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Youth chased, shot dead by militants in Sopore mosque
Relatives mourn the killing of Suhail Ahmad Sofi, in Sopore on Wednesday.
Tribune photo: Amin War
CM rues ‘selective outrage’ over killings
Shutdown call gets mixed response in Valley
Security personnel patrol a street in Srinagar during a strike call given by
separatists on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Amin War |
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NC, BJP activists scuffle over Jugal-Sakina clash
Women activists of the BJP (left) and the NC (right) clash with each other outside the BJP office in Jammu on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Inderjeet Singh
Lower court accepts police closure report in Tufail
Mattoo killing case
No Kashmiri migrant family has returned to Valley so far
J-K must give better facilities to people in remote areas: Azad
Kashmir to celebrate arrival of spring at almond grove
A mother and child take a stroll in the almond garden in Srinagar on Wednesday.
Tribune photo: Amin War
'1,100 projects hang fire as Centre fails to pay for land
acquisition'
Govt doesn’t part with details of power arrears against ministers Maj Gen Narayana briefs Guv on security GOC of Romeo Force Maj Gen
I Narayana with Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph CM briefs Guv on funds flow from
Centre Chief Minister Omar Abdullah with Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan in
Jammu on Wednesday. Governor extends Navroz greetings
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Youth chased, shot dead by militants in Sopore mosque
Srinagar, March 20 Suhail Ahmad Sofi, a resident of Doabgah village of Sopore who was suspected by militants to be an informer of the security forces, was killed around 9.45 pm, a police spokesman said. The militants fired twice at Sofi when he was sitting on a ground near the mosque in the village. Sofi escaped unharmed after the first assault and ran towards the mosque where he tried to hide himself. However, the militants, believed to be two in number, chased Sofi and shot him multiple times in the mosque's “hamaam” or bathroom area. “One militant chased him, entered the mosque and pumped five bullets into him,” the police spokesman said. When the police party reached the spot, Sofi was already lying dead in the mosque, the spokesman said. The police has registered a case under Section 302, RPC, and 7/27 of the Arms Act at Sopore police station. A senior police officer said the attack appears to have been carried out by the Lashkar-e-Toiba. “The signature sign of the attack suggests it was the Lashkar-e-Toiba,” the officer said. The officer said Sofi was accused by militants of being an “informer” of security agencies. Violence in valley
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CM rues ‘selective outrage’ over killings Srinagar/ Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah protested the absence of reaction against Sofi’s killing terming the “selective outrage” as “hypocrisy”. “Want to see the hypocrisy of selective outrage? Compare reactions on my TL (Twitter timeline) today (on Wednesday) to those exactly a week ago (when a civilian was killed by CRPF fire in Srinagar's old city),” the Chief Minister wrote on micro-blogging website Twitter. “Militants chase an 18-year-old boy into a mosque and shoot him. Imagine the outrage if this had been done by security forces.” Omar had to face critical and demeaning remarks on Twitter in recent days when civilians were killed allegedly by the Army, police and paramilitary forces in the region. “I can accept the anger directed against us for excesses by security forces but only from people willing to condemn such killings,” the Chief Minister said. In the state Assembly in Jammu too on Wednesday, Omar strongly condemned the killing of Sofi. He also targeted those spearheading protests over killings due to security forces in the Valley. The Chief Minister expressed dismay over the behaviour of members who raise their voices vehemently against similar incidents in which security personnel are involved but keep mum when militants kill innocent people. “If this kind of killing had been committed by security forces, they would have torn out their clothes, castigated the country and asked me to give an answer for shedding of innocent blood”, he said. “Shedding of innocent blood and killings of people are 'killings' either committed by security forces or by militants and should be condemned in unequivocal terms without any discrimination”. Speaker Mubarak Gul and members of the House shared the sentiments of the Chief Minister and condemned the killing of the young boy by militants.
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Shutdown call gets mixed response in Valley
Srinagar, March 20 Even though private vehicles and some buses were plying on the roads, the movement of vehicular traffic remained thin. Shops in the civil line areas remained open. Some government offices, business establishments, including banks, and educational institutions remained open but the attendance was not full due to non-availability of the public transport in many areas. The strike was called by the MMM as part of its weekly protest calendar. The MMM has been issuing weekly protest calendars after the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru last month in Tihar Jail, New Delhi. The strike call also received a mixed response in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. However, reports reaching here said the shutdown call affected normal life in other parts of the Valley. Most of the shops and business establishments remained closed in north Kashmir areas, Baramulla, Sopore, Handwara and Kupwara. Life was also affected in south Kashmir but the overall situation across the Valley remained by and large peaceful. The MMM has been demanding the mortal remains of Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat, who also was also hanged in Tihar Jail in February, 1984. Both Guru and Bhat are buried in Tihar Jail.
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NC, BJP activists scuffle over Jugal-Sakina clash
Jammu, March 20 Women activists of both parties attacked each other in a free-for-all when National Conference (NC) workers led by party MLA Bimla Luthra tried to enter the BJP headquarters at Kachi Chowni but she was countered by activists of the BJP Mahila Morcha under the leadership of Priya Sethi and some local shopkeepers of the area. Earlier BJP Mahila Morcha activists and NC women workers were holding separate rallies in the city. BJP activists were protesting against allegedly turning the Assembly into a platform for delivering anti-national speeches, while NC activists were taking out a rally to lodge a protest against BJP state president Jugal Kishore Sharma for being “aggressive” with the woman minister. As soon as BJP Mahila Morcha activists got the information that NC workers were trooping towards their office, they rushed back to the party headquarters. Although a heavy contingent of the police was deployed there, activists of both parties entered into a scuffle and there was a free-for-all in front of the BJP office. Some local shopkeepers also supported the Mahila Morcha workers, who outnumbered the NC workers. The police swung into action and managed to rescue Bimla Luthra and take her away in a Gypsy. A BJP spokesman said that party had lodged an FIR against Bimla and other NC activists who had tried to attack the BJP office. Jugal was yesterday suspended from the entire budget session of the Assembly for being “aggressive” with Sakina. The NC women wing today held demonstrations at various places across the Jammu region. Later, a memorandum against Jugal Kishore’s suspension from the House was submitted to the Governor by leader of BJP Legislature Party Ashok Khajuria. Forum to complain to BJP top brass
Taking note of the “aggressive and derogative” posture of BJP legislator Jugal Kishore Sharma against woman minister Sakina Itoo in the Assembly, the Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Women (JKSCW) today said it would write to the central leadership of his party for “disciplinary action” against him. The Commission also decided to write to Governor NN Vohra apprising him of the “unruly behavior” of the BJP legislator.
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Lower court accepts police closure report in Tufail Mattoo killing case
Srinagar, March 20 The killing of a teenager, Tufail Mattoo, in 2010 had triggered unrest and a cycle of violence in the Valley. More than 120 persons were killed in firing by the police and security forces. Earlier on November 29, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was tasked by the J-K High Court to probe the killing of Mattoo, in its compliance report to the court
had submitted that investigation into the matter had been closed by saying the culprits remain ‘untraced’. On June 11, 2010, Tufail Mattoo, a teenager, was returning home from tuitions when a teargas shell fired by the police had allegedly hit him near Gani Memorial College in the old city. He was killed on the spot. “The undersigned is in consonance with the investigation of the police final closure report and the same is accepted as not traced”, said the Special Mobile Magistrate, Srinagar, Ashwani Kumar Sharma, in his orders dated February 27, 2013, which have been made public this week. “In these circumstances, even if the father of the deceased (Tufail Mattoo) has stated before the court that he is not in consonance with the investigation undertaken by the Investigation Officer (IO), the same is not enough because in a murder case, an innocent person cannot be put forward for a trial,” the court observed in its orders. The trial court, however, has observed that the case can be “reopened” if any clues about the culprits are received at a later stage. “The investigation of the case can be reopened and shall be conducted de novo”, the trial court observed in its orders adding that the file after its “due completion” be “consigned to records.” Even as the trial court has accepted the final closure report of the police in the case, the victim’s family has asked the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to order a “re-investigation” into the matter by an “independent agency.” The SIT in its final report to the high court on November 29, 2012 had said the case was closed adding the culprits remain “untraced”. The family in its objections has also submitted that the Investigation Officer (IO) in his final report has “tried his best to rebut the autopsy report, which has termed Tufail’s death by a “high velocity projectile, an obvious reference to tar smoke shell.” “The autopsy conducted by a team of doctors can’t be brushed aside”, the objections read. Stating that he has not got “even a grain of justice” so far, slain teenager’s father Mohammad Ashraf Mattoo told The Tribune that his “hopes were still pinned” on the judiciary. “I refused to take ex gratia as I had a hope that justice will be done in my son’s case, which is a
test case for the judiciary,” Ashraf said while terming the closure report by the SIT as “nonsense” and an “attempt” to “hush up”
the case. “We had given them (SIT) every clue and trusted them for three years. Now it’s clear that the Chief Minister is shielding the killers and they (SIT) are shielding him (CM),” he said, adding the lower court’s acceptance of the closure report won’t have bearing on the case as the matter is currently before the high court. The case file
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No Kashmiri migrant family has returned to Valley so far
Jammu, March 20 There are a total of 62,190 registered Kashmiri migrant families, settled in Jammu and other parts of the country. The number of registered families settled outside the state is 21,333. “The government has announced a package for the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants and for their permanent settlement in the Valley. Initially, around 4,600 Kashmiri migrant families had expressed their willingness to return to the Valley but no family has returned as yet,” state Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Ministry has said in a reply to a cut motion moved by Jammu West MLA Chaman Lal Gupta in the Legislative Assembly. The ministry said it had been felt that the Prime Minister’s package needed some improvement and in order to make it more attractive, a revised package had been sent to the Centre for consideration and the approval was awaited. According to the ministry, there were a total of 27,619 registered Kashmiri migrant families, including 25,551 Hindu families in Jammu, which increased to 34,216 in 2001-02. The number of registered families swelled to 37,398 in 2008-09 and stood at 40,857 in 2011-12. “As many as 18,681 families fall under the relief category, while the number of Kashmiri migrant families under the non-relief category is 22,176,” the ministry said. Out of a total 21,333 Kashmiri migrant families registered outside Jammu and Kashmir, the maximum number of 19,338 families are settled in New Delhi. The state government had been providing relief in the form of cash assistance of Rs 1,650 per head per month, subject to the maximum of Rs 6,000 per family per month for four or more family members and free of cost ration, including 9 kg rice per person per month, 2 kg flour per person and 1 kg sugar per family per month. Furthermore, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had inaugurated the Satellite Township at Jagti near Nagrota for the Kashmiri migrants on March 4, 2011. Each Kashmiri migrant family was allotted a two-room tenement to live in comfortable conditions there. More than 4,200 two-room tenements had been constructed in the township. The Kashmir Pandits residing in Jammu and other parts of the country have been saying the situation is not conducive for their return to Kashmir, especially due to a security risk. Union Minister of State for Home RPN Singh recently said in Rajya Sabha that terrorists had issued threats to Kashmiri Pandits and had asked them to leave Kashmir. “As per a report received from the Jammu and Kashmir Government, a threatening letter or poster to leave Kashmir within a week was received through post by secretary, Pandit Colony,
Sheikhpora, Budgam. The poster, however, did not have any evidence or proof of its origin from any of the militant
organisations,” the minister had said. |
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J-K must give better facilities to people in remote areas: Azad
Jammu, March 20 Minister for Roads and Buildings Abdul Majid Wani, MP Choudhary Lal Singh, Minister of State for Health Shabir Ahmed Khan, Minister of State for Power and Technical Education Vikar Rasool Wani, MLCs, Naresh Kumar and Sham Lal Bhagat, were present on the occasion. Addressing a public gathering after inaugurating the IPD block, the Union Health Minister said liberal funding was being provided to Jammu and Kashmir by the Union Government. He called for availing benefits of the Central support for equitable development of all regions of the state. The Union Minister reiterated that the coalition government must work hard to extend better basic facilities to the people living in backward and far-flung areas of the state. He said the coalition government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had taken up various projects for holistic development under core sectors in the state. The minister also highlighted schemes under which free of cost medical treatment would be provided to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) patients suffering from heart, lung and kidney ailments and other life threatening diseases. He said medical expenditure would be borne by the Health Department, adding that for the Above Poverty Line (APL) patients whose monthly income is below Rs 5,000, the Health Department will provide treatment expenses up to Rs 1.5 lakh for heart, lungs and kidney ailments. Azad said to provide food security to poor people living in rural and urban areas, the Union Government had passed the Food Security Bill which provided ration at nominal rates to the poor.
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Kashmir to celebrate arrival of spring at almond grove
Srinagar, March 20 This year the celebrations will remain confined to planting of trees. “We will plant trees at Badamvaer on March 21 and then trees will also be planted across Kashmir next week,” said an official of J&K Bank, which looks after the garden under its Heritage Preservation Programme. Last year, J&K Bank had also organised cultural programmes during Jashn-e-Aamad-e-Bahar to herald the arrival of spring. But this time, the cultural programmes will be given a miss due to the prevailing situation in the wake of the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. While Badamvaer was formally reopened in 2008, locals used to throng the garden to celebrate the arrival of spring, especially during the regime of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad in the 1960s. “During Bakshi’s time, Badamvaer used to bustle with people at this time of the year. While cultural events, including musical programmes, were held, locals used to bring ‘samovars’ (copper flask) with them and relish tea with water chestnuts at Badamvaer. Even after Bakshi’s reign, people used to visit the garden till the late 1970s,” said an elderly citizen. Even though the arrival of spring is not celebrated like before now, Badamvaer after its formal reopening has become a tourist attraction. Tourists visit the garden to get the picturesque view of the flowering of almond trees. This year a trickle of tourists currently on a visit here is making sure that they visit Badamvaer. “I have witnessed the flowering of almonds for the first time. I had no idea that the flowering of almond trees looked so beautiful. I would love to come to Kashmir again, and this time of the year only, to see this beautiful sight,” said Rekha, a tourist from Mumbai, who has come here with her family. The arrival of tourists to Kashmir has been affected this year due to frequent shutdowns and curfew after the execution of Afzal last month. Subdued festivity
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'1,100 projects hang fire as Centre fails to pay for
Jammu, March 20 It said the Centre had been asked to provide Rs 800 crore under the Prime Minister Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) so that work on these projects was started soon. “Earlier, the Government of India had given a concession to the state government wherein the payment for land acquisition was being made under PMRP. Nearly, 1,100 projects under the PMGSY couldn’t be started because of a delay in the payment of Rs 800 crore for land acquisition,” Minister for Planning and Development Ajay Kumar Sadhotra told the Assembly earlier this week. Sadhotra said the state had approached the Centre for extending concession so that the payment of Rs 800 crore was made under the PMRP to take up pending projects. Rejecting the allegations of discrimination in fund allocation to any region in the state, he claimed that every region had got its due in the financial allocations over the years. “The figures available of the 11th Five Year Plan indicate that there has been equal distribution of resources among various regions of the state. Nearly 48.28 per cent funds were allocated to Kashmir region while Jammu received 47.26 per cent and Ladakh region 4.46 per cent of funds during the said five year plan,” Sadhotra said. He said in terms of capital investment, Kashmir region had received an investment of Rs 1,858 per capita while Jammu had received Rs 2,350 per capita and Ladakh region had received Rs 4,082 per capita investment during the said plan period. “These figures should be an eye opener for those creating the hoax of disparity in the distribution of funds,” he said. Terming District Development Boards (DDB) as an important constituent of planning process, the Minister said the government was making all efforts to strengthen these institutions to consolidate the concept of single line administration in the state. He said during the last three years, 2,054 decisions were taken at various DDB meetings, out of which 1,388 decisions had been implemented and 666 decisions were under various stages of implementation. |
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Govt doesn’t part with details of power arrears against ministers
Jammu, March 20 An official document presented in the Assembly here didn’t reflect the details of outstanding power tariff against the Council of Ministers. On a query by a PDP member Choudhary Zulfikar Ali, who had sought details of power tariff arrears recoverable from security forces, government departments, council of ministers and big business houses, the state government furnished the details of arrears in case of security forces and business houses but didn’t give the details pertaining to ministers. “Electricity bills of the Council of Ministers are charged to the Estates Department. The outstanding against commercial/big business houses is of the order of Rs 124.16 crore,” read the government’s written reply. The Estates Department is a state government department. The state government, for 2013-14, has kept Rs 3,875 crore for purchasing additional power out of a total budget of Rs 38,068 crore this fiscal. Experts say that “river-rich” Jammu and Kashmir can generate 20,000 MW of hydroelectric power, but since 1947, the state has been able to generate only 758 MW power, which meets only 40 per cent of its needs. The official document, which mentioned arrears against former and sitting legislators, reflected names of only two sitting ministers - Law Minister Mir Saifullah and Transport Minister Choudhary Mohammed Ramzan. While Saifullah owed Rs 3,099, Ramzan supposedly owed nothing to the Power Development Department (PDD). In 2010-11, the ministers and the bureaucrats of the state put together had owed Rs 1.39 crore to the PDD while the government department had also failed to clear Rs 900.49 crore arrears. In 2010-11, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had power arrears of Rs 83,000 against him while Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand had owed Rs 5.65 lakh.
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Srinagar, March 20
The shutdown call given by the Muttaheda Majlis-e-Mashawarat (MMM), a Joint Consultative Committee of several separatist groups, evoked a mixed response in the Kashmir valley today.
Jammu,
March 20
Srinagar, March 20
Maj Gen Narayana invited the Governor to participate in a seminar on “Security and Development in Conflict Areas” which will be held soon at the Nagrota Military Station.
The Army is organising discussions on the subject in collaboration with the University of Jammu, Central University of Kashmir, Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis and the Centre for Land Warfare
Studies.
Jammu, March 20
