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Monday,
April 1, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Ultras kill two birds with one stone Raghunath temple opened to devotees 8 ultras killed in J-K |
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Clarify stand on autonomy issue, Cong urged Islamic varsity near Ganderbal, says Farooq
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Ultras kill two birds
with one stone Jammu, March 31 The police claim that militants had no plan to attack Raghunath Temple here yesterday, their target being security pickets, does not seem tenable. If the militants wanted to target security pickets, they could have done so at other places. There are scores of such pickets in the two capital towns of the state. Targeting people and security personnel outside the temple was a calculated plan to kill two birds with one stone. The militants wanted to attack the security personnel and civilians in and outside the shrine to incite people to take to the streets and disturb communal peace. Militants, in ones and twos, have been sneaking into mosques in various parts of the Kashmir valley in order to provoke retaliation from the security forces, which could inflame passions in case the mosques suffered damage. During the past over four months, the security forces have flushed out holed up militants from about 12 mosques. In one case in Tarzoo in Sopore two militants surrendered. The credit goes to the people of the valley that they did not react as they used to do six years ago. Equal credit goes to the people of the Jammu region who have maintained their cool even when temple priests have been beheaded in Poonch and grenade and rocket attacks launched on other temples. One had expected the situation to improve considerably after the military buildup at the border and after the government’s resolve to take suitable measures to tackle militancy when Parliament was targeted. But the military buildup could not even check the rate of ingress. Prior to the military buildup, over 800 foreign and local militants infiltrated into the state between September and December 12, 2001. Since December 13, till the end of March 2002 over 720 rebels have crossed into the state. However, the deployment of additional forces at the border has had some impact on the rate of egress. Between September and December 12, 2001, over 250 militants, according to state government figures, crossed over to Pakistan but during the past over three months not over 20 rebels escaped back to occupied Kashmir. Experts are of the opinion that when the rate of elimination of militants remains lower than that of infiltration, one cannot except the situation to become comfortable, and that too when new strategies are being worked out by agencies across the border. “Just 20 militants, equipped with assault rifles, grenades and IEDs can destabilise peace and cause damage and scare in one district,” says a senior police officer. He says: “The induction of fidayeen has added a new dimension to the 13-year-long armed campaign in the state.” “If these fidayeen, determined to kill and get killed, manage to inflate their numbers, the security situation may become alarming,” he warns. |
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Raghunath temple opened to
devotees Jammu, March 31 Soon after the terrorist strike inside the temple and in the market place adjoining the shrine, the temple gates were closed to enable the investigating agencies to collect evidences and splinters of the explosives used by the militants. One civilian, Shankar Singh, who had sustained serious injuries in the shootout died at Government Medical College today. As soon as the temple gates were opened today, a number of devotees entered the shrine to offer prayers. People living in the vicinity adjoining the temple got up with the temple bells ringing early in the morning. Pilgrims coming out of the shrine said the terrorist strikes would not affect their daily routine of offering prayers in the temple. Des Raj said, “We will not be scared by the terrorist acts and we will continue to visit the holy place.” Meanwhile, passenger transport services were partially affected in the city following the two-day bandh call given by the BJP and the VHP to register protest against the militant strike in and outside a religious place. It being a Sunday, shops selling essential commodities were open. Passengers transport services in some pockets of the city were affected for about three hours. However, private vehicles were moving freely and no incident of violence from any part of the city was reported. Various political organisations, including the National Conference, BJP, Congress, Janata Dal, Hurriyat Conference, Shiv Sena, the VHP, Gurdwara Prabandhak Board and Akali Dal, condemned the militant attack on the temple. These political leaders said that attempts were being made by Pakistani agents to disrupt the communal amity in Jammu. Both the Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena, and the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, while condemning the incident, appealed to the people to restrain their emotions. Dr Abdullah wanted the US Government and the United Nations to impose sanctions on Pakistan which was encouraging and assisting the terrorist strikes on religious places. |
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Uneasy calm in Jammu Jammu, March 31 A senior police officer said here this afternoon that check points in the city had been increased in the busy markets and sensitive areas to minimise the chances of further attacks by fundamentalist outlaws. Patrolling has been intensified in the city and police and paramilitary personnel have been asked to be vigilant at the entry and exit points of the city.
UNI
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Azad condemns temple
strike Jammu, March 31
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8 ultras killed in J-K
Srinagar, March 31 The militants were killed in three encounters which took place during specific search and cordon operations carried out by the troops at four places in south and north Kashmir, the sources said. Elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir, two persons, including a militant, were killed and a woman injured, while the Border Security Force (BSF) defused a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) since last night. Three unidentified militants were killed when Army jawans retaliated after being attacked by militants during a raid on their hideout at Babagund village near Pattan in Baramulla district of north Kashmir today, defence sources said. Two AK assault rifles, a pistol and some ammunition were seized from the scene of the encounter. Four more militants were killed in two encounters at Hompather near Kulgam and Kulipora in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir this evening. The body of an LeT militant, Abdullah Azam, of Pakistan was fished out from a river at Khadinyar in Baramulla district today. The militant had drowned in the river after an encounter with the Army a few days back, the sources said, adding that his AK assault rifle was seized from the river during the subsequent operation. Another militant was killed by the security forces in a gunbattle at Banan Marmat in Doda district of Jammu last night. An AK rifle and some ammunition were seized from him, an official spokesman said. He said militants kidnapped and later shot dead Irshad Hussain at Azmatabad-Kalas village in the Thanamandi area of Rajouri district late last night. A woman was injured in an explosion at Kharak Panja in the Manjakote area of Rajouri last night. PTI
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Clarify stand on autonomy issue, Cong urged Jammu, March 31 Addressing BJP workers at Reasi and Katra today, Prof Gupta said the Congress leadership had to make its stand clear on this issue after appointing Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad as the President of the PCC. He said when Mr Azad was a member of the Cabinet headed by Mr P.V. Narsimaha Rao, the then Prime Minister had favoured the restoration of greater autonomy. The Union Minister said the appointment of Mr Azad as head of the PCC was part of a plan to provide Congress’ support to the National Conference’s demand for greater autonomy. He said Mr Azad has been sent to Jammu and Kashmir to forge an alliance between the Congress and the National Conference. He said when Mr Azad had favoured an alliance with the National Conference during the 1996 Assembly poll, Congress members had opposed it. He said the time had come for BJP workers and supporters to remain vigilant against the “mechinations” of the Congress and the National Conference in reversing the process of integration of the state with the Union of India.
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Islamic varsity near
Ganderbal, says Farooq Srinagar, March 31 He said the post-September 11 terror attacks on the USA had necessitated the presentation of a true picture of Islam. Land for the university had been earmarked at Ganderbal, 27 km from here, he added. Inaugurating the newly constructed main gate, Baab-E-Sultan, at the shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Hamza here, the first ever since militancy erupted in the valley, Mr Abdullah said “I want to see this university as the seat of highest research in Islamic studies where students would learn and interpret the religion in its true spirit”. “Jammu and Kashmir being a Muslim-majority state”, the Chief Minister said, “it was important that a well-established Islamic university was established here”.
PTI |
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