J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Heated exchanges inside, outside Assembly
Jammu, December 10
Walkouts, heated arguments, slogan-shouting and pandemonium on the issues of “growing” human rights violations and discrimination with Jammu marked the opening of the week-long winter session of the state Assembly here today.

Panther Party MLAs Balwant Singh Mankotia and Faqir Nath along with Manjeet Singh of the BSP sit in dharna in the lobby of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in protest against “discrimination” with Jammu on the opening day of the winter session on Wednesday. — Photo by N.R. Sharma

ASI, militant killed in shootout
Jammu, December 10
A policeman and a militant were killed in a fierce gunbattle with militants holed-up in a building in the border town of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir this afternoon.

Heated exchanges inside, outside Assembly
Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 10
Walkouts, heated arguments, slogan-shouting and pandemonium on the issues of “growing” human rights violations and discrimination with Jammu marked the opening of the week-long winter session of the state Assembly here today. The atmosphere was surcharged not only within the House, but also outside in the lobby where MLAs of the ruling PDP and the National Conference (NC) traded charges of corruption and misrule.

The Speaker, Mr Tara Chand, had to adjourn the House for 45 minutes as pandemonium prevailed following allegations of the Finance Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig, that the previous NC rulers had allotted works worth Rs 100 crore to their near and dear ones without inviting tenders and created “fictitious” liabilities amounting to Rs 192 crores.

The Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, claimed that custodial deaths had reduced considerably and warned that those security personnel indulging in violation of human rights would not be spared.

The NC members walked out twice, first following the allegations of the Finance Minister and then again to protest against the “growing” human rights violations ever since the PDP-Congress-Panther Party coalition came into power.

Two MLAs of the coalition Panther Party, Mr Balwant Singh Mankotia, Mr Balwant Singh (BSP) and Mr Jugal Kishore (BJP) walked out in protest against the “discrimination” with the Jammu region on the issue of denial of re-employment to 32 terminated employees of the Agriculture Department. They alleged that the state government reinstated nearly 250 employees of the department, who were retrenched in the Kashmir valley.

These legislators staged a dharna in the lobby of the Assembly and raised slogans.

Trouble started during question hour after obituary references to Mr Kushak Bakula and Mr Mohammad Yousuf Parray. No question after the first one regarding implementation of decisions of the district development boards could be taken up as the House was adjourned amidst pandemonium.

The House suspended the other business and started a discussion on human rights violations for which Mr Abdul Rahim Rather (NC) tabled a notice. The Mufti said the issue was important as Human Rights Day was being observed throughout the world today.

The NC members alleged that such violations had sharply increased during the present regime and the police officers allegedly involved in atrocities on common people had been again posted in the Kashmir valley.

Mr Ali Mohammad Sagar (NC) claimed that 27 custodial deaths were reported during the one-year rule of the Mufti and 105 persons had disappeared. The PDP won 16 Assembly seats in the valley only on the slogan of police excesses during the NC regime.

Mr Mubarak Gul (NC) said when the Mufti was the Home Minister at the Centre, he spoke a different language towards militancy, but now he had changed his stand.

Replying to the three-hour discussion on the issue, the Mufti said the SOG was disbanded by his government and POTA was not being implemented.

He said he had made it clear at the meetings of the Unified Command that there should be no violation of human rights.

The Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, Ms Mehbooba Mufti (PDP) and many other members on the treasury benches claimed that the situation had improved considerably under the Mufti government.

Mr Dillawar Mir (NC) said everyone should endorse the initiative taken by the Prime Minister Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, by announcing a 12-point package for improving relations with Pakistan.

Mr Ajay Sadhotra (NC) alleged that the human rights violations were earlier confined to the Kashmir valley, but now these were being committed in the Jammu region also.

ASI, militant killed in shootout

Jammu, December 10
A policeman and a militant were killed in a fierce gunbattle with militants holed-up in a building in the border town of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir this afternoon.

Six persons, including three policemen, were injured when two militants in combat dress triggered a grenade explosion and fired indiscriminately before taking shelter in a State Bank of India building after being challenged by the security personnel.

Official sources said two militants appeared in Pantha Mohalla and were heading to attack an Army camp when they saw two approaching policemen and attacked them with a grenade and fired indiscriminately.

An ASI was killed and three policemen were injured in the attack. As police retaliated the militants entered into the nearby SBI building, triggering a heavy gunbattle in which one militant was killed three policemen were injured, the sources said.

Another militant escaped and is believed to have taken shelter in some other nearby building. Additional troops have been called to the area to flush out the terrorist from the building, they said.

The SSP, Poonch and senior police officers have rushed to the area to supervise the combing operation, the sources said.

The bomb disposal squad has been called to remove the body of the slain militant as security forces feel that explosives may have been tied to it.

An Army officer was among two persons injured in a landmine explosion during demining operations near the Indo-Pak border in the R.S. Pura sub-sector of Jammu frontier in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday evening, official sources said here on Wednesday. — PTI

Geelani, Malik arrested
Tribune Reporters

Srinagar, December 10
The police lobbed tear-gas shells and lathicharged groups of protesters holding demonstrations while a number of separatist leaders and human rights activists were arrested on the occasion of World Human Rights Day here today. Those arrested included APHC (Geelani) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and JKLF chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik and their supporters.

Several separatist organisations, including both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, their constituent groups and human rights organisations had organised various programmes to mark the day. These groups and leaders alleged that there was gross violation of human rights at the hands of security forces in the Kashmir valley.

Shops and business establishments in Maisuma locality near the Budshah Chowk remained closed as protesters engaged police in a ding-dong battle for several hours. These protesters pelted stones on the police and passing vehicles. The JKLF chairman and senior executive member of the Hurriyat Conference Yasin Malik and his supporters were held in the Maisuma area after they tried to take out a protest march against the alleged violation of human rights in Kashmir. Similar demonstrations were taken out by the Democratic Liberation Party led by Hashim Qureshi, the Awami Action Committee and the Abbas faction of the Hurriyat Conference.

A spokesman of the Geelani faction of the APHC said the World Human Rights Day was being observed as “black day” in Kashmir and added that there was gross violation of human rights in the valley. The spokesman alleged that the police resorted to force to prevent peaceful demonstrations by the APHC chairman. He said 18 persons, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani were held by the police to prevent them from taking out a peaceful demonstration on the occasion. Geelani, however, was later released, the spokesman added.

NC for probe into excesses by forces

Srinagar, December 10
Contesting the Jammu and Kashmir government’s claim that the situation in the state was looking up, opposition National Conference today demanded a high-level probe into the alleged excesses by security forces in Sopore, Bijbehara and Kupwara and punishment to the guilty.

“An atmosphere of insecurity has gripped the state as the government has failed to protect the lives of the people and not a single day passes when there is no gruesome killing,” NC President, Omar Abdullah said in a statement.

Incidents of custodial killings had increased since the change of government, Mr Abdullah said adding that excesses at Rubin Sopore in Baramula, Bijbehara in Anantnag and Ramhall-Handwara in Kupwara needed to be probed and punishment awarded to the guilty. — PTI

Mufti has failed to check corruption: CPM
Our Correspondent

Jammu, December 10
The CPM, which supports the PDP-led coalition government, has blamed the establishment for its failure to tackle the problem of corruption in the state.  

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, the CPM leader and MLA, Mr M.Y. Tarigami, has urged the government to expedite action in terms of the  Accountability Commission Act to remove the corrupt officials from the civil and police administration.    

Mr Tarigami, in his communication, has reminded the Chief Minister that the people voted for the coalition on the slogan of checking corruption and throwing corrupt officials out of the services. He said he had told the Chief Minister that the level of corruption had assumed alarming dimensions in the state and it required to be tackled on a priority basis.

15 officials retired prematurely
Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 10
The Jammu and Kashmir Government today prematurely retired 15 officials, including a director of Rural Sanitation and a drug controller.

The action comes within a week of the Cabinet empowering the Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, to remove the dead wood and tainted public servants from the administration.

This has been done under the J&K Civil Services Regulations and these officials have completed 22 years of service and attained the age of 48. The Mufti had come under criticism for the delay in taking action against the tainted officials. However, the list of officials hardly has any big fish. Most of the retired officials were small fries.