Lance Naik shoots Havildar
SRINAGAR, July 22 — A Lance Naik shot dead a Havildar and later committed suicide in Doda district last night, official sources today said.

Ultras kill 3 VDC members
Five kidnapped
Tribune News Service and agencies

JAMMU, July 22 — Militants armed with sophisticated weapons shot dead three village defence committee members and kidnapped five others in the Ballabgarh area of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir late last night.

A police spokesman said a group of militants armed with automatic weapons struck Purnara village. The militants captured five VDC members and three members were killed on the spot when they retaliated. The three killed were identified as Vakeel Singh, Darshan Singh and Bitoo.

According to the police, the militants took away the weapons of three killed and also snatched the .303 rifles of the five other captured members. The kidnapped members were identified as Mohammad Jammel, Riaz, Maqbool Hussain, Sadiq and Razak.

The police has launched a search operation to nab the militants and to rescue the kidnapped members.

However, according to unofficial sources the militants released the kidnapped members but official sources were yet to confirm it.

This is the sixth major strike by militants in the state in less than a month. Earlier, 26 persons were gunned down in two separate incidents in Poonch district during the intervening nights of June 28-29 and July 1-2.

During the night of June 29-30, militants gunned down 12 labourers belonging to Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

Later, militants massacred 19 persons, including women and children, in two incidents in Doda and Poonch on last Monday.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister L.K. Advani, was today busy studying the security situation in the state.

Official sources said the attack on the VDC members in Basantgarh was to avenge retaliatory measures another group of VDC members had taken in Lahota village near Tathri. The three VDC members in the village — Ramesh Kumar, Amrik Singh and Bushan Kumar — had engaged the militants in a gun battle in which two militants were said to have been killed. The militants have realised that VDC members had been playing an effective role in thwarting subversive activities and hence DVC men engaged in counter insurgency operations were being targeted to create scare among people.

Kargil casts shadow on Amarnath yatra
From Our Correspondent

SRINAGAR, July 22 — Despite the fact that the Jammu and Kashmir Government has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of Amarnath yatra, the Kargil crisis has affected the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Lord Shiva. What has added to the uncertainty is the fact that the state government postponed the commencement of the yatra from July 21 to 24 that too without prior information.

The state government had issued a notification regarding the commencement of Amarnath pilgrimage from July 21 but it was postponed by three days for reasons better known to the government due to which a lot of confusion prevailed. Besides, the state government did not finalised the list of over 120 non-government organisations who would set up langars enroute the 45-km track up to the cave shrine from the base camp at Chandanwari. Sources said the state government was granting last minute permissions to these NGOs for the purpose.

So far the state government, the sources add, has only been able to register only 46,599 pilgrims.

Surprisingly, the administration has also set up the base camp at Chandanwari instead of Pahalgam due to which there is resentment among the NGOs and the pilgrims.

Meanwhile, the sources added that the Chief Minister and the Director- General of Police would visit Pahalgam to review all arrangements.

The state government has deployed 100 buses for providing adequate transport facilities to the pilgrims. Besides, a direct bus service between Pahalgam and Delhi has also been started. At least 10 buses have been kept in a state of readiness at the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) here, to meet any emergency. Special facilitation counters have been set up in Jammu, Srinagar and Pahalgam. A full-fledged booking office has already started functioning at Pahalgam and two control rooms set up each at TRC, Jammu and Srinagar.

Sheer teamwork ‘did the trick’
From Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, July 22 — A young looking Army officer of medium height greeted us as we arrived at the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry centre (JAK LI centre) to write about the excellent work done by the men and officers of its 12 battalion in the Batalik sector.

This officer was none other than Subedar-Major Bana Singh, the last Indian soldier to be honoured with Param Vir Chakra (PVC) , the highest war time gallantry award. He belongs to 8 JAK LI.

"What did he do exactly to get this gallantry award ?"

"It was in April,1987, that one of our advanced post in Siachen Glacier was fired upon by Pakistan army from the Qaid-e-Azam post located at a height of 21,153 ft. In fact this post was initially held by us but somehow we lost control over it. Anybody sitting atop at this post could dominate the surrounding area.

"Our enemy was being regularly serviced by helicopters to retain their control over this strategic location. When we were deployed in the area, our battalion sent a patrol party for the reconnaissance (recce) of the area in our endeavour to recapture this strategic location.

"This patrol party came under heavy fire from the enemy we lost one officer, one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and eight other ranks (ORs) in the process. The situation was reviewed at the failure of the first operation. A new plan was worked out as our battalion was determined to recapture this post.

"A new task force with two officers, 3 JCOs and 57 ORs was constituted for the specific purpose. Almost after a month of the first abortive attempt, the new task force launched an assault operation on June 25,1987.

"A fierce fight took place and ultimately eight of us, including myself and seven ORs managed to reach the top and evict the enemy from the post. It was a great success for us. We not only recaptured the post but also gained domination over the entire area.

"At the success of our task force, this height and strategic location has been named since then Bana Top," recalls Subedar Major Bana Singh.

Born and brought up in Jammu, Subedar Major Bana Singh was then Naib Subedar. "I have got two promotions since then," he says and displays the PVC he adorns proudly on his chest.

"I have been raring to go to Kargil to evict the enemy from there. I am ready for any sacrifice I can make for my motherland," he says when asked about his reaction to the ongoing military operations in the Kargil sector.

He maintains that after the capture of Bana Tops, Army has been gradually consolidating its position in the Siachen Glacier. "Since June,1987, we have never lost any height, or feature or a strategic location. Rather we have been recapturing some other vital locations in the Glacier," adds the PVC winner.

"After retirement I will always be available to fight for the my country," concludes Subedar-Major Bana Singh, a man of few words, and who repeatedly insisted that the recapture of the Bana Top was by sheer teamwork, and he was only instrumental in hoisting the Tricolour atop the feature.

8-year-old militant victim vows revenge

JAMMU, July 22 (PTI) — For eight-year-old Raju, its the age to play in his village with his friends or nestle in the arms of his mother listening to a lullaby.

Instead he dreams of AK-47 rifles and thirsts for blood.

Raju survived the bullets of militants who shot dead 15 people in one of the most gruesome murders by militants at Lihota village in Doda district on Monday night.

"I will avenge my parents’ killings," muttered Raju as he lay recovering from bullet injuries in his back at Government Medical College here.

Recalling the nightmare, Raju said a hand-grenade was lobbed at his father followed by an intense hail of gunfire.

"A tall man wearing a green jacket with the star sign of Pakistan then droved a sword through the flesh of my father. I will never forget the scene," he said.

"I want to do the same to the militants who have done it to my happy family," the child vowed.

"My mother was taking me to a safe side of the house but was hit by a volley of bullets and died on the spot. I too received bullets in my back," Raju said.

"Tall masked armed persons wearing Pathan dress kicked me, my father and mother with their shoes to ascertainwe were dead," he added.

Lance Naik shoots Havildar

SRINAGAR, July 22 (PTI) — A Lance Naik shot dead a Havildar and later committed suicide in Doda district last night, official sources today said.

Lance Naik Hardav Singh shot dead Havildar Surinder Singh following an altercation in their camp at Khor village, sources here said.

Hardav Singh later shot himself to death when other jawans tried to apprehend him.