Jammu, October 12
The People’s Democrative Party (PDP) suffered a setback today when Mr Shoaib Lone, an independent MLA, joined the Congress Seva Dal as an associate member here and praised Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Mr Lone contested as a rebel of the PDP and won the recent by-election to the Sangrama seat which had fallen vacant due to the assassination of his father, Mr G.N. Lone, who was a minister in the cabinet of Mufti Sayeed.

His entry into the Seva Dal, a subsidiary of the Congress, is likely to strain further relations between the two coalition partners of Congress and the PDP. The development has come two days after the Mufti met Congress president Ms Sonia Gandhi at Delhi and appreciated her support to the PDP.

However, the development has also exposed chinks within the Congress part as PCC chief and minister Peerzada Sayeed, was unaware of Mr Lone’s joining the Seva Dal.

When contacted on telephone at Srinagar, Peerzada expressed surprise on the development and said that how could a person who contested the election against our coalition partner (PDP) be allowed to join the Seva Dal or any other organisation under the umbrella of the Congress.

Peerzada said that he did not ask Mr Lone to join the Seva Dal and nor had he sought permission to do so.

On the other hand, supporters of Mr Azad here and at Srinagar had prior knowledge of the development which indicates that the tussle was continuing between the Azad and the Peerzada factions despite efforts of certain Delhi-based Congress leaders to mend fences among them.

A supporter of Mr Azad said that Mr Lone had joined the Seva Dal because it was not a political organisation and he wanted to show the right path to the misguided youth in the valley.

Mr Lone contested the election as a rebel against the PDP nominee Javed Hassan Beig, a relative of former Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig. However, the PDP leadership had so far been hopeful that the senior party MLA. Ghulam Hassan Mir, who had pleaded for a ticket to him, would succeed in bringing to the party-fold.

When contacted on telephone, Mr Mir said that Mr Lone was a ‘raw hand’ and did not know anything about the Seva Dal.

Mr Lone told this correspondent that the Congress was not new to him as his grandfather, Mohammad Ismael Nissar, was a district president of the Congress and was assassinated by terrorists only because of his being a Congressman. He said he respected Mr Mir who was a very close friend of ‘my’ father.

Mr Lone said he was very much impressed with the working of the Congress Seva Dal in the areas hit by earthquake last year. He would make efforts to persuade the misguided youth to join mainstream by joining the Seva Dal, he added.

Srinagar, October 12
Senior separatist leaders, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Shabir Ahmad Shah, were placed under house arrest as the funeral of a youth, found dead under mysterious circumstances in New Delhi, was carried out amid tight security here today.

Geelani, chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, was placed under house arrest at his Hyderpora residence this morning while Shah, President of the Democratic Freedom Party, was under restrictions at Rawalpora since yesterday to prevent them from taking part in the funeral of Irshad Ahmad Lone, officials said.

According to the deceased’s family, the Delhi police informed them that Lone, a resident of the Chanapora locality, who had gone to the Capital to find a job, was found injured on a highway and taken to a hospital where he died.

However, the family alleged that he was killed by the Delhi police after being arrested on Tuesday. They claimed that torture marks were visible on his body.

Shah condemned the government action while spokesman for the Hurriyat Conference Ayaz Akbar said it was for the seventh time during the past one and a half months that restrictions were placed on Geelani.

Lone’s body was brought to his house at Chanapora this morning and was later buried at the local graveyard amidst tight security arrangements, officials said.

Several hundred slogan-shouting people participated in the funeral procession and demanded an inquiry into the youth’s death. — PTI

Jammu, October 12
Students of three government colleges here yesterday boycotted their classes and took out a procession, demanding that the President should reject the mercy petition of Afzal Guru, who was instrumental in the terrorist attack on Parliament.

The students demanded that the Supreme Court’s order of hanging Afzal Guru on October 20 should be implemented without showing any leniency to the Pakistan-backed terrorists.

Activists of the ABVP organised the protest march in which students of MAM College, Science College and Commerce College participated.

The strike by students here in support of Afzal Guru’s hanging was in retaliation to that by students of Kashmir University, who boycotted their classes yesterday in support of clemency to him.

The college students here said that mercy to Afzal Guru would further intensify terrorism in the state.

They raised slogans against the hardliners and said that any leniency to Afzal Guru would demoralise the nationalist forces and also the security forces.

Srinagar, October 12
A signature campaign to save Mohammad Afzal Guru from gallows was launched by the Society for the Protection of Detainees’ and Prisoners’ Rights here today with the first signature by Afzal’s wife, Ms Tabassum.

It has also sought that the President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, before whom a clemency petition was filed by Afzal’s family last week, should look into all aspects of Afzal’s case convicted in the Parliament attack case.

A Delhi court had, on September 26, fixed October 20 for Afzal’s hanging to death, leading to the continued protest demonstrations in the valley.

The signature campaign was launched in the presence of Mr S.A.R. Geelani, vice-president of the Society for the Protection of Detainees’ and Prisoners’ Rights this morning.

Addressing a Press conference, Mr S.A.R. Geelani, the Delhi University lecturer exonerated in the case, said the campaign to save Afzal had been launched in New Delhi on October 2 and the “movement for justice” would continue until he gets justice and a fair trial.

He said Afzal would not be termed as a convict until justice prevailed. A protest dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi was joined by national-level scholars, intellectuals and writers, including Arundhati Roy, and students from different educational institutions on October 4 last. — TNS

Jammu, October 12
The Central notification banning child labour came into effect in Jammu and Kashmir along with other states of the country and the officials of the labour department have not to wait for the nod of the Assembly to enforce the law.

The Labour Commissioner, Mr Prithpal Singh Betab, said the Central Child Labour Act of 1986 was already applicable to Jammu and Kashmir and as such the notification issued under the Act would automatically be implemented in the state. It is worth mentioning that under Article 370 no Central law is applicable to Jammu and Kashmir until it is ratified by the state legislature. However, the law against child labour has already been ratified by the Assembly and was being implemented, particularly in the organised industrial sector.

Mr Betab said the state government had decided to arm the BDOs, Tehsildars and SDMs with special powers to check child labour even in the interior areas.

Srinagar, October 12
The security forces killed three militants and arrested a top commander of the Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islam (HUJI), while ultras attacked an Army camp, a BSF picket and shot at a CPM activist in Jammu and Kashmir overnight, official sources said today.

They said the security forces, following a tip-off, conducted a search operation at Bagandhar village in the Shopian area in Pulwama district this afternoon.

During the operation, militants, hiding in the house of Ghulam Mohiuddin Sheikh, fired upon the forces with automatic weapons.

The fire was returned by the search party. In the ensuing encounter, one militant had been killed so far, the sources said, adding the operation was still on when reports last came in.

The security forces killed a militant in a gunbattle at a village in Poonch district late last night. The encounter ensued after a search party was attacked by militants. One AK rifle and other arms and ammunition were seized from the slain militant.

A defence spokesman said an Army patrol was attacked by militants at Chokibal in the frontier district of Kupwara. The security forces retaliated and in the ensuing gunfight, one militant was killed. One AK rifle and other arms and ammunition were also seized from him.

An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces near Darangyari in Kupwara district last night. A defence spokesman said here that late in the night an ambush party of troops saw movement of some person. As the person came near the ambush site and when challenged, he fired on the party that was retaliated in which the militant was killed. One AK rifle, three AK magazine, 53 rounds of AK ammunition, four hand grenades and one radio set were recovered from the site of encounter.

The police tonight claimed to have rescued about 1,500 students and 2,000 civilians caught in a gunfight between militants and the security forces in Pulwama district.

Giving details of the encounter, the Superintendent of Police, Pulwama, Mr Imtiyaz Ahmad, said the police laid a cordon in the Alyalpora market in Shopian town following a tip-off regarding presence of militants in the house of an advocate, Abdul Hai.

He said militants had taken refuge in Mr Hai’s house which is adjacent to Green Valley Higher Secondary School. The Zonal Education Officer was also operating from the house.

Maintaining utmost restraint to prevent any civilian loss, the SP said the police first evacuated about 1,500 students of the school.

During the rescue operation, about 2,000 civilians have been evacuated from the market so far, he said, adding militants tried to flee taking cover of civilians, but the attempt was thwarted.

The SP said two holed-up militants belonged to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). He said reinforcements had been rushed to the area from nearby security camps.

Srinagar, October 12
Protest demonstrations were held for the second consecutive day here today against the killing of a youth under mysterious circumstances in Delhi, whose body was brought to his home in Srinagar yesterday.

The automobile engineer, Irshad Ahmad Lone from Chhanapora locality here, had reportedly died under mysterious circumstances in Delhi. His family members alleged that the youth was tortured by the police leading to his death.

When the reports of his death reached here, protest demonstrations were held in the area with the blockade of traffic. All the shops and business establishments in Chhanapora locality remained closed since yesterday and traffic on the Srinagar-Chrar-e-Sharief road was blocked.

Senior separatist leaders, APHC chairman, Syed Ali Geelani and Shabir Ahmad Shah, who were scheduled to join the family in the mourning, were kept under house arrest as precautionary measures today. 

Srinagar, October 12
The Vigilance has detected a case of overstaying in government service for one year, leading to the recovery of Rs 2.9 lakh drawn as salary.

An official spokesman here said that Mohammad Akbar Khan retired as Deputy Chief Education Officer, Baramula, on July 27, 2006, after overstaying for a period of more than one year in government service. He was to retire on April 30, 2005.

The officer has deposited an amount of Rs 2.9 lakh in the government treasury after the detection of his overstay in government service.

The SVO had launched an inquiry into the case.