Pandemonium in J&K House
JAMMU, March 17 — Pandemonium prevailed in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly here today when 11 Opposition MLAs marched to the well of the House and raised slogans during question hour.

12 militants killed in J&K
SRINAGAR, March 17 — Twelve militants, mostly foreign mercenaries, were killed and three arrested as the security forces intensified their anti-militant operations following a sudden spurt in militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

Sonia revokes suspension
JAMMU, March 17 — Congress president Sonia Gandhi has revoked the suspension of senior Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress leader Taj Mohiddin, a spokesman of the JKPCC said today.

Pandemonium in J&K House
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, March 17 — Pandemonium prevailed in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly here today when 11 Opposition MLAs marched to the well of the House and raised slogans during question hour.

The members belonging to the BJP, the Congress, the Janata Dal, the Panthers Party and the BSP disrupted the proceedings for 10 minutes.

The trouble arose when the members expressed their dissatisfaction with the reply given by the Law Minister, Mr P.L. Handoo, about the haste shown in the re-employment of 45 retired officers on a contract basis.

The question was raised by Sheikh Abdul Rehman(BSP), Mr Abdul Wahid Shan (NC) and Mr Dilawar Mir (NC). Replying to supplementaries, the Law Minister said of the 45 retired officers re-employed on a contract basis, 17 had already been sacked. He explained that only senior officers could be appointed members of the State Subordinate Services Recruitment Board and the Public Service Commission. He said the board had no retired officer as its member.

Several members, including Ch Piara Singh, Mr Bali Bhagat (BJP), Sheikh Abdul Rehman (BSP), Ms Mehbooba Mufti (Congress), Mr Dilawar Mir and Mr Abdul Wahid Shah (NC) wanted to know the compulsions in re-employing the retired officers. The members alleged that even junior officers including one of the rank of Executive Engineer, had been appointed members of the State Public Service Commission.

At this stage, the Speaker asked the BJP member, Mr Prithvi Chand, to table his question. The Opposition members barring Mr R.S. Sharma, Ms Mehbooba Mufti and Mr Ram Chand Bhagat walked to the well of the House and started raising slogans. The leader of the Legislature BJP, Mr Shiv Charan Gupta, entered the House at this stage and Ch Piara Singh escorted him to the well of the House. Mr Balbir Singh of the Congress and Mr Ashok Khajuria of the BJP were vocal in their demand for time for Opposition members for asking questions.

The Speaker tried to persuade the agitated members to maintain the decorum. The Opposition members, however, continued to disrupt the proceedings. When they demanded that the House should be adjourned, the Speaker ruled that there was a proper procedure for moving an adjournment motion and the Opposition should give a notice.

The Speaker continued with question hour. Two questions were raised and replies given but nothing was audible in the din. Even Mr M.Y. Tarigami had to read out his calling attention motion twice because of the noisy scenes.

The Opposition members later staged a walkout. However, after some time, they returned to the House.

Earlier, five BJP and Congress members staged a walkout in protest against what they called government's stepmotherly treatment to the constituencies of Opposition members in so far as development works were concerned. Mr Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah, Road and Bridges Minister, denied the charge and explained that the development works were being taken up in every constituency depending on the availability of the funds.

The Minister of State for Home, Mr Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, said Mohd Ayub Bhat, a resident of Khanabal of Anantnag was released on bail on December 14 and was subsequently kidnapped. His body was later recovered from a village.

The minister, who was replying to the calling attention motion moved by CPM member M.Y. Tarigami said he was ready to order a magisterial inquiry. Mr Tarigami suspected foul play as Mohd Ayub had been kidnapped from outside the police station.

In reply to another calling attention motion, tabled by Mr Faqir Mohd Khan, Mr Lone said one of the three accused in the murder of two brothers at Marh village had been arrested. He said raids would continue to apprehend the other two. He said a car and another vehicle had been seized as the accused fled in them after committing the crime.

12 militants killed in J&K

SRINAGAR, March 17 (PTI) — Twelve militants, mostly foreign mercenaries, were killed and three arrested as the security forces intensified their anti-militant operations following a sudden spurt in militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

Four persons, including two women and a teenaged girl, received gun-shot injuries in the militancy- related violence, while militants torched two buildings in the state during the period, an official spokesman said here today.

Panic gripped the Batmaloo area of Central Srinagar today in view of "intense firing" allegedly resorted to by police and other security agencies.

Shopkeepers pulled down their shutters in and around the area and people ran helter skelter in panic when the police fired in air to disperse agitated drivers, who were protesting against the alleged atrocities of special police officers at the Batmaloo bus stand, official sources said.

The sources said the Army and paramilitary forces posted in the area mistook the police firing as an attack by militants and opened heavy volume of fire. The firing rattled the entire area for nearly half-an-hour, but no one was hurt.

However, a school teacher and a fourth standard girl student received bullet injuries in a school at Sheikhbagh near Lal Chowk in the heart of the city at the time of the Batmaloo incident, the sources said.

The duo were hit in a class room, probably by stray bullets fired in the Batmaloo area, 1 km away from the school, the sources said.

Sonia revokes suspension

JAMMU, March 17 (PTI) — Congress president Sonia Gandhi has revoked the suspension of senior Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress leader Taj Mohiddin, a spokesman of the JKPCC said today.

The spokesman said the decision of revocation of the suspension order was communicated to JKPCC chief Choudhary Aslam by AICC treasurer Ahmed Patil, who is also in charge of the Jammu and Kashmir affairs.

Mr Taj Mohiddin was suspended by the party high command on March 7, 1998, on charges of violating party directives.