J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

A six-year-old girl being looked after by her father in a Srinagar hospital on Thursday. The girl is among 12 school children seriously injured in the Pakistan shelling in the Uri Sector on Wednesday. —PTI

3 kidnapped SPOs slain
JAMMU, May 4 — Bodies of three Special Police Officers were found in the outskirts of Gandoh this morning.

Durbar move security reviewed
SRINAGAR, May 4 — Security arrangements in view of the re-opening of Civil Secretariat and other move offices for the summer months from Monday, were reviewed at a high-level meeting here yesterday.

Minister visits gypsum mines
JAMMU, May 4 — About 3000 tonne of gypsum crystals valuing Rs 1 crore is extracted from the Assar mines of Doda district annually.

3 kidnapped SPOs slain
Tribune News Service and agencies

JAMMU, May 4 — Bodies of three Special Police Officers were found in the outskirts of Gandoh this morning.

The SPOs had been kidnapped from Kohal Jagasu village four days ago. They were tortured before being slaughtered. As many as 400 persons, including women and children, had fled to Gandoh after the kidnapping of these SPOs. They were, however, persuaded by the district authorities to return to the village. But the village was in the grip of fresh tension with the detection of bodies of the SPOs.

Additional police forces have been rushed to the area and the security forces have launched a massive hunt for the killers.

Ten to fifteen ultras struck Rajupora village in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district last night, and kidnapped a Congress activist from his house, the sources told PTI.

He was severely tortured with cigarettes, iron rods and later his throat was silted, the sources said.

Militants escaped from the spot and the police shifted him to the hospital, where he was declared as brought dead.

A combing operation has been launched in the area to track down ultras. The deceased was a close relative of JKPCC President, Mohmmad Aslam.

Another report from Doda said that one Shukar Din Gujjar was gunned Down in a Doda village this morning, the sources said, adding that he was abducted by militants a few days back.

According to a UNI report from Srinagar two security force jawans were among nine persons killed during the past 24 hours.

A Baramulla report said more areas of Gurez, Karnah, Keran, Teetweal and Kanzalwan in northern sector came under heavy Pakistani shelling since early this morning.

Official sources said "unprovoked" shelling by Pakistani troops in these areas started around 03.00 hours today and continued for about three hours.

However, most artillery and mortar shells fell in the open or exploded in mid air without causing any damage, the sources said and added that shelling in Uri sector continued throughout the night.

Reports said people living in villages close to the line of actual control have migrated to safer places because of daily shelling by Pakistani troops. Three persons were killed, about a dozen injured and more than 30 shops, houses and government buildings damaged in Pakistani shelling in Karnah sector last week.

More than 100 persons including some security personnel have lost their lives and scores injured, in the Pakistani shelling in northern sector during the past three years.

Meanwhile, senior police and civil officials have rushed to Uri which has been witnessing heavy Pakistani shelling since the past few days.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said troops of Kilo Force killed three foreign militants in an encounter at Bandipora in north Kashmir last evening.

He said three AK rifles and some explosives were recovered from the slain militants.

One security jawan also lost his life and another was injured in the shootout, he said and added that one house also was gutted.

Official sources said militants attacked a Special Operation Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police party at Kulgam in south Kashmir district of Anantnag this afternoon leading to the death of Constable Showkat Hussain. The militants, however, managed to escape.

Militants entered the house of one Mohammad Yaqoob at Madana in Poonch and shot him dead late last night.

Security forces arrested a militant and recovered one AK rifle, one magazine and 30 rounds at Laroo Kulgam last evening while two remote control devices, four rockets, one bomb, eight packets of explosives and three grenades were recovered by the police at Arai top in Mandi sector this morning.

The Inspector General of Police (Kashmir-range), Dr Ashok Bhan, said the security forces had killed 227 militants, including 65 foreigners, and more than two dozen self-styled commanders since January this year.

He said 195 other militants were arrested and eight surrendered across the valley during the same period.

Dr Bhan said 381 weapons recovered included 254 AK series rifles, 986 kg of explosives, 141 remote control devices, 805 detonators, 152 mines and 1299 grenades.

Durbar move security reviewed
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, May 4 — Security arrangements in view of the re-opening of Civil Secretariat and other move offices for the summer months from Monday, were reviewed at a high-level meeting here yesterday.

The Minister of State for Home, Mr Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, presided over the meeting attended among others by the senior civil and police officers of Kashmir Division. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Range, Dr Ashok Bhan apprised the minister of the situation in the valley.

The Director-General of Police, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, who is scheduled to arrive here tomorrow is expected to convene a high-level meeting of the senior police and civil administration officers. The meeting, according to the sources, is expected to discuss security arrangements in view of the re-opening of the durbar move offices here from Monday for the summer months. These offices were closed down in Jammu for biannual move to the summer capital on April 29 last.

The recent meeting headed by the Minister of State for Home, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone and attended by senior police and civil officers have reportedly decided to re-impose the "no entry" restrictions for traffic on the roads leading to the Civil Secretariat each in the mornings and in the evenings.

These restrictions would provide the "smooth flow" of official vehicles carrying the senior officers and the employees from their respective destinations to their offices and return. These restrictions were lifted during the last two summer seasons when the durbar was in the summer capital, after these restrictions were in force since 1990 with the eruption of militancy.

According to the sources, the decision to reimpose ‘No Entry’ restriction were taken in view of the stepped up violence by the militants during the past six months. The suicide squads of the militant organisations have made a series of attempts on the high security Army and civil administration installations. These included the attack on the Badami Bagh cantonment. On November 3 last year in which at least 12 Armymen including the Defence PRO, Major P Puroshottam were killed. The latest such attempt was made by a militant of the newly constituted Jaish Mohammad of (Prophet’s Army) of Pakistan based militant leader, Azhar Masood.

The militant, Afaq Ahmad Shah, was blown up with the car ladden with explosives, at the main gate of BB Cantonment on April 19 last.

Azhar was among three jailed militants released in exchange of over 150 hostages of the IA plane at Kandahar on December 31 last year. The militants have made several other suicide attacks, which claimed the lives of all of them, since November last year.

With the presence of threats from such "suicide squads" of the militants, the police and civil administration has been taking varied aspects into consideration while reviewing the security arrangements on the occasion of the durbar move. The Civil Secretariat housing the offices of the Chief Minister, his ministerial colleagues and the Commissioner Secretaries, re-opens here on Monday. The militants made two attacks on the Civil Secretariat last year when a series of grenades were fired from a distance on September 29 and October 28 last year. One employee was killed and several others were injured in these grenade-fires which landed within the premises of the Civil Secretariat.

To prevent any such attempts in and around the area, various measures have already been taken. The passenger transport plying from Batamaloo to Karan Nagar Crossing has been diverted via Jehangir Chowk-Saheed Gunj-Karan Nagar Crossing. With this the traffic has been taken off from the main road passing by the J&K Police Headquarters at Batamaloo.

Minister visits gypsum mines
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, May 4 — About 3000 tonne of gypsum crystals valuing Rs 1 crore is extracted from the Assar mines of Doda district annually.

This was disclosed by the Industries and Commerce Minister, Dr Mustafa Kamal, who visited the Assar Gypsum Mines and took stock of its extraction work yesterday.

The minister was apprised about the use of modern equipment of ore extraction, about 200 tonne of gypsum was crushed in ball crushers. Of this, 150 tonne of powdered ore is converted into plaster of Paris and sold in the market. He was further apprised that with the commissioning of 6.3 MVA station at Assar, the production of plaster of Paris will increase to 1200 tonne.