Jammu Srinagar

JUF sore over plight of temples
JAMMU, June 26 — President of the Jammu United Forum Bansi Lal Gupta has expressed anguish and concern over the plight of Hindu religious places in Kashmir.

Major dead in mine blast

SRINAGAR, June 26 (PTI) — Five persons, including an Army Major and a securityman, were killed and six security personnel injured in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

A Major died on the spot and four soldiers were injured in a landmine blast near a forward defence location in Noushera area of Rajouri this morning, a defence official said.

The blast occurred when a vehicle carrying the troops ran over the landmine, the official said, adding all injured were stated to be stable.

A securityman was killed and two more were wounded in a gunfight with militants at Dachipora-Rawalpora in Shopian area of South Kashmir last evening.

Militants shot dead Nazir Ahmed Lone at Tantraypora-Palhalan in Baramula district last night. Another person injured in the shootout died later.

Militants blasted a house at Guripora on the outskirts of Srinagar killing Mohammad Yaqoob Khan. Three houses were damaged in the blast.

Militants fired at Constable Mushtaq Ahmed near Iqbal Park in Srinagar last evening. He, however, escaped unhurt.

Two Pakistani nationals were captured at the Butwal post near the Arnia Sector of Jammu yesterday. They were identified as Javid and Mohammad Sarwar of Gujranwalla in Pakistan.

Inspector-General of police (Jammu Zone) Kuldeep Khuda said 201 militants, including top-ranking foreigners, were eliminated during the first five months of this year as against 89 militants killed during the same period last year.

He said militants who were planning to disrupt the movement of security forces and had caused improvised explosive devices (IED) explosions on the national highway at Nowgam Banihal had been eliminated.

The killed militants belonging to Lashkar-e-Toiba were Abu Husana and Abu Nayoem (both Pakistanis), Mohammad Sadiq, alias Hyder and Khurshied, alias Abu Hamat.

Mr Khuda said the ongoing operations of the security forces had thwarted the moves of militants to relocate and strengthen their positions, particularly in Doda district, and had kept them on the run.

Governor, CM review situation

SRINAGAR, June 26 (PTI) — Jammu and Kashmir Governor G.C. Saxena and Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today took stock of the security situation in the state.

The meeting also reviewed the success achieved in anti-militancy operations and measures being taken to restore peace and normalcy in the state, an official spokesman told PTI.

He said Chief Secretary Ashok Jaitley, Director-General Rashtriya Rifles, Lt-Gen Avtar Singh, Principal Secretary Home, C. Phunsog, Director General of state Police, Gurbachan Jagat and Srinagar-based heads of various wings of security forces and intelligence agencies also attended the meeting.

JUF sore over plight of temples
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, June 26 — President of the Jammu United Forum (JUF) Bansi Lal Gupta has expressed anguish and concern over the plight of Hindu religious places in Kashmir.

In a statement issued here yesterday, the JUF President said the state government had made no attempt to improve the condition of religious places of Hindus in the Kashmir valley.

He said unscrupulous persons were selling transferring Hindu religious places in a clandestine manner. The forum alleged that an agreement has been entered into to sell Shiv Temple on Maulana Azad Road, Srinagar. Even money had exchanged hands in this deal. The forum said the state government had to take steps to prevent this.