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| Tuesday, January 2, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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2 counter-insurgents among 7 killed 34 panches elected unopposed SLR becomes service, love & relief Poll schedule: Cong lodges protest 4 of family die in mishap |
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| 2 counter-insurgents among 7 killed SRINAGAR, Jan 1 — A series of bomb blasts and selective killings on the first day of the New Year left seven persons, including a nambardar and two counter-insurgents, dead in Jammu and Kashmir today. An official spokesman said Niyamatullah was killed on the spot and Mohammad Shafi was injured in a mine blast at Kamalkote in the border area of Uri. The injured had been hospitalised, he said. Militants detonated a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) on the Sopore-Kupwara road in north Kashmir at 9.30 am when vehicles carrying security personnel were passing the area. However, no one was injured. The militants lobbed a hand grenade towards a BJP vehicle at Chankhan in Sopore at 3 pm causing injuries to a jawan. The spokesman said the militants attacked the house of a senior counter-insurgent leader Usman Majid at Bandipora. The guards returned the fire and the exchange continued for some time. However, Majid and his family members escaped unhurt. The militants shot dead a contractor Mohammad Ayub near the taxi stand at Shopian in south Kashmir at 2.25 pm. He said the militants fired upon a counter-insurgent Hamza Wani at main bazar Sumbal at 11.50 am killing him on the spot. A woman was also killed in the shooting. A shopkeeper nazir ahmad was injured. Another counter-insurgent Ghulam Qadir Bhat was killed by the militants at Lawapora while another person Mehraj-ud-Din was injured. The militants kidnapped numbardar Abdul Rahim Wani and Mohammod Ramzan Wani of Puthkah village in Baramula. They shot dead. Rahim Wani but set the other man free. One Shabir Ahmad Ganai, who was injured in a grenade blast on December 30, died in hospital this morning. The militants and the security forces exchanged fire at Viloo Kokernag late last night. No loss of life was reported. |
| 34 panches elected unopposed JAMMU, Jan 1 — Thirtyfour panches of the Sundarbani block of Rajouri district have been declared elected unopposed in the first phase of panchayat election, while 5,065 nomination papers have been filed in 204 panchayats of Poonch, Rajouri and Kupwara districts, the chief electoral officer said today. The panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being held after 23 years. The nominations include 4,066 for the post of panch and 99 for that of sarpanch. According to an information received from the Chief Electoral Officer here, 34 panches have been declared elected uncontested in the first phase, all in the Sunderbani block of Rajouri district. Having 16 panchayats, the block received 352 nomination papers for panches and 95 for sarpanches. The Mendhar block received 596 nomination papers, the highest number in a block so far, 466 for panches and 130 for sarpanches. In Poonch, number of nomination papers received for panches and sarpanches were 530 and 97, respectively. The lowest number of nomination papers were filed in Keran panchayat in the Kralpora block, where 21 nomination papers were filed for panch and 5 for sarpanch. It had only three panchayats, the Electoral Officer said. In districts Rajouri tops the list with 2,517 nomination papers, including 554 for sarpanches. Poonch received 2,193 nomination papers, including 364 for sarpanches. In Kupwara, 355 nomination papers were received for panchayat elections, including 81 for sarpanches. The blocks of Tanghdar, Teetwal, Keran (Kralpora) of Kupwara district, which would go to polls on January 15, have only 27 panchayats. In four blocks of Poonch, the number of panchayats is 79 and their number in 5 blocks of rajouri district is 98. |
| SLR becomes service, love & relief JAMMU, Jan 1 — After the enforcement of ceasefire in the Kashmir valley the SLR does not mean a self loading rifle for the BSF but “service, love and relief” to the people. Thousands of Kashmiris were amazed to find BSF jawans stopping buses at the time of Iftar, during Ramzan, which ended recently, offering dates and water to the passengers to break their fast. Another surprise in store for people was the way the BSF organised Iftar parties at different places on different dates during Ramzan. A large number of Muslims would gladly attend these parties to break their fast in the presence of BSF officers who did not carry any weapon with them. Following the enforcement of the ceasefire orders from the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, the BSF wore what its officers call “people friendly face.” It was during the fag end of Ramzan that the BSF crossed its target of sponsoring or adopting 1,000 Kashmiri students. These students belonging to the poor families and living in the far-flung areas were being provided with books, stationery items, uniforms and other accessories which were required by them. According to a BSF spokesman, these boys and girls study in classes between standard VI and standard XII. He said: “We have taken the job of meeting their requirements till they clear standard XII examination.” He said, “the main aim behind this project to prevent them from dropping out of schools and to turn them into responsible citizens.” Several lakhs of rupees have been spent on this projects and on providing recreational facilities to the students. In addition, the BSF has spent several lakhs of rupees on the renovation of school buildings and on levelling playgrounds. The BSF, otherwise engaged in combating militancy, has earmarked funds for organising paintings, debates and sports competitions in the rural areas. And gradually people have started experiencing the steel face turning into sober and soft visage. In the past several months the BSF organised 88 camps where people were given free medicines and treatment. A number of patients were supplied pacemakers after they were examined by a team of medical specialists. During their field duty BSF officers realised that a large number of children in remote rural areas had been deprived of the benefits of Information Technology and revolution in electronics. They established set up recreation clubs where colour television sets with dish antenna were installed. Books were provided to the libraries in these clubs. A large number of children and their parents are regular visitors to these clubs. This facility is being extended to several other areas depending on the availability of funds. Emphasis is laid on promoting interaction between the BSF and the civilians through seminars and group meetings. This gave an opportunity to the BSF offices to know the problems of the people and corrective measures were adopted within a short time. |
| Poll schedule: Cong lodges protest JAMMU, Jan 1 — The state unit of the Congress has lodged a protest with the Chief Electoral Officer, who has been nominated as electoral authority under Panchayat Act, over limited time given to people to file their papers for the ensuing panchayat poll. A delegation of Congress leaders, led by Mr Gulchain Singh Charak, met the Chief Electoral Officer here today and explained to him that the gap between the notification and the date for filing nomination papers was only two days. Mr Charak later told newsmen that not more than 52 candidates were able to file their nomination papers for 27 panchayat committees. He said the state government had not consulted the opposition parties before fixing the poll schedule. At least the government should have sought “our opinion on the climatic and security situation” before fixing the schedule. He said vast areas in the state would be lashed by snow and icy winds and it would be difficult for the people to participate in the poll process leaving enough scope for the ruling National Conference to manipulate the elections. He said the government should have selected a suitable time for the poll because at present the security and the political situation in the state was in a flux of the ceasefire. Mr Charak said the Congress had set up a five-member committee headed by Mr M. N. Kaul, to monitor the entire panchayat poll process and identify areas where the state machinery would be used to manipulate the elections. He said the very purpose of holding the panchayat poll would be defeated when 33 per cent women would be nominated to the panchayat committees. | |
| 4 of family die in mishap KATHUA, Jan 1 — Four members of a family were killed and one was seriously injured in an accident which occurred today at Dyalachak in Hiranagar tehsil on the Kathua-Jammu national highway. According to the Hiranagar police, the mishap took place when a car going to Jammu from Amritsar was involved in a collision with a bus which was going to Pathankot from Jammu. The four persons killed have been identified as Rajinder Kumar Gupta (35), his wife Neena Gupta (30), his son Nikim Gupta (6), all residents of Talab Tillo, Jammu, and Kasturi Lal Gupta of Amritsar. The police took the deceased to a Hiranagar hospital for a post-mortem examination. Later the bodies were handed over to relatives for cremation. The seriously injured woman has been shifted to GMC, Jammu. The police has registered a case and seized the two vehicles. |
| VDCs to get modern weapons JAMMU, Jan 1 — The Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation has members of the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) had played a key role in containing the activities of militants in various areas of Jammu, especially Doda district, and they will be provided with sophisticated weapons. He said there was need to set up such committees in Gool, Mahore and Arnas areas and the adjoining hilly belts where the militants had become active. He said already 1,500 VDCs had been set up in Doda, Udhampur and Rajouri areas. Speaking at a relief distribution function organised at Thanpal village in Arnas block in Reasi tehsil today, he urged people to cooperate with the security forces by providing them information about the plans and hideouts of the militants. He distributed wheat, rice, pulses, shawls, ghee etc among villagers. He also sanctioned Rs 2 lakh out of his constituency fund for the construction of a serai. |
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