Singers arrive for Navratra festival
JAMMU, Oct 16 — The nine-day Navratra festival being organised by the J&K Tourism Department and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

Man kills wife, two daughters
JAMMU, Oct 16 — A man allegedly attacked members of his family with an axe, killing his wife and two daughters and injuring another daughter in Doda district of the Jammu region, official reports said here today.

Strike affects life in valley
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Oct 16 — Normal life was affected in the valley today in response to the Hurriyat-sponsored bandh call to protest against the arrest of its leaders and to "invite attention of the world and International human rights groups towards this".

Shops, business establishments, banks and educational institutions were closed. There was thin attendance in government offices. Passenger transport on most of the city routes was off. Only private vehicles, auto-rickshaws and government vehicles plied on the roads. However, the police said inter-district transport plied normally.

"The leadership of the Hurriyat Conference has been arrested and lodged in different jails frequently in recent years. Attempts were made on their lives and when all attempts to silence them failed, they have now been detained for a longer term and housed in a Jodhpur jail," a full-page appeal of the Hurriyat Conference to observe "Prisoners Day" stated today. The statement published in local newspapers, while appealing the people to observe a general strike today to express solidarity with those languishing in prisons, urged "all Kashmiris spread over the globe to hold demonstrations".

Except for a former Chairman of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, the entire leadership has been arrested by the police. Three of its senior leaders, including the Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mohammad Yasin Malik and Javed Ahmad Mair, have recently been arrested. While Geelani is undergoing treatment for cardiac ailment at the AIIMS, Malik and Mir have been sent to a Jodhpur jail.

The action against Hurriyat leaders was launched after the elections to six parliamentary constituencies in the state held recently. An "anti-election campaign" was launched by the Hurriyat with the announcement of elections two months back. The leaders visited almost all areas of the valley carrying its "anti-election campaign." But no action was taken against them during the elections.

Several opposition parties, including the newly launched Peoples Democratic Party of a former Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, blamed the government for giving a free hand to Hurriyat leaders.

The Mufti said the "anti-election campaign and its boycott call suited the National Conference for rigging the elections".

Meanwhile, the police said nearly 40 Hurriyat leaders and activists were arrested during the past one week.

UNI, PTI Add: The APHC alleged that thousands of Kashmiris were languishing in different jails and interrogation centres for years without any trial.

It further alleged that security forces were committing atrocities, including custodial deaths, torture of youths and rap in the valley.

The APHC headquarters at Raj Bagh was raided by the police last night. About 12 persons were detained.

National Conference leader and party MLA Mohammad Shafi Bhat alleged that security forces, particularly the special operation group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, were committing excesses in the valley.

State Home Minister Mushtaq Ahmad Lone admitted in the Assembly that 44 persons had died in the state in the custody of different security forces and the police since 1995.

Meanwhile, three militants, including a Pakistani intruder, were killed and a large quantity of arms and explosives seized in stepped-up anti-militancy drive.

An official spokesman said the militants shot at and wounded a counter-insurgent and a woman and attacked a police camp in the valley last evening.

A Pakistani intruder was shot dead by the security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Baramula district last night, he said, adding that two AK rifles, a pistol, 11 hand grenades and some Pakistani currency were recovered from him.

He said a foreign mercenary, Abu Syed, was killed by the security forces at Lar-Mahore in Udhampur district last night.

Another militant, yet to be identified, was killed in an encounter at Sheikhnar in Kupwara district.

Special operations group of the police arrested an ultra of the al-Barq outfit, Mohammad Sidiq Khan, from Maidan Pati near Dardpora in Kupwara along with an anti-personnel mine, two AK magazines, huge ammunition and two hand grenades, the spokesman said.

The Militants shot at and critically wounded Ikhwan activist Ghulam Nabi at Kunmulla Akhal near Kangan on the Srinagar-Kargil highway today, he said.

The spokesman said security forces recovered 10 rockets, a rocket launcher, 14 rocket boosters, 6,480 rounds of AK rifles, 1,760 rounds of Pika gun and three rounds of rocket projectile gun during search operations at Frisal Top Warson forests in Kupwara.

Fifteen kg explosives, 10 hand grenades, a remote control device, and other ammunition and explosives were recovered during searches in Dorus Lolab in Kupwara Chuntimolla-Larmarg on the outskirts of Srinagar.

Singers arrive for Navratra festival
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 16 — The nine-day Navratra festival being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Katra, which has been drawing huge crowds, has also attracted 25 renowned singers for an all-India competition of devotional songs being held at Jammu and Katra during the current festival.

Noted producers Prahlad Nihalani, Jhamu Sughand and Vikas Mohan and Ganesh Jain, Managing Director, Venus Records, have agreed to be the judges at the semifinals and finals of the competition to be held on October 17 and 18.

A large number of singers, including Muslims, are arriving here everyday because of the attractive prizes worth Rs 3 lakh and the possibility of getting a break in the film and music industry.

Notable among the Muslim participants is the troupe of Ghulam Mohammad Dogra, which won the first prize in one of the daily rounds of the competition on October 12.

The troupe of the Anjuman Muhaj-e-Rasool, led by Moulana Athar Hussain Dehlavi, is one of the other major Muslim participants in the competition.

Meanwhile, over 40,000 pilgrims and local residents, enjoyed the cultural programmes and processions during the five days of the festival. A cultural procession was taken out yesterday.

The Song and Drama Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is performing classical soap opera "Mata ki Katha" and a variety of cultural programmes based on national themes and local ethos depicting the composite culture of the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions daily.

Prof Gupta for more VDCs
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Oct 16 — Two main gates of the airport here were broken when a surging crowd tried to force its entry to greet Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, on his first visit here today.

Prof Gupta, a senior BJP leader who won the Lok Sabha poll from Jammu, was carried in a procession right from the airport to the city.

He has plans for upgrading Srinagar and Jammu airports, besides introducing another air service in the state.

He, however told news persons that dealing with the law and order situation would be his first priority. For this he would persuade the Union Home Ministry to strengthen the Village Defence Committees (VDCs in militancy-infested districts, especially in Doda, Udhampur and Rajouri belts.

There were already over 800 VDCs in these areas but Prof Gupta was in favour of increasing their number, besides equipping them with sophisticated weapons.

68 Chief Education Officers promoted
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 16 — The state government has ordered the promotions of 68 Chief Education Officers belonging to the J&K School Education Service for streamlining the educational set-up in the state. Promotions of lecturers are in the pipeline.

The Minister for School Education, Mr Mohammad Shaif Tariq, said 312 Principals, 1,423 Head Masters and 249 Zonal Education Officers, besides 385 lecturers had already been promoted. In addition, 323 lecturers had been promoted as senior lecturers and 96 Zonal Education Officers as Principals.

He said most of the genuine demands of the teachers were being considered.

The Minister said due to the concerted efforts of the government, the menace of copying had been curbed and schools in far-flung areas had been made functional.

The government had also decided not to transfer the teachers during mid-session, he added.

Man kills wife, two daughters

JAMMU, Oct 16 (PTI) — A man allegedly attacked members of his family with an axe, killing his wife and two daughters and injuring another daughter in Doda district of the Jammu region, official reports said here today.

The man, identified as Bishal Lal, had been absconding since he allegedly attacked his family members on Thursday night, the police said.

The reason for the attack has not been ascertained, police said.