Bill raising House seats passed
SRINAGAR, Aug 20 — The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today passed by a count vote a Bill of Amendment to the Constitution seeking an increase in the number of seats to the state Legislative Council. Most of the opposition party members of the Congress, BJP, BSP and Panthers Party staged a walkout while opposing the Bill.

Police opens fire on agitators
SRINAGAR, Aug 20 — Four persons were wounded when the police opened fire after a lathi charge failed to disperse agitators at Ganderbal, home constituency of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who blocked traffic on Srinagar-Leh national highway to protest the death of a youth allegedly in custody of security forces today.

Bill raising House seats passed
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 20 — The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today passed by a count vote a Bill of Amendment to the Constitution seeking an increase in the number of seats to the state Legislative Council. Most of the opposition party members of the Congress, BJP, BSP and Panthers Party staged a walkout while opposing the Bill.

As many as 61 members of the 87-member assembly voted for the Bill. The National Conference has 58 seats in the House.

All opposition members, except Mr Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami (CPM), Mr Jagjivan Lal (JD) and Mohammad Farooq Mir (Independent), boycotted the House. The opposition members opposed the Bill, saying that it would be an additional burden on the state.

Copies of the Bill were tabled in the House on Tuesday and on the demand of Sheikh Abdul Rehman of the BSP, the discussion was deferred till today. The Bill earlier tabled included the report of the Select Committee constituted in April.

The move of a private member, Mir Saifullah (NC) was also introduced today. It sought further amendments in the Bill. It was later withdrawn by the House, when the Bill was tabled for consideration of the House. Another motion by Mr Ashok Sharma of the Congress seeking the circulation of the Bill as reported by the Select Committee for the purpose of eliciting public opinion was also withdrawn by the House.

Seeking assent of the Bill by the members of the House, the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Pyare Lal Handoo, said that all charges levelled by the opposition members were superficial. He said a bicameral legislature was the soul of democracy as the members of the Upper House were supposed to be more experienced than those of the Lower House on sensitive public issues.

The members objected to the increase in the number of seats to the Legislative Council from 36 to 44 on the plea that it would be a further burden on the State exchequer. They held that the government did not have money to adjust the unemployed, provide basic public facilities in the State and on the other hand it was trying to "rehabilitate" some of the politicians only.

Mr M.Y. Tarigami (CPM), while opposing the Bill asked the government to keep in view the size of the population in different parts of the State, since the Bill sought election of 14 members each from Kashmir and Jammu provinces. The Kashmir province quota of 14 seats would include two members from Ladakh and one each from Leh and Kargil districts.

In the case of the Jammu region, 14 seats would include two seats from Doda and Poonch districts. The members also opposed the ratio of the increase in the number of seats.

Police opens fire on agitators

SRINAGAR, Aug 20 (PTI) — Four persons were wounded when the police opened fire after a lathi charge failed to disperse agitators at Ganderbal, home constituency of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who blocked traffic on Srinagar-Leh national highway to protest the death of a youth allegedly in custody of security forces today.

Elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir, security forces shot dead a Pakistani intruder and arrested two militants while militants attacked the house of a National Conference activist since last evening.

The sources said the police today opened fire after repeated teargassing and lathicharging proved ineffective to disperse the agitators at Prang-Kangal in Ganderbal on the outskirts of Srinagar following the death of Mohammad Amin Wani allegedly in custody of security forces.

Four persons received injuries in the police action and were rushed to hospital where the condition of one of them was stated to be "serious", the sources said.

Wani, along with 34 suspects, was arrested by the security forces during search operations in the village (Prang) yesterday after a militant grenade attack on their vehicle in the area on Tuesday, the sources said.

The body of Wani was handed over to his next of kin by the police after it was picked up from the village today.

JAMMU: A powerful explosion triggered by suspected militants on Thursday damaged a house and Army troops recovered a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said.

A powerful explosive device planted near the house of Khadin Hussain in Sada Kandi village rocked the entire Kotranak area of Rajouri district in the wee hours, Border Security Force (BSF) sources said.

Army troops recovered seven bags containing arms, ammunition and explosives in the Keri forest of Rajouri district yesterday.

The recoveries include two AK-56 rifles, three magazines, three radio sets, 43 kg of explosive material, 1 kg of improvised explosive device (IED)-fitted school bags, 540 rounds of sniper rifle, 18 hand grenades and 17 rifle grenades.

The recoveries were dumped by suspected militants after smuggling them from Pakistan for militant outfits in Udhampur and Doda districts of the Jammu region, Defence sources said.

A jawan was killed when Pakistani troops opened fire on the Indian border outpost (BOP) of Hiranagar sub-sector in Jammu region, official reports said here.

The reports said Pakistani troops, using light arms, opened unprovoked fire on the Regal BOP forcing BSF jawans to retaliate.

The exchange between the Pakistani Rangers and the BSF troops continued for half an hour. Naik Rattan Singh of Rajput Rifles was killed.