J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Hindu area commander of Hizbul shot dead
Srinagar, August 20
Five militants, including a Hindu area commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, were killed in separate incident in Jammu and Kashmir, where ultras shot dead two village defence committee members and attached the houses of a former National Conference legislator and a ruling PDP leader since last night.

Govt ‘misleading’ world on J&K: Geelani
Srinagar, August 20
Virtually rejecting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Independence Day invitation for talks, hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, said today the Centre was “making noises” on dialogue process “to mislead” the international community about the situation prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, inaugurates G.B. Panth Hospital at Badami Bagh in Srinagar on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Hindu area commander of Hizbul shot dead
TNS and PTI

Srinagar, August 20
Five militants, including a Hindu area commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, were killed in separate incident in Jammu and Kashmir, where ultras shot dead two village defence committee members and attached the houses of a former National Conference legislator and a ruling PDP leader since last night.

This was for the first time in the history of militancy in the state that a Hindu militant commander has been killed, a police spokesman said today.

The terrorist, Uttam Singh, had changed his name to Saifullah. He was killed in an encounter with the Army in the Gandoh area of Doda district.

With his killing, the reports of some Hindu boys having joined the terrorist outfits in Doda district have been confirmed.

In another encounter, Arshad Ahmed, who also belonged to the same outfit was also killed.

Uttam Singh, a resident of Bisran village of Gandoh, had reportedly snatched a .303 rifle, along with 50 rounds, from VDC members from his village in 2004 and joined the Hizbul Mujahideen.

He had been appointed area commander of Gandoh recently and was one of the seven Hindu militants active in the district. An AK assault rifle and two magazines were recovered from him.

Another hardcore Hizbul militant, Farooz Ahmad Khan, was killed in an encounter during search operations in the forests of Kullarnar in the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district this afternoon.

In different encounters, the security forces killed two militants at Thian-Kangan on the outskirts of Srinagar and Sogam in Kupwara district today, the spokesman said.

A group of about seven militants raided a hut at Bangar Dhar in Doda district last night and killed VDC members Bishroop and Bodh Raj, both residents of Neeju-Sarore in the Kishtwar area.

In another incident, heavily-armed militants fired two rifle grenades and resorted to firing on the house of former National Conference legislator Sheikh Mohammad Rafi, being guarded by the Jammu and Kashmir police and the CRPF at Kasdoora village in the Shopian area of Pulwama district last night.

The guards posted there fired in retaliation forcing the ultras to flee. No one was injured in the firing.

In another incident, the militants opened fire on the house of the ruling PDP block president Ghulam Hassan Rather at Sheeri in Baramula district last night.

The police guards posted there fired back but there was no casualty. Rather escaped unhurt along with his family.

Govt ‘misleading’ world on J&K: Geelani

Srinagar, August 20
Virtually rejecting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Independence Day invitation for talks, hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, said today the Centre was “making noises” on dialogue process “to mislead” the international community about the situation prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The rulers of India are never serious about the resolution of the Kashmir issue. The offer of dialogue is only to mislead the outside world about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” a spokesman of the amalgam said in a statement after the meeting of its advisory council here.

“While the government wants to give the impression that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is improving, it has given a free hand to the Army and other forces to silence the voice of Kashmiri people,” he said.

The spokesman alleged that India and Pakistan were engaged in a reconciliation and dialogue process for the past one-and-a-half year but “human rights violations like custodial killing and rape were continuing in the state”.

The advisory council unanimously agreed that involvement of the Kashmiris was inevitable in the talks, which should be tripartite, he said. — PTI

Society seeks cases against guilty in ’84 
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 20
The Bhai Kanahiya Jee Nishkam Seva Society has urged the Centre to register cases under Section 302 against those involved in the massacre of Sikhs in 1984. The demand was made at a meeting of various Sikh organisations held under the chairmanship of Mohinder Singh, chief organiser of the society, here today.

They appreciated Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for tendering public apology for the anti-Sikh riots.

They also welcomed the resignation of Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar and demanded action against those found guilty.

These organisations criticised the NDA and Akali leader Parkash Singh Badal for not taking any action against the culprits during their rule at the Centre and state, respectively.