Srinagar, April 12
Five Army personnel, including a Colonel, and an equal number of policemen, were among 11 persons chargesheeted here today in a fake encounter case.

The Special Investigation Team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, probing alleged fake encounters involving security personnel, filed the chargesheet in a court here in connection with the disappearance of Muslim cleric Shoukat Ahmad Kataria last year.

Among those chargesheeted in the court of chief judicial magistrate M.Y. Akhoon included Colonel Vikram Singh, Major Rishi, senior superintendent of police H.R. Parihar and his deputy Bahadur Ram.

Kataria was picked up from the Zadibal area of Srinagar and allegedly shot dead in a fake encounter in adjoining Bandipora district on October 5, last year.

The investigating officer informed the court that the FIR lodged by the Special Operations Group of police and an Army unit claimed they had killed a foreign militant but the investigations revealed otherwise.

A DNA test conducted on the body of Kataria, which was exhumed in February this year along with four others, proved the person buried was the cleric from Banihal area who was working as an imam at Zadibal mosque here.

While the policemen, including senior superintendent of police H.R. Parihar and his deputy Bahadur Ram and a cleric Mohammad Ashraf Khan, were charged with the murder of Kataria, the Army personnel were charged with hatching a criminal conspiracy.

The other Army personnel accused in the case were — V.K. Sharma, Puran Singh and Satpal Singh. — PTI

Jammu, April 12
The BJP today expressed the hope that it would win eight to 10 seats in the valley in the coming elections.

Having never won a seat in the Kashmir valley, it has only one MLA in the state assembly at present.

"Besides having a majority in the Jammu province, we will win eight to 10 seats with the help of our Muslim brothers in Kashmir also in the coming elections if the polls are conducted in a free and fair manner," Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ashok Khajuria said while addressing party delegates from the Kashmir valley.

He said the BJP would soon hold a public meeting in Srinagar for which the date would be announced soon.

Welcoming a few local leaders from the valley into the party fold at the state BJP office here, Khajuria said the assembly elections, due in November 2008, could possibly be held soon, looking at the political atmosphere being built due to the rift in the ruling coalition comprising the Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.

Jammu, April 12
Dogri folk artistes and literates have accused the state government of neglecting local culture.

Bulle Shah’s Rabbi may have won hearts at the recent Jammu University fest, but when it comes to the cause of Jammu’s cultural heritage, the government gives preference to Punjabi folk artistes like Sardool Sikandar and comedian Bhagwant Mann.

The Duggar Manch, the Dogri Sansthan and several other cultural and social organisations have alleged that the bureaucrats connected to the Jammu Festival, which begins tomorrow, have privatised the entire affair and “kept away the local artistes and talent from the performance”.

Sardool Sikandar, Jasbir Jassi, Bhagwant Mann and some other stars and a Punjabi theatre group, “Rang Manch” from Amritsar have been invited and allotted dates, along with some classical singers and musicians from other states as well, to perform at the festival.

The festival has been contracted for the first time, unlike the previous years when a majority of local talent highlighting Dogri culture and tradition used to perform, Duggar Manch president and renowned Dogri singer Mohan Singh said.

Dogri author Dhian Singh Langeh has also expressed anguish over “the way the cultural affairs have been given in the wrong hands”.

He said the government had been focusing on revenue collection through joyrides and food stalls instead of propagating the Dogri culture on such occasions.

He pointed out that “Khir Bhawani” and “Jhiri”, the Kashmiri festivals, were still conducted on traditional lines.

However, state tourism minister Dilawar Mir has denied the allegations that the officials were focusing just on revenue collection at the cost of Dogri culture.