J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Three ultras, cop killed
SRINAGAR, July 29 — Three militants and a policeman were killed in separate incidents in Kashmir valley since last evening.

Award for 3 J&K scientists
SRINAGAR, July 29 — Mr Khurshid-e-Andrabi of the University of Kashmir and Ms Rani Devi and Mr Rajinder Kumar Sharma of Jammu University have been selected for the Young Scientists Award, 1998 for services in the field of medical, physical and biological sciences, respectively.

Central team meets pilgrims
JAMMU, July 29 — A two-member central ministerial team yesterday reviewed arrangements for Amarnath pilgrims and gave on-the-spot instructions to state government officials to mitigate grievances of yatris, official sources said today.

Amaranth-bound yatris moving ahead to have darshan at the 3,880-metre-high holy cave in the Kashmir Himalayas. The month-long yatra resumed on Wednesday after it remained disrupted for five days following incessant rains. — PTI photo

Three ultras, cop killed

SRINAGAR, July 29 (PTI) — Three militants and a policeman were killed in separate incidents in Kashmir valley since last evening.

Two militants were killed in an encounter with the BSF at Noshehra in Baramula district in north Kashmir last night, BSF sources said.

The militants were killed when a patrol party of 123rd battalion of the BSF challenged them and asked them to surrender. Instead, they opened fire and in the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed.

Two pistols, three magazines with 38 rounds and two hand grenades were recovered from them, the sources said.

Meanwhile, a local militant associated with Lashker-e-Toiba was killed in a shootout with security forces in Kupwara district yesterday and three AK magazines, a grenade and some ammunition were recovered from his possession.

Head Constable Ali Mohammad of Gilikadal police division who was among eight persons wounded in a grenade explosion in downtown Srinagar yesterday, succumbed to his injuries last night, a police spokesman said.

With the death of the policeman, a number of persons killed in the explosion triggered by militants has risen to two. A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan died when militants attacked the police party in the area yesterday.

Central team meets pilgrims

JAMMU, July 29 (PTI) — A two-member central ministerial team yesterday reviewed arrangements for Amarnath pilgrims and gave on-the-spot instructions to state government officials to mitigate grievances of yatris, official sources said today.

An official spokesman said the ministerial team comprising Minister of State for Civil Aviation Chaman Lal Gupta and Minister of State for Home Hirin Pathak held a meeting with senior officers of the state administration in Srinagar yesterday and later flew to Pahalgam and Jammu to have a first-hand information on the arrangements.

The ministers spoke to the pilgrims and gave on-the-spot instructions to state government officials to solve their problems.

The ministers interacted with pilgrims at m a m stadium and a government school in Jammu and assured them help from the Centre.

Award for 3 J&K scientists

SRINAGAR, July 29 (PTI) — Mr Khurshid-e-Andrabi of the University of Kashmir and Ms Rani Devi and Mr Rajinder Kumar Sharma of Jammu University have been selected for the Young Scientists Award, 1998 for services in the field of medical, physical and biological sciences, respectively.

The award for young scientists below the age of 35 carries a cash prize of Rs 10,000 and a citation.

Mr Andrabi has been awarded for his work on the regulation and functions of enzyme-P7056 kinase, a critical component in mammalian cell signalling, an official statement said.

Ms Rani Devi has been awarded for her work on neutron-rich isotopes in terms of occupation probabilities.

Mr Sharma has bagged the award for his work on cytology and plant tissue culture.