rath said he would look into the matter.

Jammu, May 5
Following a clash between the supporters of two candidates for the post of sarpanch and allegations of bogus polling by rival groups, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has announced re-polling in six polling booths of Behrot panchayat of Rajouri district. According to an official handout issued by the CEO, the decision to hold re-polling in six polling stations was taken this evening after written complains from one of the candidates. After getting information about today’s incident, the CEO announced re-polling in six polling stations.

Although no date had been officially announced for re-polling, sources said it was likely to be held on May 12. 

Jammu, May 5
Legislators of the BJP, who were suspended on the charge of violating the party’s whip in the recent Legislative Council elections and voted in favour of the candidates of the Congress and the NC, have accused the party high command of shielding the “real culprit”, who was responsible for the cross-voting episode.

Before replying to the show-cause notices served on them by the Central Disciplinary Committee of the BJP, two suspended MLAs, Baldev Sharma and Lal Chand, said the party did not take notice of their open offer for a narco test or brain mapping of all 11 MLAs, including the four MLAs who were given clean chit by the party leadership without establishing their dubious role in the cross-voting episode. The BJP high command suspended seven MLAs and gave clean chit to the remaining four.

“People of the region, so do we, fail to understand on what basis the party leadership decided as to who voted against the party candidate when it was a secret ballot and there was no question of showing the choice,” asked Baldev Sharma, while questioning the parameters adopted by the party high command to single out them.

Interacting with mediapersons, both MLAs minced no words in blaming the chief whip of the party, Ashok Khajuria, for the cross-voting. “What shocked us more was that our party, in a haste, held us guilty of such an act that we never committed and without going deep into the conspiracy hatched by the beneficiaries of cross-voting with the help of one of our MLAs, who is well known for his proximity to the ruling alliance. We had also apprised the party leadership of the sequence of events that took place in two days before the date of voting in the elections,” Sharma said.

“The party high command has been mislead by those who were afraid of being caught for their misdeeds. They got scot free, while we have been made the scapegoats,” he added.

Both suspended MLAs had also circulated the copies of their replies to the show-cause notice.

Giving a veiled warning to the party high command, Sharma said, “We cannot be a mute spectator to such a false allegation against us. We are going to people and explaining our position. People have appreciated our approach. This has reflected in the panchayat elections in our constituencies”.

Blaming the chief whip for helping the ruling alliance, Sharma said he had asked Khajuria to issue a whip to all BJP members to abstain from voting, as there were apprehensions of cross-voting.

“I gave this proposal to check cross-voting, but Khajuria contemptuously brushed aside my suggestion, as he had to serve the interests of the ruling party,” he alleged.

The BJP high command has set a deadline of May 7 for replying to the show-cause notices that had been served on all seven suspended MLAs.

Srinagar, May 5
The hardline APHC chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has appealed to all Imams, religious scholars and people to offer special prayers for the last rites in absentia after the Friday prayers for the Al-Qaeda’s founder leader, Osama bin Laden, who was killed in Pakistan by a US Navy team on last Sunday night.

Geelani described Osama as a “martyr”, but added that the 9/11 bombing of the twin towers in New York was a terrorist activity. Geelani, according to his spokesman, has appealed to the people to pray for their freedom and also for the freedom of Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Muslims across the world. “All Muslims are brothers and have an obligation to offer these prayers for one who has been martyred,” said the spokesman, while quoting Geelani.

He said Geelani had been kept under house arrest at his residence at Hyderpora since early morning today. He was scheduled to offer special prayers after the Friday prayers at Batamaloo in Srinagar tomorrow. “After the restrictions were lifted on his movement recently, Geelani had been able to visit several areas and address various congregations,” he added.

Geelani had also expressed resentment against the burial of Osama in sea, describing it as un-Islamic and inhuman.

Chatha (Jammu), May 5
The recent high-speed winds and dust storm have proved to be the bane of mango growers in the Jammu region, as it has caused a massive damage to the fruit crop.

The fruit, which is in its sprouting or blossoming stage, has been damaged up to 30 per cent and another such spell of weather could damage the crop up to 50 per cent.

“The fruit is in its immature stage and speedy winds have damaged it. The fruit are falling from the trees before its ripening period,” said an expert of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) here.

He added that, “The fruit is expected to ripen next month and it needs normal temperature with low speed winds”. The Horticulture Department has also started a fresh exercise to assess the huge damage caused to the mango crop growers.

The mango crop being a cash crop has attracted a large number of farmers of the region, as people in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur and Reasi districts grow this fruit. “Last year, our crop was affected due to the drought-like situation and this year the speedy winds have played havoc,” said Vinod Kumar, a horticulturist.

He added, “The farmers in the region are suffering huge losses due to unexpected weather conditions. If the weather remains the same in the coming days, we will have to opt for some other means to earn our livelihood”.

Meanwhile, the experts of the SKUAST have advised the mango growers to whitewash the lower stem of the mango plants in order to protect them from heat and any other injury.

They have also advised the farmers to spray their crop with Naphthalene Acetic Acid as high-speed winds might flow in the next few days.

With this sudden damage to the mango crop, the local pickle manufacturing community are at their wits end, as it would also affect their businesses. 

Srinagar, May 5
It was an evening to remember and cherish for many Kashmir residents, who gathered in the auditorium of the University of Kashmir here yesterday to listen to ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh.

Despite a boycott call by some hardline student organisations, around 2,000 strong audience turned up at the music concert of the ghazal maestro last evening.

The entire hall reverberated as the audience joined Jagjit, while he sang some of his famous ghazals. Eyes turned moist when he sang his popular ghazal, ‘Yeh daulat bhi le lo, Yeh Shauharat bhi le lo’. “I could not control my tears when he sang this ghazal. I remembered the good old days in Kashmir when all of us lived together in peace. We pray that peace returns to the Valley,” said Bilal Ahmed.

As Jagjit Singh performed, the audience requested him to sing their favourite ghazals and the maestro obliged too. Some student organisations had termed the ghazal concert as un-Islamic. Posters had also been pasted outside various departments of the university, asking students to protest against the concert and stop it from taking place on the university campus.

However, there was no impact of the boycott call as a majority of the audience comprised the university students. The university had offered concession on tickets to the students.

This was the second live performance by Jagjit Singh since December 2009 in Kashmir. “You cannot go away when Jagjit Singh is singing. He brings the memories of Mirza Ghalib alive when he sings his (Mirza’s) compositions. Jagjit Singh is in the real terms a legend of ghazal singing. I made sure that I book a seat for myself,” said Abdul Aziz (53), a ghazal lover.

The concert of Jagjit Singh in Srinagar not only showed the immense popularity of ghazal singing in the Valley, but also proved that no compulsions could force Kashmiris to give up their love for music, poetry and singing.

Srinagar, May 5
In a bizarre incident, a pregnant woman was not allowed to enter the biggest maternity hospital in Kashmir, Lal Ded Hospital, on Tuesday and as a result she suffered a miscarriage outside the hospital. This has now prompted the hospital authorities to order an inquiry into the incident.

The members of the family of Saleema Bano, a resident of Kuligam in Kupwara district, alleged that the security staff of the Lal Ded Hospital did not allow their ambulance to enter the hospital. “My wife was in intense pain, but the security staff at the gate did not allow the ambulance to enter the hospital compound and due to which she suffered a miscarriage outside the hospital,” said Din Mohammad Khatana.

“This is a very unfortunate incident. The hospital administration has ordered an inquiry into it and persons found guilty would be punished,” said the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Mohammad Shafi.

Shafi said a team had been constituted to find out those responsible for the incident. He added that the report was expected in the next couple of days. Eyewitnesses, who were present when Saleema had a miscarriage, also blamed the security staff for the incident. “The husband and other members of the woman’s family were pleading the security staff to allow their vehicle in, but they paid no heed to them and in the meantime the woman suffered a miscarriage,” a chemist told The Tribune, requesting anonymity.

After the incident the hospital management first tried to hush up the case and admitted Saleema, who was later operated upon. “The woman was operated upon and her condition remains stable,” said a doctor at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Saleema’s family has requested Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Governor NN Vohra to intervene and take strict action against those responsible for the incident. “We appeal to the Chief Minister and the Governor to punish those who did not allow us to get in the hospital. We cannot fight the high and influential,” said Khatana.

Jammu, May 5
The state government today sealed illegal ultrasound equipment at two clinics here, taking to 22 the total number of such apparatus to be sealed across the state.

A team of Health Department officials conducted surprise checks and sealed the ultrasound machines at the Triveni Nursing Home and the Medicare Nursing Home in the Gandhi Nagar area of the city as they were being run without a proper permission, officials said.

Besides, the team of officers conducted raids on various other ultrasound clinics in the city and found most of them locked, they added.

Earlier, the Health officials sealed six such clinics in Rajouri district, five in Udhampur district, six in Jammu and three in Samba district.

Jammu and Kashmir is one of the three major states, the other two being Bihar and Gujarat, where the sex ratio has declined in comparison to the 2001 Census.

As per the 2011 Census, the state’s overall sex ratio is 883, indicating a fall of nine points compared to the 2001 Census. While the country’s average sex ratio is 940, Jammu and Kashmir along with Bihar (916) and Gujarat (918) has shown a decline in the sex ratio in comparison to the last Census. — PTI