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| Friday, May 26, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Bid to blow up trains foiled Sopore tense
after burial of 6 bodies
Police office complex
opened in J & K Government’s sincerity on talks suspect |
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Bid to blow up trains foiled JAMMU, May 25 — Security forces have foiled a plan to blow up trains on the Jammu-Pathankot route on the city’s outskirts with the recovery of three powerful live shells, official sources said today. Acting on a tip-off, the troops launched a search operation along the railway track last evening and recovered three solar magnetic mortar shells planted by militants at Baribrahmna, near here, the sources said, adding that these were planted with an aim to blow up Delhi-bound trains. Security along rail tracks and in Baribrahmna industrial area had been beefed up, they added. Meanwhile, another major tragedy was averted last night with the recovery of two powerful IEDs from areas in Doda district. Elsewhere in the area, five militants were today killed in two separate operations launched by the Army’s Romeo Force and the BSF. A Defence Ministry spokesman said that on a tip-of, the Romeo Force cordoned off a hut in Fatehpur in the Rajouri area where the militants had taken shelter. As the troops neared the hut, they came under heavy fire from the assault rifles. The Romeo Force jawans
retaliated, killing two of the three militants. One militant continued to fire on the troops. In an hour-long encounter, the third militant was also killed. The three belonged to the Hizbul Mujahideen and were foreign mercenaries. Three assault rifles, six magazines, 110 rounds of ammunition, four hand grenades and one grenade launcher were recovered from the slain militants. In another incident, the troops and the BSF jawans foiled a Pakistani gameplan of attacking two BSF posts in Ramgarh sector. The reports of the plan had been received a day earlier and both the Army and the BSF jawans laid an ambush. Right from across the Zaffarwal area in Pakistan nine militants, in combat dress, intruded into the Indian territory with the task of destroying two Indian posts. The Indian security forces opened fire, killing two rebels on the spot. Seven others fled back. They had intruded 100 metres inside Indian territory. Some arms and ammunition had been seized from them. A report from Poonch said troops gunned down one militant in the Hari area late last night and recovered one AK rifle, two magazines four time pencil bombs, seven detonators, three hand grenades, one radio set, one pistol and 200 rounds of ammunitions. Militants swooped over a village in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district and abducted three persons on gunpoint late last night. |
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Sopore tense
after burial of 6 bodies SRINAGAR, May 25 — The police lobbed tear gas shells and lathicharged angry demonstrators in Sopore town of Baramula district today where tension prevailed following the burial of the bodies of six youths killed near LoC 10 days ago. Restrictions under Section 144 of the Cr PC were imposed in the town, the police said. The situation was stated to be tense but under control. Reports from the apple rich town of Sopore 50 km north said that an undeclared curfew had been imposed in the town. The town observed complete shutdown over the past one week following the reports of the killing of the six youths in a “fake encounter” at Ragni picket in Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district on May 15. The locals had claimed that the youths had been picked up from the town a day earlier. The trouble started when the bodies of the six youths were buried in the town last night after these had been brought to the town after having been exhumed from Tangdhar-Karnah sector yesterday. The bodies were brought to the town late in the night. According to the DIG of Police, Baramula-Kupwara Range, Mr Dilbagh Singh, some miscreants had taken out three bodies buried at Arampora in the town early this morning. Since this was an offence, the police swung into action and reburied the bodies in the presence of some
respectableS of the area. |
Police office complex
opened in J & K JAMMU, May 25 — The adoption of the Punjab pattern of building police office complexes and residential quarters not only in the capital but also at the district headquarters in Jammu and Kashmir has started bearing results with the opening of a five-storeyed complex here yesterday. The complex has been built by the Police Housing Corporation at a cost of Rs 3.43 crore in a record time of 16 months. It will house the offices of the senior functionaries of the Armed police, the Housing Corporation, the Police Communication Directorate and other offices. The plan of building residential colonies on the Punjab pattern for the constabulary was mooted by the Director-General of Police, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, about three years ago. He was instrumental in the formation of the first-ever Police Housing Corporation. His efforts led the 10th Finance Commission to sanction Rs 23 crore for the construction of office complexes and residential colonies. At Batamaloo in Srinagar a four-storeyed complex is nearing completion provided more funds are made available during the current year. According to the Managing Director, Police Housing Corporation, Mr Madan Lal, all 12 district headquarters in Kashmir and Jammu provinces have been covered under a scheme of raising one-room tenements for the constabulary. This will help the policemen to lead a secure and comfortable life in the far-flung areas, including Doda, Poonch, Rajouri and Kupwara. Besides this in the Channi Himmat area of Jammu, 368 units of one-room tenements are under construction. In Kathua the work is in progress for constructing 120 units besides 72 in Udhampur, 96 in Doda, 48 each in Poonch and Rajouri, 360 in Srinagar, 72 each in Kupwara and Baramulla. In addition 264 units are being constructed by the Police Construction Division in Anantnag, Pulwama and Budgam district headquarters. The 11-year-long Pak-sponsored proxy war had made the police highly vulnerable by militants. While officers were given suitable accommodation in the district and tehsil headquarters, the constabulary was the worst-affected lot. It is in this context that the DGP conceived the plan of bringing constables under one roof where they could be provided a security cover. The state government has pleaded with the 11th Finance Commission for providing additional funds so that Ladakh region too could be covered under the new housing policy. The DGP, after frequent visits to district headquarters, tehsils and villages, has ordered renovation of several police stations and posts. A multi-crore project has been conceived for the reconstruction of police posts and stations with better transport and communication facilities. The police authorities said heavy Central assistance was needed for enlarging the residential facilities for the constabulary and for improving the working conditions of senior officers in different wings of the police. They said during the last 10 years, the strength of the police in the state had been raised from 30,000 personnel to over 50,000 personnel and hence the Housing Corporation wanted additional funds for completing various ongoing projects and for taking new projects in hand. |
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Government’s sincerity on talks suspect JAMMU, May 25 — Separatists in Kashmir have made known their suspicious over the government’s “sincerity” while making an offer for talks to the British High Commissioner in India, Sir Rob Young, who spent two days in Srinagar in gathering views on the Kashmir issue from opposition and mainstream political leaders and senior government functionaries. While the Hurriyat Conference leaders are said to have told the British diplomat that tripartite talks could be more meaningful than the Hurriyat-Government talks in resolving the Kashmir issue. Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah, president of the Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, had an hour-long meeting with Sir Young. Mr Shah, according to sources close to him, informed him that had the government been sincere in resolving the issue through talks it should have placed no precondition. Mr Shah told the British High Commissioner that by announcing that the proposed talks would have to be held within the framework of the Constitution was a condition which would not be acceptable to and other parties engaged in securing a place of honour for the Kashmiris. He had told Sir Young that the government should have put an end to custodial deaths, security force’s excesses and other human rights violations. The separatist leader had conveyed his mistrust over the proposed talks making any headway if Pakistan, which is a party to the dispute, was not involved in the parleys. He had stated that soon after his release from long detention in 1994 he had tried to act as a bridge between India and Pakistan but New Delhi did not respond. Others suspected him of trying to be another Sheikh Abdullah or Farooq Abdullah who, Shah said, had bartered away the interests of Kashmiris for gaining power. However, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and other senior government functionaries, during their meetings with the British envoy, gave a detailed account of the series of incidents which confirmed that Pakistan militants had abused human rights in many ways. Dr Abdullah wanted the British diplomat to persuade his government to use its influence and force Pakistan to stop aiding cross border terrorism. While
cross-section of people are seen debating the plus and minus points of the proposed Hurriyat-government talks, Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has said that “nothing will emerge out of the proposed talks with the Hurriyat conference leaders.” While inaugurating a Rs 3.43 crore police complex in Jammu on Wednesday evening Dr Farooq Abdullah said that talks with the Hurriyat conference leaders would be a meaningless exercise as they “do not control the gun.” He said the gun was controlled by Pakistani military ruler. Dr Farooq said that these very Hurriyat leaders had introduced gun in Kashmir and now “they have no control on it.” He did not agree with those who treat the Hurriyat Conference leaders as the representative of the people of Kashmir. He suggested to the Centre that instead of initiating a dialogue with the Hurriyat Conference leaders the government should intensify its campaign against Pakistan by exposing the Pakistani gameplan in the international fora. Though there are indications that the Hurriyat-government talks may not materialise in the near future, various political and social organisations in Jammu have demanded their inclusion in the proposed talks. The Jammu Mukti Morcha, which favours trifurcation of the state, organised a conference in which several political leaders and intellectuals participated here yesterday. A resolution adopted at the conference said that representatives of the people of the Jammu region too be included in the proposed talks and nothing should be decided without taking “us” into confidence. A similar demand has been voiced by Panthers party chairman, Prof Bhim Singh. He stated that talks were welcome but leaders of all political parties in the Jammu region be involved in the talks. Dr Farooq Abdullah has, in the meantime, ridiculed the Hurriyat leaders for “staging a tamasha” by holding fasts and dharnas. He has suggested to the Hurriyat leaders, especially the JKLF chief, Mohd. “Yasin Mailk, to hold dharna and go on fast on the Indo-Pakistan border to register protest against continued infiltration of armed militants into Jammu and Kashmir whose task was to shed blood. |
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