J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Blankets’ issue rocks J&K House
Jammu, March 27
There was pandemonium in the State Assembly when Congress members, supported by one BSP member, staged demonstration in the well of the House while protesting against what they called a mini “tehelka” in the state following the distribution of Pakistani blankets among the recently elected sarpanches and panches by the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta.

Militants prowl in securitymen’s guise
Jammu, March 27
When a group of three militants, dressed in police uniforms stormed a CRPF camp in Srinagar killing four CRPF personnel yesterday it further confirmed reports that the rebels were on a prowl in the guise of Army or police personnel. Most of the massacres were carried out in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir during the past four years by the militants wearing either Army or police uniforms.

Population crosses 1 cr mark in J&K
Jammu, March 27
Despite the call for boycott the Census operations in Jammu and Kashmir have been completed with the release of the interim report here today. The report has indicated that the border state has crossed the one crore population figure and it stands at 10,069,917 indicating a growth rate of 29.04 per cent.

Blankets’ issue rocks J&K House
M. L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 27
There was pandemonium in the State Assembly when Congress members, supported by one BSP member, staged demonstration in the well of the House while protesting against what they called a mini “tehelka” in the state following the distribution of Pakistani blankets among the recently elected sarpanches and panches by the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta.

Before the start of question hour Congress members, two BSP members and three members belonging to the National Conference were seen on their feet demanding adjournment of the House.

The BSP member, Mr Som Nath, joined the Congress members when they marched to the well of the House and shouted slogans against the Union Minister and the NDA government. They demanded the immediate resignation of the Central Government after another mini tehelka had been enacted in Udhampur where the blankets were distributed.

The Congress members, including Mr Ashok Sharma, Mr Balbir Singh and Mr Lal Singh, alleged that the blankets had either been diverted from the Gujarat relief consignment or had been smuggled from across the border.

The Speaker, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, tried to pacify the agitated members pleading for discipline. He wanted the members to raise the issue through proper procedure. When the members continued with the demonstration the Speaker directed the watch and ward staff to show the slogan-shouting members the door. Before the security staff could act the Congress members along with the BSP member staged a walkout.

Mr Vakil directed the watch and ward staff not to allow them in till he ordered otherwise but before the order could be implemented the Congress members quickly re-entered and resumed their seats.

It was during question hour that some Congress members drew the attention of the Speaker towards one shawl the leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Mr Shiv Charan Gupta, was carrying with him in the House. It was the same stuff that had been distrubuted among the sarpanches and panches.

Before Mr Gupta could explain that he had brought the shawl to the House to convince the members that the blankets distributed had been purchased from the local market and not smuggled either from Gujarat or from Pakistan the Speaker took possession of the shawl saying it was property of the House.

Later a Congress member, Mr Ashok Sharma, rising on a point of order, pressed for the adjournment of the House. The Speaker ruled out that he would examine the matter and make his decision known tomorrow whether the House could discuss the issue.

During the pandemonium the BJP Legislature Party seemed to be a divided house. Two of its vocal members, Ch Piara Singh and Mr Ashok Khajuria, remained mute spectators of the vibes of the Congress. It was only Mr Shiv Charan Gupta who tried to defend his party and the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, informed the House that the dealers in Jammu and Ludhiana had already confirmed that they used to paste labels of any make on the blankets and other items to generate market. But the Speaker, Mr Vakil, said since Mr Gupta was speaking on demand for grants he could not raise the issue.

Mr Vakil announced that the members should wait for his ruling which he would give tomorrow.

The BJP leaders said the Congress was trying to malign the name of the party in power and its leader Prof Chaman Lal Gupta. They said after the dealers and manufacturers had confirmed that the labels pasted on the blankets and shawls were fictitious and meant for generating market there should be no room for raising a hue and cry.

Earlier, Sheikh Abdul Rehman, Mr Som Nath (both BSP) and Mr Abdul Rehman Veeri (PDP) staged a walkout in protest against the unsatisfactory reply from the minister, Mr Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah. Mr Shah had stated, in reply to a question, that complaints lodged with the Human Rights Commission were being investigated by the police authorities.

Sheikh Abdul Rehman questioned the wisdom behind it since the complaints were against the some police officers. Mr Shah informed him that separate police officers had been detailed for investigating the complaints received by the commission which did not satisfy the members.

Militants prowl in securitymen’s guise
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 27
When a group of three militants, dressed in police uniforms stormed a CRPF camp in Srinagar killing four CRPF personnel yesterday it further confirmed reports that the rebels were on a prowl in the guise of Army or police personnel. Most of the massacres were carried out in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir during the past four years by the militants wearing either Army or police uniforms.

Despite a ban imposed by the state government on the sale of Army and police uniforms or cloth to persons without an identity card, there had been no considerable improvement in the situation. The state government had issued instructions to those dealers selling Army and police uniform cloth to sell the stuff to only those who were bona fide security personnel and were in the possession of identity cards. The dealers had been directed to maintain registers carrying names of the security personnel whom the uniform cloth was sold. The registers would be examined by the concerned authorities periodically.

The Army authorities said there had been some improvement after the imposition of restrictions but the Pakistani agencies had started sending infiltrators into the state in uniforms being worn by the Indian Army personnel.

According to the police authorities, between May 1996 and March 2001 militants carried out 24 strikes in which more than 265 civilians were killed and this included the carnages at Wandhama (23 killed), Chatti Singhpora (36 killed), Pahalgam (29 killed), Kulgam (19 killed), Mora Bachai in Rajouri (16 killed) and Gambhir (16 killed). In all these incidents militants had descended into the villages in Army uniforms.

The Defence Ministry sources said the plan of carrying out strikes against the civilians in Army or police uniforms had been formulated under a definite strategy. The militants wanted to create confusion and force villagers to believe that the massacres had been carried out by the Indian security forces. Confusion did take place when separatists and their supporters started blaming the troops for the carnages at Wandhama in Srinagar, Chatti Singhpora in Anantnag, Kulgam, Lehota (Kishtwar) and at two places in Rajouri district.

Despite the fact that some of the wounded in the shoot-out in Chatti Singhpora confirmed that the killers had come in Army uniforms the separatists launched a campaign blaming the troops for the incident in which 36 Sikhs were killed.

The Defence Ministry sources said in series of raids on the militants hide-out in different parts of the state, Army and police uniforms had been seized in bundles. They said in some cases the militants had managed to purchase second-hand uniform from the junk markets and others had prepared the uniforms from the cloth purchased from other shopping centres.

The latest trend, they revealed, was that the Pakistani agencies were sending them into the state in Army uniforms. During the past one year most of the suicide attacks, carried out by fidayeens, had caused much damage to the security pickets and camps, besides police headquarters only when the attackers had sneaked into those restricted areas in Army or police uniforms.

Whether in Badamibagh or in Surankot in Baramula or in Srinagar and Poonch, the fidayeens had reached near the entrance of the Army or police camps in Army uniforms. The uniforms were being put on to create confusion. By the time the sentry started questioning the intruders they carried out their job.

The Defence Ministry authorities said the activists of Lashkar-e-Toiba, Al Badr, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jash-e-Mohammad had in recent months infiltrated into the state in combat dresses. This had, on occasions, caused confusion among the security personnel who mistook them for the men from the armed forces.

They said since the militants avoided direct encounters with the Indian forces they had devised the strategy of attacking the camps and civilians in combat dresses to seek advantage of mistaken identity. By using the Army uniforms the militants tried to seek double advantage. First, create suspicion among the people who later start blaming the Indian security forces for massacres. Secondly, to gain entry close to the prohibited areas by causing confusion among the camp guards. They said people had become aware of this gameplan because whenever the troops launched an operation against the militants they took the police and civil officers with them. 

Population crosses 1 cr mark in J&K
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 27
Despite the call for boycott the Census operations in Jammu and Kashmir have been completed with the release of the interim report here today. The report has indicated that the border state has crossed the one crore population figure and it stands at 10,069,917 indicating a growth rate of 29.04 per cent.

The Census report, released by Director Census, Mr Feroze Ahmed Khan, has revealed that though the growth rate has come down from 29.69 per cent in 1981 to 29.04 per cent, the addition of two lakh souls per year has given 10th position to Jammu and Kashmir among the 35 states and union territories as far as the population is concerned.

The highest growth rate has been registered in the border district of Kupwara which has been facing militancy-related turmoil for the past 12 years. The lowest growth rate has been recorded in Kathua district of the Jammu region.

As far as the density of population is concerned Srinagar district is on the top with 556 souls per sq km followed by Jammu with 508 persons per sq km. The most sparsely populated area is Leh district where the density ratio is three persons per sq km.

Another interesting feature of the Census report is that Pulwama district in south Kashmir is on the top with 933 females per 1,000 males when the state sex ratio average is 900 females for 1000 males indicating an increase from 892 females in the 1981 Census.

Leh district again is at the bottom where 805 females per 1,000 males when in the 1971 Census this sex ratio in Leh was 1002 females per 1000 males.

Experts are of the view that poor family planning has resulted in the increase in the population growth in the state. They suggest a fresh delimitation of the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies with the Jammu region getting a bigger share as its population and area is bigger than the Kashmir valley.

The Census report has revealed that the literacy rate has increased from 32.68 per cent to 54.45 per cent during the past 20 years. Still the rate is lower than the national level which is 65.38 per cent.

The female literacy percentage has increased from 5.05 in 1961 to 41.32 in 2001 but it was lower than the national average. Jammu district alone has crossed the national average of 75 per cent followed by Kathua district. Budgam is at the bottom with 39.54 per cent.