J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Omar escapes bid on life, 2 hurt
JuM claims responsibility
Srinagar, April 20
National Conference President Omar Abdullah escaped bid on his life when militants detonated an IED near the venue of his election rally in Budgam district during his election campaign near here today. Two persons were injured in the attack. Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Mr Abdullah asked the state government and Centre to provide him with plus category. He said the jammer vehicles were not provided to him and his father Farooq Abdullah.

Yaseen Malik detained
Srinagar, April 20
Several separatist leaders, including the JKLF chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik and the Democratic Freedom Party President Shabir Ahmad Shah, were today detained in the Baramulla parliamentary constituency while they were asking people to boycott the elections, official sources said.

Teacher beheaded, couple shot
Srinagar, April 20
A schoolteacher was beheaded by some militants in Pulwama district of south Kashmir today, official sources said. The deceased, Shoukat Ahmad Kar, a private schoolteacher was abducted by the militants from his Nai Basti residence last night and his chopped head and the torso were recovered by the police today from Lurigam village of Tral, the sources said.

109-yr-old casts vote Jammu, April 20 A 109-year-old man today cast his vote in the Jammu parliamentary constituency. Mr Lakhia Singh cast his vote in the Nowshera segment of Rajouri district, an official statement said. — UNI

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A woman shows her finger with a voting mark in Sheeri, 61-km north-west of Srinagar, on Tuesday.
— Reuters

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Omar escapes bid on life, 2 hurt
JuM claims responsibility
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 20
National Conference President Omar Abdullah escaped bid on his life when militants detonated an IED near the venue of his election rally in Budgam district during his election campaign near here today. Two persons were injured in the attack.

Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Mr Abdullah asked the state government and Centre to provide him with plus category. He said the jammer vehicles were not provided to him and his father Farooq Abdullah.

Mr Abdullah stated that today’s attack showed that there was no proper security. He asked as to how the government could claim free and fair elections under such an atmosphere. He alleged that it had lost control over the situation.

Referring to the attack at Hayatpora today, the NC leader claimed that the authorities were informed in advance about his proposed visit to the area. The blast took place after Mr Omar Abdullah had left the area to address other election rallies in the district.

Mr Abdullah is contesting as NC candidate from the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency comprising Srinagar and Budgam districts, which goes to the polls in the second phase on April 26. He held that there was no coordination among the police officials.

Meanwhile, pro-Pakistan militant outfit Jamait-ul-Mujhaideen claimed responsibly for the attack on National Conference President Omar Abdullah in Badgam district and a polling booth in Bandipora today.

“The attack on Omar Abdullah was carried out by the activist of JuM”, a caller identify himself as spokesman of the outfit told news organisations on phone.

The outfit also claimed responsibility for the explosion outside a polling booth at Sumlar in Bandipora area of Barmula, which left two polling staff members and two policemen injured.

Yaseen Malik detained

Srinagar, April 20
Several separatist leaders, including the JKLF chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik and the Democratic Freedom Party President Shabir Ahmad Shah, were today detained in the Baramulla parliamentary constituency while they were asking people to boycott the elections, official sources said.

Mr Malik, his deputy Javid Ahmad Mir, Shah and the People’s League leader Pervaiz Ahmad were detained by the police at Chotipora in the Handwara area of Kupwara district, the sources said.

All four were travelling in a vehicle, asking people not to vote when they were stopped by the police and detained, the sources said.

Condemning their detention, a spokesman of the Ithead-i-Force (United Front) said the leaders were peacefully campaigning against the polls and their detention was unjustified.

The United Front was formed recently by separatist parties outside both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, including the Kashmir Bar Association, the People’s League, the JKLF and the DFP. — PTI

Teacher beheaded, couple shot

Srinagar, April 20
A schoolteacher was beheaded by some militants in Pulwama district of south Kashmir today, official sources said.

The deceased, Shoukat Ahmad Kar, a private schoolteacher was abducted by the militants from his Nai Basti residence last night and his chopped head and the torso were recovered by the police today from Lurigam village of Tral, the sources said.

They said ultras also fired several gunshots at his torso after beheading him.

The chopped head and the torso were handed over to his relatives, the sources said, adding that the motive behind the killing was not known.

Militants shot dead a couple and wounded their two daughters in south Kashmir, official sources said today.

Militants intruded into the house of Mushtaq Ahmad Wagay in the New Colony area of Shopian in Pulwama district last night and fired indiscriminately on the inmates, the sources said.

Wagay’s wife Shakeela died on the spot while he along with two teenaged daughters was critically injured in the firing, the sources said, adding that Wagay later succumbed to injuries.

The police had launched a hunt to nab the militants involved in the attack. The motive behind the attack was not known immediately, the sources said.

In a separate incident, militants lobbed a grenade on a CRPF vehicle in Lazibal village of Anantnag district early today, but the device missed the intended target.

CRPF personnel cordoned off the village and carried out searches after the blast, but the ultras managed to escape, the sources said.

A woman was killed and three persons were injured in an encounter between militants and security personnel in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir today. The encounter took place in the Shopian area, officials said, adding that the victims were caught in the exchange of fire. — PTI