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Saturday,
January 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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2 deaths
in custody: three cops suspended Northern
Command ignores guidelines on wireless sets NC leader
M.S. Gill in vigilance net 3 foreign
militants killed in valley |
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Pak
fires shells along LoC Meeting
to review ultras’ cases put off Special
force to deal with militancy in J&K J&K
Govt seeks more power J&K
bid to better police image Jet
Airways ordered to pay Rs 90,000 relief BSF jawan commits suicide
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2 deaths in custody: three cops suspended Jammu, January 17 Abdul Hamid Wani resident of Mochu died in police custody allegedly due to torture leading to widespread resentment among people. Following an assurance by the Chief Minister, a magisterial inquiry was ordered into the incident. The Chief Minister ordered the suspension of the SHO on the basis of the report in which it was established that there had been wrongful confinement, torture and suppression of facts. PTI adds: Two policemen were today suspended and a probe ordered into the alleged custodial death of a youth, following angry protests by residents who attacked a police station here, official sources said today. As the news of the death of Rajesh Singh at the Chinore police station spread in the area, protesters attacked the police station and set afire the furniture and damaged two vehicles last evening. Slogan-shouting protesters this morning carried Rajesh Singh’s body and kept it on the road. The blockade was lifted after the intervention of Social Welfare Minister Moula Ram and Deputy Commissioner Pawan Kotwal, official sources said. As the tension mounted the authorities suspended two policemen, Ashok Thakur and Rai Singh and attached the entire staff of the police station, including its in charge Balwinder Singh with the Police Lines. A probe into the alleged custodial death would be conducted by a senior officer and the report would be given to the authorities in a week, the sources said. |
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Northern
Command ignores guidelines on wireless sets Jammu, January 17 Highly placed sources said during 2001, the troops and officers in the Northern Command were provided with about 1,700 wireless radio sets with
dialing facility from DOT lines leaving a wide scope for the interception of the messages by the militants and the enemy agents within and across Jammu and Kashmir. The Army authorities have plans of purchasing about 2,700 radio wireless sets during the current year and all such sets do not have an encryption facility. Communication experts said, “Last year the authorities concerned in the Northern Command ordered procurement of radio wireless sets which the Kashmir police had rejected on the plea that such sets leave ample scope for the militants to intercept.” The experts said during the past several years, the authorities in the Northern Command had procured a large number of “hand-held mobile and base wireless radio sets, most of which have been given to the troops in the Kashmir valley.” Informed sources in the Northern Command confirmed reports that on the basis of the interception of messages regarding movement of the patrol parties and other activities, militants had been able to lay ambushes and conduct armed raids on security pickets and convoys. “The use of wireless radio sets, procured by the Army authorities, has made soldiers and officers sitting ducks for insurgents,” said these experts. What has surprised these experts is that while radio wireless sets with encryption facility have been procured for the officers in the Army Headquarters and Eastern and the Western Commands, the most sensitive Northern Command has been provided with sets which have a very poor “quality.” The matter was discussed with the Army officers concerned in the Northern Command by communication experts and they were told that there was “now no need for a secure apparatus.” The experts were plainly told that owing to financial difficulties, the Army authorities had to keep in mind the price structure of the sets and quality could not be given
weightage. But this policy has enabled militants to monitor sensitive information passed from the corps headquarters to the field commanders resulting in a series of gun and grenade attacks on the troops. In addition, even messages regarding Army crackdown in particular areas get leaked in advance leaving sufficient time for the militants either for their escape or for planning a counter-offensive. |
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NC leader M.S. Gill in vigilance net
Jammu, January 17 NC leader M.S. Gill has been charged with receiving illegal gratification to the tune of Rs 75,000 from three unemployed youths promising them government jobs which were never provided, the spokesman said here. The vigilance has established “misconduct and criminal conspiracy” hatched by Special Secretary Civil Secretariate G.R. Gani as the CEO of J and K Energy Development Agency (JAKEDA), with Altaf Ahmed, Assistant Director, JAKEDA, and others, and registered a case for further investigation in “smokeless chulla” scam case, he said. During the course of investigation it was found that the Science and Technology Department had stopped the operation of all bank accounts for the JAKEDA. But Gani, in conspiracy with Ahmed, allegedly opened a secret bank account and made payments worth lakhs of rupees to 12 NGOs, most of which were fake. A case has been registered against the Regional Transport Officer, Udhampur, Z.A. Samnani for allegedly issuing illegally 540 driving licences and 5,354 other types of licences in 1996-97, the spokesman said. The vigilance also registered cases against former Inspector, Jammu Citizen Cooperative Bank, Rajinder Singh, who is currently Manager of the bank’s Doda branch and Rajinder Singh Jamwal, technician, Power Development Department, for allegedly acquiring assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.
PTI |
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3 foreign militants killed in valley
Srinagar, January 17 Two LeT militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Kafarnar forests in North Kashmir district of Baramula last night, an official spokesman today said. He said the encounter followed after a search party came under attack by the insurgents hiding there. In another encounter at Magam Handwara in the frontier district of Kupwara, one foreign militant was killed. An AK rifle, three magazines, one hand grenade, and 53 cartridges were recovered from the slain militant. A girl, identified as Shakeela Rashid, was killed during an encounter between militants and security forces at Lolab in the frontier Kashmir district of Kupwara, the spokesperson added. The two LeT militants were identified as Abu Umer Salfi and Abu Abbass Ali. In another operation, a militant Imtiyaz Ahmad Sheikh was arrested from Kupwara district, he said. Troops of 75th battalion of the BSF recovered a pistol with a magazine and three hand-grenades during search operations at Trehgam in Kupwara today, sources added.
UNI, PTI |
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Pak fires shells along LoC Jammu, January 17 Pakistani troops targeted Jhangar and Kalasian area of Noushera sector in Rajouri district with mortar shelling, provoking Indian troops to retaliate, the sources said, adding there was no report of any loss or damage on Indian side. Intermittent small arms firing exchange along IB was also continuing at border out posts of Khora, Karotna, Khurd and Narianpur in the R.S. Purba sector since yesterday. Pakistan troops, using light and medium machine guns, fired 450 shoots last night, they said. Exchange of shelling between Indian and Pakistani troops along LOC in these areas has been going on for the past several days, they said. The increased firing along the belt by Pakistani troops was to allow militants to infiltrate into the state from adjoining areas, the sources said.
PTI |
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Meeting
to review ultras’ cases put off Jammu, January 17 Official sources said that the meeting had to be deferred as the one member from the Union Home Ministry, Mr Rakesh
Hooja, Joint Secretary Home, could not reach Jammu following the cancellation of air service due to fog. The other members of the screening committee are the Director-General of Police, the Additional Director-General, CID and the Principal Secretary Home. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed after taking over as the Chief Minister on November 2 last had announced to release, after screening, those political leaders and militants against whom there were no serious offences and who had completed the period of detention. As some of the separatists and political activists were released on parole or on bail by the courts the Chief Minister was blamed for adopting soft policies towards the militants. Those released were rearrested after the Centre raised to
furore. Later the Mufti explained his stand on the issue and convincing the Centre on the desirability of setting free those against whom there were no serious charges. The Centre agreed and imposed a condition that the Union Home Ministry will send one officer to head the screening committee. Sources said that among political
detainees whose cases for release were to be reviewed by the screening committee included Syed Ali Shah
Geelani, senior Jamaite-Islami leader, Sheikh Azia Ahmed, chief of the Peoples’ League, and some activists of separatist outfits. Sources said that the next meeting of the committee would be held next week. |
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Special
force to deal with militancy in J&K Jammu, January 17 “The state government will soon raise a special anti- militancy force armed with commando training for use in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir,” Additional Director-General, police headquarters, Rajan Bakshi told PTI here today. The state government had forwarded a proposal for such a force and it had been approved by the Union Home Ministry, he said. To be called Jammu and Kashmir Voluntary Force
(JKVF), a unit of 500 personnel would be raised in the first phase starting soon, he said adding the force would be raised from 22000 special police officials
(SPOs) and Village Defence Committee (VDC) members, best suited for counter-insurgency operations, he said. A three month special training, focusing on jungle warfare will be imparted to the personnel and a small team of five to 10 personnel of the JKVF would be attached to police stations or district police in militancy-prone and sensitive areas during specific CI operations, Mr Bakshi said. The force will be under the command of Superintendent of Police (SP) in each district, he said adding that it would give a more organised fight to militants, as the team would be well versed with topography and language of the area.
PTI |
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J&K Govt seeks more power Jammu, January 17 This was stated by the Minister for Power Development, Mr Mohammad Sharief
Niaz, after reviewing the power situation in the state at a high-level meeting here today. Earlier he, along with Minister of State for Power Development Javed Mustafa Mir and the Chief Secretary, Dr Sudhir S.
Bloeria, briefed the Chief Minister on the situation before leaving for Delhi. The Chief Minister directed the ministers to take immediate steps for the early commissioning of the 106 MW Lower Jhelum Hydel Project and the 70 MW Pahalgam Hydel Project. |
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J&K bid to better police image
Jammu, January 17 “Since the police station is a basic unit reflecting the image of the entire police force, it has been felt necessary to deploy graduate constables in these stations for more refined behaviour with the public”, a police spokesman said here today. The station writer henceforth will also be a non-gazetted officer instead of being a lower subordinate, he said, adding that the long-felt need of having more qualified police personnel at police stations was being met accordingly. Police stations are also being strengthened in terms of infrastructural facilities and manpower for harmonious relations with the public. Also on the anvil was better transport and communication facilities, he said. While the increased threat perception to police establishments was being taken due notice of, the spokesman said that it had been emphasised by the senior officers that an average policeman in the police station shall be courteous and sympathetic towards the complainant. Supervisory officers have been asked to visit the police stations under their respective jurisdiction every-day and keep track of suspects in police custody with reference to their police station records.
PTI |
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Jet Airways ordered to pay Rs 90,000 relief Jammu, January 17 President of the forum D.K. Kapoor and member J.K. Gandotra, have ordered the Jet Airways to pay Rs 40,000 to Ms Rajpreet Bajwa for the deficiency in service as she could not reach Delhi to appear in the entrance test for the BCA course and Rs 40,000 to the family which suffered mental agony and Rs 10,000 for the litigation. Mr Bajwa had booked four return seats for travelling to Port Blair from here in January 2000. However, on their return journey from Port Blair they had to face problems because the airlines had given wrong information about the departure time of the flight and the aircraft had left Chennai when the family reached the airport. Ms Rajpreet Bajwa missed her entrance test at Delhi as she could not reach there in time because of the wrong information provided about the flight. Thereafter, Mr Bajwa and his family members were unable to get the flight from Delhi to Jammu as it was cancelled because of bad weather. They were boarded a minibus and had to hire a taxi from Khanna as the minibus was uncomfortable. |
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BSF jawan
commits suicide Srinagar, January 17 The jawan, constable Yashpaul Singh, used his service rifle to shoot himself at Humhama camp in Badgam district, the sources said. He
was rushed to the hospital but was declared brought dead, they said,
adding the motive behind his taking such an extreme step was not
known. PTI |
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